Introduction

boAt Lifestyle, a Delhi-based firm that offers earphones, headphones, and smart watches, has
risen to number five in the worldwide wearables market, making it the first Indian company to
do so. According to the latest market data from International Data Corporation (IDC), boAt took
2.6 percent of global wearable shipping in the latest quarter, sharing fifth place with Google-
owned Fitbit. In the global top five, Xiaomi, Huawei, and Samsung were the other major brands.

The success of boAt can be attributed to their powerful marketing strategy and collaborations
with local cricket teams, according to IDC. As a brand ambassador, the company signed various
Indian cricketers, including KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan.

According to IDC, boAt dominated the overall earwear category in India with 32.4 percent
market share, followed by TWS (truly Wireless Stereo) with 26.1 percent. Since the covid-19
outbreak, demand for wearables, particularly TWS, has increased significantly as more
individuals purchase them for remote working, learning, and entertainment. With an incredible
165.1 percent YoY increase, India was one of the fastest growing wearable markets, with 11.8-
million-unit shipments.

Apple remained the biggest wearables brand in the world, with a 33 percent market share, thanks
to robust demand for AirPods and Apple Watches. Apple's Watch selection was also increased,
ensuring that devices were accessible at a variety of price points.

Idea Behind Boat (Background & History)

The history of boAt Lifestyle isn't particularly illustrious. It is a Delhi-based firm founded by
Aman Gupta and Sameer Mehta in 2016. The business describes itself as a lifestyle brand that
sells trendy consumer electronics. boAt Lifestyle was founded with the express purpose of
providing millennials with inexpensive, durable, and, most importantly, "fashionable" audio
devices and accessories.

It began as a cable producer and marketer, but has since expanded its product line. It now sells a
wide range of trendy electronic items, including portable chargers and luxury cables, as well as
headphones, earphones, and speakers. The company is quickly expanding, and its services are
now available to millions of ‘boAtheads' (A term the company uses for all its consumers and
brand ambassadors). Despite the fact that the voyage took only four years, the company now has
over 800,000 satisfied consumers. Aman Gupta, one of the company's founders, was familiar
with the electronics industry. He worked in his family's business for three years (2007-2010). He
completed his Chartered Accountancy and worked for Citibank between 2003 and 2006 before
joining the company.
Business Model

BoAt has a flexible business strategy that focuses on customer needs, desires, and behaviour
patterns, giving it a competitive advantage in its capacity to listen and react in real time to
provide customers with what they want. Most importantly, the company is always innovating
and expanding its portfolio in order to provide technology solutions that are in sync with
changing consumer preferences and consumption habits. In terms of customer acquisition, we
take a two-pronged strategy. The first is to create the category of ‘hearables' by converting
traditional users to a better way of life based solely on the strength of the product and the user
experience. The second is to continue to grow this category by converting traditional users to a
better way of life based solely on the strength of the product and the user experience. BoAt is
available in both physical and online stores like as Amazon, Flipkart, and others, and is now
extending its offline presence.

Our main competitors are Bose, JBL, and Sennheiser, but we are confident since we are always
linked to our dedicated community and listen to their wants and desires in order to give
consumer-focused product advancements. We are dedicated to providing a great experience
throughout the product's life cycle, as well as completely hassle-free customer care.

SWOT Analysis
Key Challenges (China Dependent)

Headphones, for example, have significantly benefited from the expanding smartphone
ecosystem. While Bose Corporation, Sony Corporation, and Bang & Olufsen are the go-to
brands for affordable premium headphones, boAt lifestyle, a Delhi-based startup, has captivated
millennials with its appealing pricing, cool-looking products, and grassroots understanding of
what young consumers want.

Almost 99% of the headphones market in India, which incorporates headphones higher than
₹500 are created outside, chiefly in China. If spread of coronavirus continues for additional time,
it'll ultimately result in development lag and impact production. BoAt tend to had an acquisition
planned in Feb ‘21, and that they have to cancel it, so they've enough product for next month.
BoAt tend to closely observe what's happening there. They've got products in a buffer until
March 2022.

The ecosystem is still being created. In India, Xiaomi Global and Samsung have begun
production. As the mobile device industry embraces Make in India, we believe that the
ecosystem device market will begin to expand as well. We don't believe it will be long before
boAt begins manufacturing items in India. India already produces its chargers and cables.
They're also heading in that way since things are becoming more tough owing to the trade war
between China and the United States, as well as the coronavirus. The market as a whole is
looking outside China.

Though the appealing prices helped them position themselves correctly, this dependence in the
Chinese market leads to less availability of the products or more taxes vis a price. boAt's
competitors', Portronics Digital, Mivi etc have started manufacturing most of their key products
in India so as to position themselves as a "Made in India" brand. From the various reports, we
have gathered information that the ASP (average selling price) of boAt products has gone up
from ₹700 to ₹1100 due to the widespread coronavirus dependence on the Chinese market and
the trade war.

Although the brand is Indian, the products are not. Because boAt's items are manufactured
through contract manufacturing in China, they are quite inexpensive. The boAt has announced
that it plans to shift the majority of its production to India, despite increasing anti-China
sentiment in the country that hasn't translated into any changes in consumer behaviour.
Especially now that the government has established a Production Linked Incentive scheme for
wearables.

BoAt Marketing Strategy

For many people, Boat's marketing technique is music to their ears. Earphones and headphones
were solely complimentary things that came with mobile phones before the brand revolutionized
itself. In recent years, Boat has seen a surge in demand for its products. Let's take a look at the
tactics that Boat has used to achieve its phenomenal success.

1) Selling Electronic Product as Accessories

Earphones and headphones were available in the market as electronic devices prior to 2014.
When acquiring such a product, the design components were unimportant. Customers began to
pay attention to design elements as time went on. Boat's work, however, extends much beyond
design. It markets its headphones as a fashion item.
Boat is cooperating with folks in the fashion sector as well as selling its product as a fashion
item. At Lakmé Fashion Week 2020, boAt worked with celebrity designer Masaba Gupta to
produce a limited-edition collection of edgy headphones. They've collaborated to create a line of
products aimed at millennials, reviving the disco look of the 1970s.
That is how the design approach of boats operates. Boat is not only an electronic device, but also
a trendy device. It has evolved into an accessory for its clients that enhances their appearance
while carrying them. One of its most popular earphone designs is the boat Bluetooth headphone
that goes around the neck. Who'd have guessed that earphones could be worn as a fashion
statement?

2) Premium Product at Affordable Price

Customers like it when they can get a decent product for a good price. For most people, high-
quality earphones and headphones are out of reach, but not for Boat. Boat uses one of its
marketing strategies to offer high-quality audio equipment at a cheap price.
Boat's strategy in competing with companies like JBL, Sony, and others is similar. As a result of
its low prices, Boat led its competitor JBL to decrease its prices.
The product's durability is one of the reasons behind Boat's enormous success. Furthermore, the
audio quality offered by Boat is comparable to that of only a few luxury manufacturers.
Customers are drawn to the brand because of its longevity and reasonable pricing.

3) Celebrity Endorsement
It takes a long time for a company to gain the support of well-known celebrities and
personalities. When a brand is performing well, though, it is only a question of time. A long list
of brand ambassadors may be found on the Boat website.
Shikhar Dhawan, Hardik Pandey, and KL Rahul, as well as actors Jacqueline Fernandez, Kiara
Advani, Kartik Aryan, and others, endorse the brand.
When a brand is associated with music, it should have music industry ambassadors. Neha Kakkar
and Diljeet Dosanjh, who are also Boat's brand ambassadors, are two of the biggest stars in the
music industry. Boat is a new brand in the market, but it has established itself in the same way
that many other electronics brands have.
A brand that is endorsed by a well-known figure, on the other hand, appears to be genuine and
gets client trust. And it's because of this that Boat's has such a large consumer base.

4) Event Marketing
a) IPL

The Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight
Riders, Delhi Capitals, and Mumbai Indians are the six IPL clubs that boAt has announced its
official partnership with this season. To fully bring the stadium home for fans, boAt also
developed limited-edition earbuds, headphones, and speakers inspired by the teams' emblem and
design motif.

b) Sunburn

How can a brand overlook music events when the product is about music? Boat is a sponsor of
Sunburn, Asia's largest music festival.
 c) Lakme Fashion Week

Boat is a component of the Lakme Fashion Week, which is a fantastic event. The brand is being
presented as a stylish accessory during the fashion event. The models walk down the ramp
wearing Boat's merchandise.

Marketing Mix

1) Product
The product strategy and mix in BoAt marketing strategy can be explained as follows:
BoAt is the world’s 5th wearable brand in the market, having a great specialty in earphones,
speakers, etc. BoAt has established a wide market for itself & and has challenged the established
market. The original product was earphones, later the company extended the product range.
Other specialties of boAt are wireless earbuds, tethered wireless earbuds, wireless headphones,
wired headphones and earbuds, portable wireless speakers, home audio equipment, mobile
accessories. BoAt has optimized its product offerings as per change in customer need &
requirements & with changing trends.

2) Price
The product range offered at boAt is at affordable prices and they have adopted inventive
strategies to compete in various markets. The main target segment for boAt are young people in
urban and semi urban locations belonging to upper middle class or middle class, who love trendy
electronics with good quality. When it entered the market, the prices were higher which were
gradually reduced later on to target lower income groups. The price is also comparable to the
competitors.

3) Place
The founder of boAt identified the importance of online presence and established a strong online
presence for boAt. They developed a strong delivery system, making deliveries to the remote
areas as well. Later on, the company adapted to a strong distribution system & made the products
available to all the electronic stores which shows its strong place strategy in its marketing mix. It
is one of the first Indian brands with such a presence

4) Promotion
BoAt has identified a unique strategy of promotion; the company sells its product more as a
fashion item rather than electronic items. The company has identified it and has created a wide
range of products with very unique designs. Other than this the company uses all possible events
and situations to promote its products, they conduct celebrity endorsements, and promote
themselves at events like IPL, Lakme Fashion Week, Sunburn & many more.

Brand Exploratory
We can assess brand associations of Boat lifestyle by looking at the company’s core values and
missions and how the consumers perceive them. We’ll use the Brand Resonance model to
analyse the brand knowledge of the consumers about the company. The basic concept behind
Brand Resonance Model is to make the brands understand how their consumers perceive the
brand and consequently map a customer journey in a way that it leads to positive experiences.
1. Brand Salience:
The brand is one of the most widely known audio brands in India. It is famously known among
its customers for its affordable prices, premium and stylish looks, quality, and durability. It is an
Indian brand and the products are designed based on the customer preferences and styles.
2. Brand Meaning:
There are two subcategories to this phase, Brand imagery and Brand performance. Brand
Imagery focuses on emotional factors and Brand performance focuses on the rational factors of
customer satisfaction. The image boat lifestyle wants its customers to associate themselves with
terms like Go-getters, Trend setters, Slayers, Young, Ever-loving, Rule breakers, Wild,
Optimistic, and Free spirits. The brand creates emotions of being free and disconnected from the
world, being in a state of Nirvana. The brand’s performance has also always been excellent with
not even one failed product in the market. It is the biggest TWS brand in India and it fulfills its
promise to provide fashionable and aspirational products at affordable prices.
3. Brand response:
This phase also has two categories, Judgement and Feelings. It shows the consumers’ reactions
towards the brand. The consumers judge the brand to be stylish and a trend setter. The products
are perceived as affordable, innovative, and durable. The consumers of this brand get a sense of
being free and disconnected from the world, being in a state of Nirvana from its products.
4. Brand Resonance:
The brand is immensely popular among the generation of millennials and Gen Z. The company
has a cult following of about 3 million and they play a crucial part in brand growth. These
members, or ‘boAtheads’, get early access to limited-edition products and discounts, among
other benefits. The brand gets most of its repeat customers from this user community. The
boAtheads also function as beta users and provide early feedback on products before these are
publicly launched.

The brand has a strong hold on its customers. It understands the behaviours and needs of its
target segment and creates products based on their needs. It has realized the product gap in the
market and appropriately provided products in that category. The brand’s Salience is strong and
dominant as it has become immensely popular in a short period of time. Their target segment and
product offerings are unique from other brands. The consumer’s feelings of it being an
affordable, durable, and yet aspirational brand is unique and this is what differentiates it from its
competitions. Its target customers are Gen Z and millenials and for these communities fashion is
a lifestyle. The Brand image of having aspirational and stylish products resonates with its target
segments.

Brand Figure: Brand

Resona
nce
Loyal
Resonance Model for
customers, Boat
good repeat
rates, Feelin
Judgeme
boAtheads
nts
Innovative, gs
Trendy,
stylish, Freedom,
affordable, satisfaction,
1st choice in and premium
BrandTWS feelBrand
Easily available,
Performance
category Imagery
Wild and fun,
High quality,
fashionable and
Relevant products,
affordable,
Indian-ness,
creating Brand innovative, customer
centric
experiences Salience
Easily available, High awareness, most
recalled brand in TWS category

Boat lifestyle has a customer community that is loyal to the company. They are named as
boAtheads. We can consider them as extreme users of this brand. Some basic characteristics of
this segment are:
1. Most of the community is either from the millennial generation or from Gen Z.
2. These people see fashion as a lifestyle choice and want to keep updated with current
trends and innovations while also seeking style and affordability.
3. The customers mostly lie between the 18-24 age group and belong to the middle class.
 4. They are generally fun loving and wild and seek thrill and entertainment in life.
5. They associate themselves with words like rebel, trend-setter, go-getter, bold, optimistic,
and free spirits.

Consumers get a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction while buying a Boat lifestyle product. They
like the product quality and find its features attractive. They find it joyful and exciting to add a
boat product to their lifestyle. The consumers like the sound quality the brand provides on
consumption of their products. They also accept it as a fashionable wearable and feel like they’re
up to the modern trends. They feel as if the product(s) has added value to their life and as if the
product is made to keep in mind their problems. The products enhance their lifestyle.
Reflection & Recommendations

We floated a survey form to understand the brand perception of boAt among a sample of the
population. Following were the questions asked in the survey:
1. Age group?
2. Your city?
3. What type of wearable technology do you use?
4. Which of these brands do you recognize? (Showed logos for determining brand recall)
5. Which of the brands below do you prefer the most?
6. Which of the following brands do you think are reliable?
7. Have you ever used any boat products?
8. On a scale of 1 to 5 how much will you rate boat products?
9. From where did you buy boat products?

As per the responses received to the above questions, we could make the following
interpretations:

● 8 of every 10 surveyed person has used a boAt product

● 90% surveyed population is young (15 to 35 Yrs of Age)
● Demographic Distribution of Surveyed Population includes maximum people from Tier1
and Tier2 cities, while least 3.1% from rural areas
● Wired earphones are the most used wearable technology used by the sample population
● boAt and OnePlus are the most preferred brand in wearable technology
● boAt has brand recall of 65.7% with Xiaomi leading with 84.4% and Fitbit with least
brand recall at 15%.
● boAt is perceived to have good reliability as per the survey organic responses
● Most preferred channels for boAt products are Amazon.com, followed by Flipkart.com

Inferences
➢ boAt is a popular brand among young and middle-aged people
➢ The brand has well penetrated the market of major cities but lacks rural exposure
➢ boAt is one of the top brands for wearable technology, where earphones or TWS category
is highly competitive
➢ boAt has excellent brand recall which is at par with most Indian tech-wearable brands
and comparable to smartphone giants like Oneplus & Xiaomi
➢ The brand, boAt is percieved most reliable in its segment and enjoys maximum product
flow through online distribution channels, specifically Amazon.com
References

 https://marqueex.com/marketing-strategy-of-boat-making-the-sound-of-
success/
 https://www.marketingmind.in/marketing-strategies-of-boat-by-which-it-is-
eyeing-to-become-rs-500-crore-company/
 https://www.marketing360.in/boat-plug-into-nirvana/
 https://www.socialbeat.in/work/how-we-created-an-integrated-digital-
marketing-strategy-for-boat-during-ipl/