Skullcandy doesn't want you to just listen to music; they want you to feel it. That kind of passion and commitment to what they do means they're constantly pushing for more creative and disruptive ways to expand their audience and audio categories.
When Skullcandy came to Boombang to help them explore new opportunities outside of the headphone market, we met the challenge with equal passion.
Specifically, the main goal was to create a strategic direction for Skullcandy’s wireless multi-room audio ambition. To gain as much information about the category as possible, we first conducted a deep ethnographic research to study how young listeners use their home audio systems. How do you create a multi-room system for a consumer that generally controls one room of the house?
What we found was that today's young listeners desire operational simplicity and stand-alone performance from their audio equipment above all else. Most people also live highly mobile lifestyles, in and away from home, so we needed to ensure that in addition to having multi-room functionality, whatever we created also had to:
1. Be modular and easily portable;
2. Be big (and loud) enough for one room with the ability to grow and evolve to others;
3. Offer the expandability of WiFi with the simplicity of Bluetooth;
4. Provide multiple capabilities in a single product that can adapt to how—and where—users listen to music.
With that in mind, Boombang created three new product platforms that successfully met those directives and effectively reflected Skullcandy's unique brand DNA.
The BeatBlaster is what the boombox of the '90s wishes it was. Rugged construction with traffic-stopping sound, the BeatBlaster is a mobile party at your fingertips. Hip-hop inspired it comes standard with detachable left and right speakers, built-in Bluetooth and WiFi integration, and a companion app that can link speakers together to create a true stereo experience. Sets come in a wide array of colors, patterns, and styles, are lightweight, completely customizable, and can be upgraded to match your ever evolving musical tastes.
The RockBlock is for rockers who want to go way past 11. Like BeatBlasters, RockBlock systems are Bluetooth and WiFi compatible and feature two removable full-range portable speakers and passive radiator powered sub that acts as a charging base. They're stackable and expandable and are safely housed in virtually indestructible HDPE enclosures. They even have an instrument input option that can be used as an amplifier.
If this next-level modular sound system reminds you of a stealth rocket, that's because the BoomTubes' are inspired by retro-militaristic design language. But even with dual full-range drivers, a six hour battery pack with a handle, an ambient light projector, a video gaming sound bar, and an auxiliary subwoofer base, BoomTubes are shockingly compact and lightweight. So small and powerful, we dubbed them the "Go-Pro of audio systems". And like the BeatBlaster and RockBlock systems, BoomTubes come standard with Bluetooth and WiFi functionality. With BoomTubes you really can go where the music takes you.
The creation of these three product platforms—and the whole Skullcandy collaboration in general—was a great example of Boombang's unique ability to customize our level of engagement and tailor our expertise to perfectly suit a partner's creative needs.