Bose's CMO On The Renaissance Of Audio

04 Jun, 2021

Chief Marketing Officer at Bose Corporation Jim Mollica on how creating immersive audio content can foster a greater consumer response to the brand and influence their purchasing decisions

Jim Mollica is the Chief Marketing Officer at Bose Corporation, having developed a career in brand marketing that spans amazing roles at The Disney Corporation, Viacom, Under Armour and more. His Shiny New Object is the renaissance of audio – from smart speakers and using music in various listening occasions to the rise of the podcast and original content creation.  

One of Jim’s top marketing tips came from the former president of Nickelodeon and Viacom Media Networks, Cyma Zargami, who told him that “strategy only matters if the creative execution is great.” Because so much time can be spent on a strategy that doesn’t then connect with the customer, it’s essential that creative serves the business aims.

This is why Jim’s focusing on immersive advertising and looking at influencing people’s buying decisions way before they enter the market. His Shiny New Object, the renaissance of audio, from using listening occasions throughout everyday life up to creating content for podcasts and other means of producing music.

As a self-confessed “music geek,” Jim sees music fulfilling many different functions, like enhancing special occasions, elevating a moment, providing a productive working background for professionals or creating hype for a sports team before a game. Moreover, we’re now consuming music and audio content in general through soundscapes to help us meditate and be more mindful, or sound sanctuaries to keep the noise out.

Using audio is having a renaissance as well, through smart speakers all the way through to the rise of the podcast and original content in that sphere. This is where Bose are focusing on creating immersive audio content which ultimately fosters a consumer response to the brand, influencing their purchasing decisions.

It’s difficult to see the specific ROI of creating content with long-term influencing outcomes in mind, but “if you don’t tell these stories, other brands will.” This is a great opportunity for brands as publishers.

To find out more about Jim’s career twists and turns, his top marketing tips and his views on making ads vs making content, listen to the podcast here.