In a premium-bargain brand pairing as unlikely as Hermes and Dollar Tree, Bugatti and Budget Car Rental, or Cartier and Cracker Jack, budget headphone maker SkullCandy has partnered with premium audio maker Bose on the new SkullCandy Method 360 ANC true wireless earbuds.
The Method 360 ANC, which features “Sound by Bose” technology, active noise cancelation, multipoint Bluetooth connectivity, IPX4 water- and sweat-resistance, and 40-hour battery life (via multiple case recharges) with rapid charging, is available now for an introductory price of $99 and will eventually settle in at $129.
In Method marketing, SkullCandy jokingly intimates it covertly stole Bose audio technology is which the company calls a “sound heist.” The truth is not unexpectedly more pedantic.
“It’s just not as exciting as you might think,” downplayed SkullCandy CEO Brian Garofalow, belying the grandiosity of the product’s intro at an ornate downtown Manhattan event featuring celebrity brand ambassador Tony Hawk. “We are two brands we see as fairly complementary… We had this big idea of bringing premium sound to the people and changing the perception of SkullCandy and, at the same time…maybe taking a couple of those really incredible parts about Bose audio technology and making [it] more accessible to other people.”
Bose Remains the Same
“This doesn’t change what we do,” insists Bose CMO Jim Mollica. “We’re a premium brand and [make a] premium product, and our products are built for the greatest sound experience you possibly could have for that price point. Unfortunately, for that price point, there are some people that it’s not achievable for. We worked with [SkullCandy] to create this product [to] be an incredible experience at that price point.”
Method 360 ANC is available in five high-fashion colors/designs, including orange, white, black, champagne gold, and leopard skin. The buds are encased in an unusual sliding “click-it and “rip-it” translucent case with an attached strap and carabiner clip.
While “Sound by Bose” is emblazoned on the box and marketing, Mollica stresses that the Method 360 ANC is not a Bose product, nor is it designed to compete with Bose’s own more premium TWS buds.
“It’s not a Bose, okay, it’s Sound by Bose, a very different thing,” Mollica insists. “There are plenty of brands that are ingredient brands. This is one ingredient in a much larger product, very different than the entire experience that is curated and created from Bose. That’s the difference. I don’t think there’s any confusion, and we tested these things with consumers, and the differentiation of the audience is that there isn’t a lot of awesome between those two worlds.
More Than Just Methods
Preceding the unveiling of the Method 360 ANC, SkullCandy also introduced a series of other new headphone and TWS earbud products due to roll out later this spring and summer. These new phones, details, and pricing for which will be released just prior to availability, are:
- Crusher ANC 2 headphones
- Crusher 540 Active headphones; sweat- and water-resistant, breathable ear cushions, 40-hour battery life, available in five colors
- Crusher PLYR 720 gaming headset with swing mic
- Hesh 540 ANC value headphones with 100-hour battery life
- Aviator 900 ANC; SkullCandy’s new premium headphone with spatial audio
- Dime EVO TWS earbuds in a sliding “click-it and rip-it” case similar to the Method 360 ANC in seven colorful styles
- Peanuts versions of the Dime Evo; limited edition, featuring Snoopy, Woodstock, Snoopy’s brother Spike, and Charlie Brown
- Push 720 TWS open light and durable buds for active users
