And The Beats Go On...

These days, in many ways, perception is reality. Branding is arguably more important than quality. For example: walk down the street and, chances are, within seconds you’ll see a very familiar, ubiquitous white cable dangling from the ears of the person in front of you. But is that omnipresence down to exceptional audio quality or is it just great marketing?

Mobile phones and mp3 players generally come packaged with headphones that don’t do the devices they’re attached to justice. The curious thing is that even avid music fans seldom bother to shell out extra for a better listening experience. Spotting a potential gap in the market and seizing upon it with admirable vigour, the Chinese mobile manufacturers HTC have purchased a 51% majority stake (costing a cool $300 million) in American audio company Beats By Dr. Dre.
Beats has considerable street cred: in addition to Dre’s endorsement, artists such as Lady Gaga and Diddy have their own series. Now, the company’s partnership with HTC offers a fresh twist on an emerging story. Beats headphones look sleek, sexy and sophisticated, the kind of accessory that could enhance a fashion shoot. It is HTC’s way of challenging Apple’s dominance of the market.
To illustrate how serious the company is about its new venture, they took a crew of journalists from around the world to Berlin for the launch of what is a unique collaboration. Berlin is a city reborn over the past two decades, where industrial beauty and Cold War chic sit alongside a modern, innovative outlook. It provides the perfect backdrop for the launch of a device aiming to tap into that same fresh spirit. 
No surprise, then, to find the world exclusive presentation taking place in an art-deco penthouse, high above the bustling metropolis. Billed as “the ultimate audio experience”, HTC’s Sensation XE smartphone is the first handset to come with integrated Beats audio and top of the range in-ear headphones, designed to do away with the need for a separate phone and mp3 player combination.
Essentially, the emphasis is on the quality of the listening experience, the goal being to recreate the sound of the studio – and thus to allow the music to be heard precisely the way the artist intended. This is achieved through the Beats ‘sound profile’, which tunes the audio specifically for the headphones.
“It’s about your own personal experience,” says Julia Herd, head of EMEA PR and marketing for HTC. “We’re well aware that it’s a competitive market but the way that we develop things is down to what the consumer wants. Competition is key and it’s important to have choice.
“We don’t think it’s healthy to have just one single player in the market,” Julia adds. “You need multiple options, which is why we have multiple platforms. Beats is one of a number of moves that we’re making into the content area, and our stake in the company will allow us to do more with music.”
The main event of the evening – the coup de grace of the HTC/Beats collaboration – takes place at an exclusive party in a smoke-filled warehouse. A host of local celebrities and industry figures can be found making their way down the red carpet, but all eyes (and ears) are trained on one man. After all, presentation is one thing, performance quite another.
And so it’s down to superstar DJ – arguably the biggest dance act in the world today – David Guetta to test out the merchandise before a select audience of dancefloor enthusasists. Draped in a pair of brilliantly white HD Beats headphones, Guetta certainly looks the part. His hour in the booth is characterised by thumping beats – and enthusiastic smiles. Set over, and with the crowd sufficiently dazzled, Guetta thrusts his Beats headphones aloft triumphantly. He’s convinced.
The (300) million dollar question is whether or not the public will follow suit.

The HTC Sensation XE will be available from the end of September on the O2 network. For more information, visit htc.com.