When my friend, Sandy Gross was responsible for marketing Polk Audio in the late 70s and early 80s one of the challenges he faced was acceptance of the brand as a serious contender.
It was a tough challenge. Their competitors were pretty serious people including Dr. Amar Bose, Edgar Villchur, Dr. Sydney Harman, and Henry Kloss to mention just a few.
Matthew Polk had studied marine biology at Johns Hopkins.
What to do to get Polk taken seriously by the stereo buyers of the day?
Dress him up in a white lab coat.
Matt is an excellent loudspeaker designer who pioneered a number of innovations still used today.
What he lacked at the time was credibility.
Status.
Can you think of anything around us that doesn’t fight for status?
Would you buy the world’s best sounding power amplifier if it were dressed up in a metal garbage pail?
Like it or not we judge books, equipment, and people by their appearance.
Maybe I should buy myself a lab coat.
Paul McGowan / PS AUDIO
