Jawbone Bluetooth headsets and Company Strategy

The Jawbone line of Bluetooth headsets solves a ubiquitous problem: the ability to talk on a mobile phone in a loud environment while hearing—and being heard—clearly. Jawbone uses Noise Assassin technology that virtually eliminates background noise, making calls clearer. It continuously adapts to the user’s changing environment while also separating the speaker’s voice from other ambient noise, optimizing both incoming and outgoing sound. An ergonomic and clean design simplifies and enhances the complete experience.

The strategic goal for the Jawbone brand was to attract people to a device that has great features and breakthrough technology by making it fun, personable and functional. This was achieved with the development of a single platform that uses color, texture and software to create multiple personas, allowing the device to be adapted to fit the needs of many types of users. The philosophy of adaptability was applied to every touchpoint of the brand, allowing Jawbone to connect to customers—not by telling them what they need, but by letting them choose the products that resemble them.

Jawbone behaves like a fashion brand as well as a consumer brand, more than a consumer electronics brand. Jawbone’s sleek, sexy design has become as much of a selling point as its functionality and technology. But there are technical challenges: The sensors, PCBs and circuitry needed for the noise elimination system are relatively bulky, and manufacturing and integration of those components are pricey.

The Jawbone design strategy acknowledges the technical requirements and limitations by creating an outer surface, or shield, that is mechanically decoupled from the rest of the headset. This allows the shield to be designed separately from the housing. Therefore, new shield design colors and patterns can be refreshed seasonally. The elegance, material research and uniqueness, and design details of these elements further differentiates Jawbone from other headset makers.

Credit: Yves Béhar, IDSA, Qin Li, Noah Murphy Reinhertz, Gabe Lamb, Logan Ray, David Riofrio, Angie Tadeo, Sara Butorac, Sean McBride and Bret Recor of fuseproject for Jawbone

Contact: Gary Walker: gary@fuseproject.com