Videos, many available via YouTube, on installation and tips on how to use products are the way to go at GROM, along with FAQs and online support forums. “We try to address every issue the user might face,” Borisov said. The company sends videos to distributors and partners all around the world. Audiocontrol uses social media to promote its products.
“We’re very active on Facebook and Twitter,” Reid said. A solid dealer base and a dealer locator at the company website also contributes to marketing activities: “we’re in constant contact with our dealers and do face-to-face training.
Future of the Market The future of OEM integration seems to lie in products that combine making life easier for end users with staying in synch with new technology as it arises, and with staying focused on what has made these companies successful to date. Both of Rockford Fosgate’s recent OEM integration items rep- resent the company’s intention of “continuing to try to come up with products to simplify life for the consumer and the dealer,” according to Hunter. “We’ve been doing this for so long that we can forget that what’s simple for us may not be simple for others. It can be daunting to be handling and cutting wires” to install a product.
GROM’s Borisov agrees that simplification, along with making technology easier and safer to use, is the future of the industry. Parrot is looking to expand OEM integration in a number of
ways. “In the future, we will offer a digital TV that can be piped through the head unit; it will only be available to use in park mode (for safety),” Potter said. A clear box or hub can aggregate content and broadcast to other outlets throughout the vehicle. “We envision this being very attractive for fleets and long-dis- tance drivers. It will be all-in-one, inclusive entertainment with navigation and a tracking device.” Plans call for finalizing a broadcasted TV signal in vehicles for
2015. “Communication between vehicles, the ability to recognize other vehicles and autonomous driving—such entertainment and productivity tools—will be more valuable,” Potter said. At Audiocontrol, the outlook for the future is straightfor-
ward: “We will always continue to make good sound great,” said Reid. AAMP’s Wincek expects integration of smartphone-based nav-
igation, such as access to Google and Apple maps, to be “huge.” Similarly, GROM expects to see technologies such as Android Alta, Mirrorlink and Google Glass push innovation in OEM inte- gration. “It’s hard to know which will survive,” Borisov said.
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