Bob and Ron’s World Wide Stereo: Riding a Winning Horse
Bob Cole steers World Wide Stereo through a shaky economy with characteristic aplomb
August 2008 By Audrey Gray
First, you hear a woman’s voice, full-throated and sexy: “”Bob Cole from Bob and Ron’s World Wide Stereo on The Good Stuff.”
Then comes that scratchy, no-nonsense baritone Pennsylvania radio listeners know so well, the voice that has been urging them to visit him in person for fun and a little mischief for more than 20 years.
“All right, let’s talk Italian restaurants, and the difference between a 25-year-old, family-owned, Zagat-rated little gem and a national chain,” Bob Cole begins, delivering his radio monologue like he was sitting next to you at a bar. “One is genuine: homemade pasta, sauces perfected over time, everything fresh and made to order. The other? It’s a factory, with short order cooks pretending to be master chefs. Where would you rather eat?”
Cole pauses for effect.
“Exactly. And the same applies to us versus the big chain stores. Hey, chain stores are great when it comes to tupperware and underwear and beachwear, but when it comes to audio and video, all things technology and fun? We’re it. Without reservation.”
Cue theme music.
In an age when messaging can be the lion’s share of the foot-traffic battle, Bob Cole’s natural instincts for ad copy, provocative promotion and consumer psychology have never been more necessary. Though the retailer known for his cheeky billboards (“Home of the Less Ostentatious Mid-Life Crisis”) is experiencing the same decline in door numbers that most A/V specialty stores are enduring, and though economic sluggishness has curbed his business expansion plans somewhat, Bob Cole’s vision for World Wide Stereo, a two-store custom retail operation in the wealthy suburbs of Philadelphia, remains charismatically formidable.
“I would like to think we are the best retrofit operation in the world,” he said, while recently giving a tour of his store in Ardmore, Pa. “I’d put my team of guys up against anybody.”
Cole’s team these days is made up of over 60 employees, many of whom have worked for World Wide Stereo for a majority of their careers. Cole, a former psychologist, has made a point of surrounding himself with good people, especially since 2000, when he was pulled away from day-to-day operations by a serious illness. He describes Bill Buch, his chief buyer, as a pitbull and his controller, Kristen Smith, as “a life-long friend, nearly a daughter.” Dave Barrickman, World Wide Stereo’s VP of sales, said the company’s high value on training and keeping employees is not only a cost-saver, it’s a marketing tool too.
Then comes that scratchy, no-nonsense baritone Pennsylvania radio listeners know so well, the voice that has been urging them to visit him in person for fun and a little mischief for more than 20 years.
“All right, let’s talk Italian restaurants, and the difference between a 25-year-old, family-owned, Zagat-rated little gem and a national chain,” Bob Cole begins, delivering his radio monologue like he was sitting next to you at a bar. “One is genuine: homemade pasta, sauces perfected over time, everything fresh and made to order. The other? It’s a factory, with short order cooks pretending to be master chefs. Where would you rather eat?”
Cole pauses for effect.
“Exactly. And the same applies to us versus the big chain stores. Hey, chain stores are great when it comes to tupperware and underwear and beachwear, but when it comes to audio and video, all things technology and fun? We’re it. Without reservation.”
Cue theme music.
In an age when messaging can be the lion’s share of the foot-traffic battle, Bob Cole’s natural instincts for ad copy, provocative promotion and consumer psychology have never been more necessary. Though the retailer known for his cheeky billboards (“Home of the Less Ostentatious Mid-Life Crisis”) is experiencing the same decline in door numbers that most A/V specialty stores are enduring, and though economic sluggishness has curbed his business expansion plans somewhat, Bob Cole’s vision for World Wide Stereo, a two-store custom retail operation in the wealthy suburbs of Philadelphia, remains charismatically formidable.
“I would like to think we are the best retrofit operation in the world,” he said, while recently giving a tour of his store in Ardmore, Pa. “I’d put my team of guys up against anybody.”
Cole’s team these days is made up of over 60 employees, many of whom have worked for World Wide Stereo for a majority of their careers. Cole, a former psychologist, has made a point of surrounding himself with good people, especially since 2000, when he was pulled away from day-to-day operations by a serious illness. He describes Bill Buch, his chief buyer, as a pitbull and his controller, Kristen Smith, as “a life-long friend, nearly a daughter.” Dave Barrickman, World Wide Stereo’s VP of sales, said the company’s high value on training and keeping employees is not only a cost-saver, it’s a marketing tool too.
