Galaxy Buds+ Pink Launching in March... Color War Expands to Wireless Earphones

Galaxy Buds+ Pink Launching in March · Red Exclusive to KT
Pink First Offered as Gift for Galaxy S20 Pre-Orders
KT Offers Galaxy Buds+ Red with S20+ 'Jennie Red'
Offline Events Reduced Due to COVID-19, Gift Marketing Intensifies

Galaxy Buds Plus Pink (Photo by LG Uplus)

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Samsung Electronics is adding pink and red colors to its wireless earphones, Galaxy Buds+. This strategy aims to stimulate the desire to collect by diversifying the colors of wireless earphones. Following the Galaxy S20 smartphone, another 'color war' is unfolding.

According to the industry on the 26th, Samsung Electronics will release the 'Galaxy Buds+' in pink color this March. This adds pink to the white, black, and blue colors officially launched on the 14th. Among them, the Galaxy Buds+ Red will be released as a KT exclusive color.

While Samsung Electronics has released some colors of its flagship smartphones as carrier exclusives, this is the first time some colors of wireless earphones are offered as exclusive models. An industry insider said, "Samsung Electronics has been conducting color marketing by adding new smartphone colors a few months after launch. This year, they are adding new colors just one month after release to maximize interest and expand the range of carrier-exclusive colors."

According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, the wireless earphone market size reached 120 million units last year and is expected to reach 230 million units this year. With an annual growth rate of 80-90%, similar to the smartphone growth rate from 2009 to 2012, the wireless earphone market is emerging as a blue ocean.

The addition of pink and red colors to the Galaxy Buds+ is also analyzed as a marketing strategy to attract Galaxy S20 pre-order customers.

KT is emphasizing the exclusive color by naming it 'Jennie Red' and conducting various marketing activities. The Galaxy Buds+ pink had already caught consumers' attention as a gift for LG Uplus's exclusive color 'Galaxy S20 Cloud Pink' before its release. LG Uplus plans to provide pink Galaxy Buds+ as a gift through a lottery for Galaxy S20 pre-activators on the 27th.

The wireless earphone color marketing is also related to the telecommunications industry's atmosphere of minimizing cutthroat competition amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Large-scale offline events have become difficult to hold, and subsidies have decreased compared to last year, so companies need to attract customers by expanding gifts and promotions.

An industry insider said, "With offline events greatly reduced, more marketing expenses are being allocated to gifts and such. From Samsung Electronics' perspective, diversifying colors broadens choices, and from the carriers' perspective, it allows differentiation, so color marketing is expected to increase gradually."