How JBL turned social memes and virtual communities into Gen Z brand love

Gen Z consumers expect brands to do more than advertise—they want to see brands engage with culture in ways that feel organic and relevant to their lives. At Ad Age’s NextGen Marketing Summit in New York on March 4, Chris Epple, VP of marketing at Harman, and Brandon Solis, managing director at Annex88, joined John Dioso, editor of Ad Age Studio 30, to discuss how Harman’s audio brand JBL has approached engaging Gen Z through digital culture, social media and community-driven marketing strategies. The conversation explored the role of social media as culture, the importance of allowing creators to shape brand narratives, and how JBL has approached its various Gen Z-targeted initiatives. “Brands need to stop thinking ‘test and learn’ and start thinking ‘test and earn,’” Solis advised. “Everything you put into Gen Z’s feed needs to be worth their attention. If you’re not adding value, you’re just noise.” 'Social culture is culture' For Gen Z, social media is not an isolated channel—it is central to how they interact with the world. The platforms they use shape their relationships, interests and even purchasing decisions. “Social culture is culture,” said Solis. “Social media has the power to influence elections, introduce people to new cultures and drive real-life decisions.” Gen Z’s preference for individuality and self-expression has also influenced how brands think about engagement, according to Epple. “Gen Z is hardworking, passionate and believes their voice matters,” he said. “Our goal is to amplify that voice—not just talk at them.” Hearing Gen Z now Audio speaker brand JBL has made inroads with Gen Z by investing in programs designed to meet them where they are. For example, the JBL Campus initiative focused on college students, including both athletes and non-athletes, who discussed the brand in their own words. What made JBL Campus stand out from other NIL (name, image, likeness) programs was the priority given to non-star athletes. “Gen Z doesn’t care how many three-pointers you made last night,” Epple explained. “They care about who you are as a person. That’s why JBL Campus isn’t just about sponsoring only the best player—it’s about storytelling, giving these students the chance to connect with their audiences authentically.” Epple also noted that Gen Z’s desire for personalization extends beyond storytelling to products themselves. “No two people listen to music the same,” he said. “Gen Z really doesn’t believe in, at least from our research, looking like everyone else. Rather, they’re focused on self-identity and self-expression.” For the launch of JBL’s Endurance Peak 3 earbuds, the brand worked with Zeb Powell, a dynamic Gen Z snowboarder and innovator in the sport as one of the main faces of the campaign. The Peaks on Peaks campaign centered on a snowboarding runway show—an activation with the brand’s agency partner, Annex88, that blended elements of action sports, fashion and music. “Launching the third version of a product isn’t exciting—unless you make it a story worth telling,” said Epple. The campaign’s cross-cultural approach resonated with Gen Z’s preference for brands that reflect their diverse interests and values. By merging streetwear, extreme sports and self-expression, Peaks on Peaks positioned JBL as more than just an audio brand—it became part of the cultural conversation. The company has also experimented with humorous and culturally driven campaigns meant to resonate on social platforms: One of JBL’s standout activations, the Big Ears campaign, aka "JBL Makes Earbuds (for Every-one)," took a funny and visually exaggerated approach to promoting the brand’s signature audio experience. The concept was simple but memorable: “JBL sound is so big, it makes your ears grow.” The campaign leaned into hyperbole, using surreal imagery of people with cartoonishly enlarged ears to drive home the idea of immersive, high-quality sound. “The idea is that our audio and our sound is so big that it literally makes your ears grow,” Epple said. “It was a wild, wild idea and wild campaign with incredible success.” That bold creative approach—which also aligned with Gen Z’s preference for surrealist digital aesthetics—paid off, and the campaign helped JBL achieve significant product awareness growth, according to Epple. Beyond traditional media placements, Big Ears was built for social engagement on sharable platforms like TikTok and Instagram, sparking user-generated content and organic shares as fans played along with the out-there visuals. Navigating social media and viral moments JBL’s viral moment with Doja Cat began at the 2022 Grammy Awards, where the pop star arrived on the red carpet in a dress designed to match her JBL speaker—a visual statement that immediately grabbed attention online. But what truly set social media ablaze was an unscripted moment: During a live interview, Doja Cat mispronounced the brand’s name (the initials of the company's founder James B. Lansing) as “Jibble”—a spontaneous slip that took off across social platforms. The brand quickly jumped into the conversation, creating a TikTok duet video that amplified the joke even further, allowing “Jibble Jibble Jibble” to become a playful, organic meme embraced by fans. “If someone told you they were going to change your brand’s name on TikTok, most marketers would panic,” Epple said. “But we trusted Doja and her audience, and ‘Jibble Jibble Jibble’ became a massive moment for JBL.” Balancing brand control and creator freedom Navigating influencer partnerships has been an ongoing challenge for brands looking to engage Gen Z while maintaining brand identity. According to Solis, the key is understanding the brand’s persona and values before selecting influencers. “We don’t just find influencers because they’re popular,” said Solis. “Before we even put a name in a deck, we ask: ‘Who is this brand? What do we stand for? What are our brand’s permissions?’” Solis added that when influencer partnerships align naturally, the content resonates more. “When we really start to upstream that critical thinking, we’ll find the most authentic partnerships, and then everything that comes to life—it all just makes sense,” he said. Looking ahead to Gen Alpha While JBL’s focus has been on Gen Z, the company is also considering how Gen Alpha—those born after 2010—will engage with brands as they get older. “Gen Alpha doesn’t have disposable income yet, but they influence household decisions,” said Solis. “That’s why we’re looking at the millennial playbook, not just the Gen Z playbook. Parents and kids are co-scrolling—brands need to understand that dynamic.” Epple emphasized the importance of listening to younger audiences rather than making assumptions. “We’re learning about Gen Alpha every day,” he said. “The key isn’t just innovation—it’s creating innovation that actually solves a problem. We’re watching, listening and figuring out what that looks like for the future.” About Annex88 is a social first advertising agency composed of thought leaders, creators, influencers, podcasters, subculture experts, entrepreneurs, and internet aficionados with a presence of our own. We operate with the speed and nimbleness of an NYC small shop, but are powered by the global strength of the Havas Village. Our advertising philosophy is to cut through the clutter by seeing consumers not just as an audience, but as active participants in culture. Our goal is to get your brand into the group chat through subculture insights. Because subculture is culture. What some see as a niche, we see as a movement.

How JBL turned social memes and virtual communities into Gen Z brand love

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