JBL arrived at SXSW 2025 with a clear ambition: turn music discovery into shared experience — and use culture, not ads, to deepen Gen Z connection.
To launch the next generation of JBL Portables — Flip 7 and Charge 6 — JBL embedded itself at the center of emergent music culture with its first-ever SXSW and Rolling Stone partnerships. Rather than sponsor from the sidelines, JBL helped shape the festival conversation, building a three-day storytelling ecosystem spanning live performances, Future of Music programming, creator-led content, and immersive product activations.
These strategic partnerships fused JBL with rising Gen Z artists, tastemakers, and culture influencers — voices driving what’s next in music and lifestyle. Every moment was designed to demonstrate how JBL products bring people together, amplify creativity, and empower new talent that is Made To Be Heard.
The result: JBL didn’t just introduce new products — it showed up as a cultural catalyst. The Flip 7 and Charge 6 launch delivered record-breaking attention, reviews, and engagement, while reinforcing JBL’s leadership in portable audio and accelerating brand relevance with the next generation of music fans and creators.
JBL transformed SXSW into a living showcase of sound, culture, and community.
At legendary venue 3TEN, JBL created the JBL Sound Bodega — an immersive, fantastical corner store where portable speakers appeared as oversized fruits and vegetables. The space doubled as the first live demonstration of JBL’s new Auracast™ technology, syncing every speaker in the venue into one collective sound system. Live performances, interactive games, bodega-inspired photo moments, and giveaways turned attendees into active participants — driving hundreds of organic social posts and real-time buzz.
Across SXSW Music Week, JBL partnered with Rolling Stone to launch the Future of Music series, aligning the brand with forward-looking conversations around emerging artists, technology, and creativity. As Official Audio Partner of SXSW, JBL’s presence extended beyond a single venue into the broader cultural narrative of the festival.
At Victory Lap, a beloved University of Texas hub, JBL curated participatory performances spotlighting tomorrow’s culture-shapers. Acts included breakout band West 22nd, a house DJ set, and a closing performance by XANDRA, a rising DJ and social media star with 1.6M followers.
To scale impact, JBL Campus brought 20 Gen Z creators on-site, who documented performances, activations, and product experiences — transforming SXSW moments into highly shareable social content that reached millions beyond Austin.
Together, these executions ensured JBL wasn’t just seen at SXSW — it was heard, experienced, and shared.
JBL’s SXSW strategy transformed cultural partnerships into measurable brand growth — delivering one of the most successful campaigns in the brand’s recent history.
Through headline partnerships with SXSW and Rolling Stone, JBL embedded itself in music, culture, tech, and lifestyle conversations, driving awareness and cultural credibility with Gen Z audiences. Three days of immersive activations, Future of Music programming, and influencer-led storytelling converted festival attention into sustained brand engagement.
Results by the numbers:
• 5B earned media impressions ($47M estimated media value)
• 52 featured product reviews for Flip 7 and Charge 6, generating 3B impressions ($40M EMV) across top-tier outlets including Wired, Rolling Stone, CNET, ZDNet, and Gizmodo
• 268 influencer posts from JBL Campus creators delivering 20M+ impressions with an average 9.4% engagement rate — triple the industry benchmark
• 109M total social impressions and 516K engagements, more than doubling JBL’s prior-year spring campaign
Most importantly, JBL achieved a +9-point lift in brand awareness year over year, proving that culturally led partnerships — not traditional advertising — are what break through with Gen Z.
