JBL's Marketing Blunder..

I didn't find anything 'airheady' about the ad. Just because somebody is not an audiophile does not make them an 'airhead' or 'clueless' - the ad is not aimed at audiophiles! 

And while I enjoy Audioholics and his channel, I don't always agree with him, and I sure don't agree with his premise here. 

A grass roots effort is perhaps needed to help depopularize the vocal fry phenomenon...

Vocal Fry Mitigation

I wouldn't have even known about this ad if not on this site. Like many I don't see anything wrong with it. They are not targeting this community. Most that see something wrong just have your panties on too tight! 

"I suggest you watch the 2nd link, the discourse with Audioholics and Emiko (who also hails from pro audio) and see if they thought everything was fine and dandy on this ad."

I'm with those who think the ad is fine. I think some people may be viewing the ad from and audiophile's perspective, and audiophiles (like Emiko) are not the target audience. JBL is clearly aiming the ad at entry level audio consumers, and specifically young women who have traditionally not been their customers. So what's wrong with that?

It may seem like stereotyping but, for whatever the reasons may be, women (in general) have not been audio equipment consumers much less enthusiasts. JBL is obviously looking to change that. As I see it, the young women in the ad seem to be a fairly accurate representation of that target group.

Those who taught Gen Z are now blaming them 

Isn't that hypocritical?

+2 @rumblestrip 

The notion that JBL's ad company created that advert in a vacuum with no demographic input is a stretch. These critics come off as looking for something to critique to generate content. Perhaps Audioholics is unaware of how anyone younger than a late-30-something millennial interacts with their peers. They're always on their phones. That is how they talk and interact with each other. 

It's doubtful that the advertising agency's creative team was a bunch of old guys, ala Mad Men, came up with this advert. If anything, they should be happy the ad doesn't hyper-sexualize the woman making love to her speakers in a bikini because that would have been the path taken in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. The newer generation of audiophiles doesn't necessarily want to set up separate components and twiddle with cable ladders, power block amps, swapping out an endless train of DACs, etc. They want something they can stream to with their phone, has ease of set up, and sounds much better than the $90 Bluetooth speaker they grew up with.  90% of them will be streaming through the TV and most are more interested in having a platform that isn't just audio playback. JBLs setup might not be your cup of tea, but then again, we're not the target audience for the advert. 

+1 @rumblestrip 

By Ditzy Airheads" you man "strong independent womyn" right?  

There is nothing wrong with that video; it is spot on for the demographic they are marketing to. Yes, that is how people in their 20s and early 30s talk. The fact that this is all in a long 6-minute video is what’s not for that crowd. The different chapters, such as TikTok, Shorts, or Insta Stories, are bang on.

How do I know? I’m a content director for a digital marketing agency and I"m around younger people all the time.

As for JBL is junk. The video is about home theatre, not hi-fi.

Finally, STOP F&KING GATEKEEPING. Let people have their own journey. No one appointed or elected you the master of what is approved or appropriate.

I see it as marketing laziness at the expense of 51% of the population.  Or, are they evil geniuses by stirring things up?  I think they could have done better

What up?

Ovi.

Ew.

Woof!

They got it all covered.

Blunder?

Cleverly focusing on untapped market potential using humor, showcasing new products and explaining how to implement them. Well done!

What a bunch of hubbub over nothing.

I watched the link. I saw nothing wrong with it. FWIW my 24 year old niece is in her third year of medical school and shares a townhouse with several classmates. They all sound exactly like the women in the video. They aren’t stupid, it’s just how they talk.

I started to watch on line critic but stopped after a few minutes. He is trying to generate clicks with faux outrage

YouTuber’s are having a tough time finding meaningful content.  Trying to create controversy when none is present.  

I liked the commercial generally... don't be a beta male.

No blunder there!

Target: New Valley Girls.  (aka stoned)

I watched the whole video but didn't notice any "woke" signaling. Is that just a catch all phrase for "I don't like it" now?

The video was like for a sheltered woke student  that is clueless.

JBL should pull the dumb ad and put a few women on their design team 

to invite. Them to enjoy music onthe same level as men .

women have been left out of music for decades ,sad but true..

🤷‍♂️  I dunno.... 'JBL Mods' would've been more apt.....reminded me more of the 'Val-speak' in Zappas' 'Valley Girl' slowed a tad and collected conceptually.

Tracks of 'chat contractions' made out loud; "Chatlit?"

An extreme example of the forms....we've been hiring X's and Z's for awhile now, you've just got to be around them ...

@VLFest '24: Fun, but tiring...not the oldest there, either. 👍😎

I'm fdoing a commentary Video on this. I was suppose to drop it last week after seeing Emiko & Mean Gene's Video here. They are 100% correct ! IMHO

https://youtu.be/kH26gEjnxTQ?si=HoD-PPJoh8qiMLJp

JoeyG

Have you forgotten lighthearted and humorous?  They are informational and fun, I see no slam on women here, and I’ve got a wife, daughter, and granddaughter, too.

I suggest you watch the 2nd link, the discourse with Audioholics and Emiko (who also hails from pro audio) and see if they thought everything was fine and dandy on this ad. I wonder if Eveanna Manley is on this forum, would be curious to know what she thought!

I agree with @roxy54, and I don't understand the outrage.  I didn't have the impression that the girls were being portrayed as idiots.  The ad seemed to target young buyers who want an easy, set it and forget it, audio solution that interfaces with a wide range of electronic sources.  

JBL is a marketing blunder!

 When I was young and foolish, I bought more than one pair in my day. I always got rid of them soon afterwards. There are much better speakers.  
bent

@deep_333 

What are you talking about? There's a lot of tongue-in-cheek, but the girls hardly come off as idiots. The one who does all of the talking seems to know exactly what she's talking about.

Anyway, it would be refreshing to see the tables turned occasionally. For many years it has been considered acceptable for women to hit men on TV shows and commercials as well as tell them how stupid and inconsiderate they are.

I bought a pair of the new L52 JBL speakers.  SWEET!  They're really cool and sound pretty damn good. 

My graduation present, way back in the day, from my parents was a pair of the original L100 Century's in blue.  Wish I still had them...

@secretguy you asked who buys JBL, I do. I bought the JBL L100 Classic speakers back in December 2020 and I couldn’t be more thrilled with them.  They are in a secondary system powered by McIntosh electronics and I truly love the sound.  

Most Gen Z are clueless. Might be pretty accurate.

Apparently Gen Z.

Who buys JBL?