JBL Used Live Sports Streaming to Strengthen Brand Perception

Key results (among A18-34):

• Double-digit lifts in brand trust, immersive listening, and sound quality
• Strengthened brand familiarity and alignment
• Increased consideration for JBL earbuds and headphones

THE CHALLENGE

Lifting brand perception in a crowded tech market

Audio brands compete in a category where consumers recognize most major players.

For a campaign from the leading American audio equipment manufacturer JBL, the challenge was not to raise awareness, but rather to strengthen how consumers perceived the brand when purchase decisions were being made.

JBL entered the campaign with strong existing awareness and consideration, which meant the challenge was not simply getting consumers to recognize the brand: it was strengthening the perceptions that influence choice in a highly competitive audio category.

Because of this, JBL’s campaign needed to make the brand the obvious choice at the moment of purchase.
 

THE SOLUTION

Live sports gave JBL the right environment for its message

Live sports offers advertisers a different kind of media environment. Fans watch in real time, with high interest and emotion, making it a natural fit for an audio brand built around sound, energy, and performance. By reaching these consumers during games, JBL could turn brand recognition into stronger association with the excitement of live sports.

When JBL partnered with Cast Iron Media to reach NFL and NBA fans across premium CTV/OTT environments, the premise was simple: in one of the most immersive media environments available, Cast Iron would help connect JBL’s product promise to something fans were already feeling—the power of sound.

The campaign focused on live sports fans in the U.S., with performance evaluated through an independent brand lift study comparing exposed and control audiences to understand how campaign exposure influenced brand attitudes. This approach included:

• Reaching fans in premium NFL and NBA streaming environments
• Using 15- and 30-second video creative
• Measuring impact through a brand lift study
• Evaluating performance across awareness, familiarity, message association, favorability, consideration intent, and JBL-specific brand attributes

THE RESULTS

The campaign moved the attributes that define category choice

Among adults 18-34, JBL strengthened several perceptions that factor into audio purchases:

• Double digit lifts in brand trust, immersive listening, and sound quality
• Strengthened brand familiarity and alignment
• Increased consideration for JBL earbuds and headphones

The campaign also produced clear results with male respondents, with double digit lifts in sound, setting trends, and alignment.

Consumers who already owned competing headphone brands were also impacted by the campaign:

• Double digit lifts in brand alignment and immersive listening
• Reinforced key brand attributes around sound and trend-setting

These results underline how live sports streaming can support brands that already have captured consumer awareness but still want to make themselves the leading preference. JBL maintained already-high funnel metrics while producing strong attribute gains among adults 18–34, men, competitive owners, and near-term buyers.

Cast Iron connected JBL’s brand message to the premium sports environment where attention is high, audiences are engaged, and context makes the message more relevant. Because in crowded categories like audio, attention alone is not enough: the media environment has to help the brand feel more relevant as consumers form opinions and prepare to buy.

Ready to activate premium sports inventory to boost your brand’s perception with fans? Reach out today.