Gen Z’s Power Play: Reshaping the NBA, MLB & the Future of Sports

In today’s social media era, people’s attention span is lower than a second. You can never truly understand what they are actually looking for. Yes, I know social media has completely changed the marketing game that we knew or understood previously. But it has also made it a bit harder nut to crack. Gen Z these days actually don’t care how good your product is. What they look for is something they won’t be getting anywhere else. It’s that X-factor that makes them click on your product. So, what’s that X-factor anyway? Well, we have someone you can get the answer from directly. Someone who is hell-bent on reshaping the sports marketing world using JBL.

In an Essentially Sports exclusive Think Tank interview, we got in touch with Chris Epple. Epple, whom you might already know, is the vice president at Harman. Shared his marketing perspective that helps JBL resonate with Gen Z. One word he used to describe today’s marketing hack was “personalization.” Why? Well, let’s hear it from the man himself.

“I say that because it speaks very specifically…about servicing needs. Gen Z consumers are very much around self-expression. So, being able to get off of the mass production… To like, how do you personalize what you can now do on jbl.com?” Translation: It’s not always about how many products you can manufacture in a second. It’s about how well you are serving your customers with whatever you have available. Like they say quality over quantity, right? 

So, being able to allow people that are focused that find self-expression important to sell to express themselves in our products to me, that’s one really important,” Epple added. I think what Epple meant to say is about making your customers feel confident in their talents. There are a lot of us who suffer from peer pressure to express ourselves to the world. We wonder, What if people don’t like us? What if people make fun of us? That kind of thought makes us avoid that leap we need to take for self-expression. And that’s what Epple is trying to break with his personalized marketing choice.

Just take a look at the LSU women’s basketball star Flau’jae Johnson. She is the prime example of what JBL is trying to do with their Gen Z customers.

Flau’jae Johnson redefining self-expression beyond sports

Some of you might know Johnson from her plaudits as an LSU basketball star. However, what you probably don’t know is rap career. JBL has given her the platform to pursue her musical exploits by partnering with her. “JBL just represents every part of who I am, from being an artist to being a basketball player. I need those headphones to record and express myself how I want to express myself, but also on the court before the game, listening to music, thinking of lyrics, getting into the zone.” Guess what? She also has a stage name for her rap career—Flau’jae. So, her talents aren’t just limited to the basketball court. She is way more than just a player.

Like Epple says, Johnson represents what JBL is trying to do: “She represents exactly what we’re trying to say.” It’s all about personalization for JBL. That is what makes them stand out among the rest. It’s the personalized quality they bring to the table that instantly catches Gen Z’s attention. And Flau’jae—she is the epitome of what the JBL is capable of doing in this ever-changing landscape of sports.