JBL, Harman Kardon turn to celebrity endorsers to build mass affinity

In the increasingly commoditised world of electronic sound systems, Harman International's brands Harman Kardon and JBL are making a play for exclusivity with a common touch. Under Korean electronics major, Samsung International (the company was acquired in 2017), the American label is pushing deeper into the Indian consumer electronics market with products at multiple price points, while seeking to leverage its brand equity with in-car audio systems. 

Driving Harman International’s thrust into the Indian market is an understanding of the shifting consumer preferences and digitisation of the music-audio-entertainment eco system. “The era of the home theatre is over,” says Sumit Chauhan,