Kids These Days…Five Things To Consider When Branding For Gen Z
For a long, long time, Millennials were THE hot topic amongst marketers, advertisers, and branding experts.
What did Millennials want? How could you break through to them? What was the secret to winning them over?
Now, those groups are asking the same questions about Gen Z. And they’re finding much different answers than they did with the generations that came before.
Millennials are still the most dominant market force and largest segment of the US population, but Gen Z isn’t that far behind. Born between the years of 1997 and 2012, Gen Z now makes up 20.6% of the US population.
Gen Z already commands $215 billion in annual spending power. And, according to YPulse, 40% of parents surveyed stated that their Gen Z children influence their purchasing decisions at home. So, even though the youngest members are only eleven years old, it’s undoubtedly in the best interest of brands and businesses to take the unique needs, preferences, and behaviors of Gen Z into account.
Gen Z grew up differently than previous generations. They’re a unique group, and getting them to buy into your brand requires a unique approach. Here are some of interesting insights to keep in mind if you want Gen Z to fall in love with your brand:
01 - Gen Z really does expect diversity and representation from their brands.
When branding for Gen Z, remember that diversity and representation matter to them. And it’s because they themselves are more diverse than any generation that’s come before them.
While only 28% of Boomers, 40% of Gen X, and 45% of Millennials identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), that number has risen to 50% among Gen Z, according to YPulse.
5% might not seem like a big difference, but it accounts for millions of people. It influences everything from the causes Gen Z supports to the diversity and representation they demand from the brands they choose. This also probably contributes to this next insight about Gen Z.
02 - Uniqueness and individual style are seriously cool to Gen Z.
As a Millennial, I remember trends sweeping through my schools and workplaces, like wildfire. In a lot of ways, it was cool to blend in.
Not so much for Gen Z.
Individuality is hugely important to Gen Z. From a social standpoint, this might have to do with the proliferation of social media and a desire to stand out in a large group. Interestingly enough, they seem to feel the same about the brands they choose to help them do so.
In a recent diagnostic audit of Gen Z’s brand preferences, YPulse found that “uniqueness and standing apart from the competition” was the #1 descriptor Gen Z used to qualify a brand as “cool.” This is especially important for brands to remember as 66% of Gen Zers surveyed said that it’s important to them that the brands they buy are considered “cool.”
So, if you want your brand to catch the attention of Gen Z, showcase your brand’s unique individuality to stand out against the competition.
03 - Tailor your message and voice for different social media platforms.
It’s been reported that Gen Z spends 4.5 hours per day on social media (12% more than Millennials). And since that number is self-reported, the true number is probably higher.
Other generations tend to use social media to connect with and stay in touch with friends. Gen Z uses it for so much more. They take a more specialized approach to social media (and so should brands!).
While they use channels like Snapchat and Instagram to stay connected, they use channels like TikTok and YouTube as primary sources of entertainment and information. This might be why Gen Z considers YouTube influencers to be more trustworthy than the celebrities, athletes, musicians, and politicians that have always held sway over other generations.
If you want your brand to connect with Gen Z on social media, prioritize YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, but remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. This is a generation that uses different channels for different purposes and wants to be entertained by the brands they love.
Don’t just use social push the latest product. And don’t let your brand be caught wearing a tuxedo to the barbecue. Remember that entertainment is the key to engagement.
04 - Gen Z loves brands that innovate and keep up with trends.
Speaking of social media, Gen Z also appreciates brands that try new things. This seems to be especially true when it comes to using memes and other viral content to connect with and relate to them.
Doing so can be scary for brands. To a lot of brands, hopping on a viral social media trend can feel a bit like that Steve Buscemi “Hello, fellow kids,” meme. And in the era of “cancel culture,” the prospect of making a mistake can be terrifying for brand managers.
The good news is that YPulse has found that brands don’t generally drop nearly as much in popularity when they fail at these attempts as they rise for simply giving it a try.
Gen Z seems to genuinely appreciate brands trying new things and making efforts to engage them on their terms on the platforms that matter most to them.
Experiment. Explore. Innovate. And, if at first you don’t succeed, simply try again. Just be authentic and respectful in the way you go about it.
05 - If you want to capture Gen Z’s attention, get to the point quickly.
If you’re a member of Gen Z and you’re still reading, congratulations – you’ve disproved this next point.
As you’ve probably noticed with the rise of TikTok, short form video is extremely popular with Gen Z. This might be because they have a shorter attention span than other generations. In fact, Iab UK found that Gen Z has just an 8-second attention span compared to a 12-second attention span with Millennials.
According to a recent study by Yahoo and OMD, that attention span gets even shorter, 1.3 seconds on average, when it comes to ads. When engaging Gen Z on social media, attention must be earned almost immediately or the user will move on.
This is probably why clever, low-fi, short-form brand posts that rely on authenticity and immediacy can perform so much better than high-production paid posts of 15 seconds or more. Want to break through to Gen Z? Just get to the point!
The final word.
It’s an exciting time to be in branding and the preferences of Gen Z are already shaping the future for everyone. So much is changing, but don’t let that overwhelm you. Take a lesson from the brands that are winning Gen Z’s hearts – keep innovating, experimenting, learning, and getting in on the fun.
Personally, I also found this recent webinar by YPulse to be deeply informative when it came to understanding this wonderfully unique generation.
Thanks so much for reading! If you or someone you know needs help building a brand to connect with Gen Z or any other generation, shoot us an email at
