✍️ Brands Take Note: Gen Z Vibe Rulebook

The youngest generation of consumers will soon be the largest. Engaging this skeptical cohort has been the topic of many a conversation amongst brand marketers and communicators. Many of the tried and true methods brands have typically used to reach previous generations in their formative years don’t necessarily have to be abandoned. However, there have been subtle generational shifts that can give brands an edge in fostering consideration — hey, maybe even the ever-elusive loyalty — amongst Gen Z.

Brands are asking: Is Gen Z in the room with us? Here are 4 rules public relations and marketing pros should consider to make sure they are.

Rule #1 - One-Size-Fits-All Could Never

Community is everything for Gen Z - in fact it’s a non-negotiable. Beloved brands of Gen Z understand they can’t just show up where young consumers congregate. “Meet your audience where they are” is no longer good enough. Brands must authentically integrate into the conversational mix in a way that doesn’t seem too forced or blindly riding a trend wave. They have to walk the walk and talk the talk in a way that is relevant and aligns with the shared preferences and habits of that particular Gen Z community.

McDonald’s announced it was celebrating the birthday of its original character Grimace, a purple creature with a love for milkshakes, by launching a purple milkshake in its honor. Gen Z took it from there and created what became known as the Grimace Shake trend that went viral and saw social media users pretending to be dead after consuming the milkshake. Source: Austin Frazier

Gen Z are digital natives. Tech savvy practically comes standard for them. Meaning, they can easily sniff out marketing and want no part of it. According to The Drum, 99% of Gen Zers skip ads if able, while 63% use digital ad blockers. They want to connect and interact with brands like they would with a friend. This is evident in their preference for user-generated content (UGC) and validates the consistent community management and trend creation wins from brands like Duolingo and McDonalds.

Rule #2 - Culture… Write It On My Tombstone

Culture opens the door to connection, but it doesn’t guarantee it. For brands to reach the “cool” club with Gen Z, they need to be connected to culture — full stop.

Nike congratulated women’s basketball phenom Caitlin Clark with an Instagram post that generated national earned media for the brand after she broke the All-Time Women’s NCAA Scoring Record. Source: Nike

Brands that are tapped into the cultural context of this crazy world we live in have the opportunity to capitalize on trends before they become stale — which is when less cool brands try to jump on the bandwagon and it just gives ick. When you’re connected you can be early. When you’re not, you’re a Boomer. 

While culture connection provides an opportunity, brands still have to show up in a way that is authentic and aligned with the community in which the brand seeks validation from (see Rule #1).

Rule #3 - “Celebrities Can Take Several Seats” – xoxo Influencers

Influencers have become the new celebrity. Choosing not to take an L, “traditional celebrities” have adopted the same social media playbook of direct communication with their fans via UGC to maintain their star power and influence.

This social media-driven playbook has made influencers and celebrities more accessible and therefore more relatable and familiar. That’s why Gen Z is attracted to the brands who balance the authenticity of influencers with the scale of celebrities. There is a trust factor there that we know is one of the most critical aspects for driving brand consideration. When an influencer or celebrity records a video of themselves wearing for example, a Lululemon cross-body bag on a Sunday trip to the grocery store or gym – consumers see that and say “hey, that’s me!” which is great for Lululemon (another Gen Z favorite).

Source: FINDING THE PERFECT VINTAGE LEVI’S® WITH EMMA CHAMBERLAIN

Rule #4 - emotion — Marketing’s Roman empire

Not a secret: emotion is a powerful connector. Gen Z’s favorite brands hit on our emotions, and nostalgia in particular resonates. A brand who can make us feel the way a past time did, while maintaining the legitimate use case of the product, will excel with Gen Z. Crocs is the perfect example. People who wore Crocs were the laughing stock of their friend group only a few years ago. What the brand has done since then is incredible. They’ve combined the feeling of nostalgia, the convenience of a go-anywhere, do-anything product, and collabs with international celebrities (see Rule #3) like Diplo and Bad Bunny. And the results speak for themselves: Crocs are everywhere and they’re among Gen Z’s most beloved brands. 

Diplo joined celebrities like Post Malone, Justin Bieber and Bad Bunny in launching a collaboration with footwear company Crocs. Source: Page Six

To further the point, Gen Z is more values driven than previous generations and as a collective they aspire to make an impact. Brands who can effectively tap into the emotions driving these values can better create meaningful connections to foster greater equity in their brand and trust from Gen Z consumers. As an example, Mark Beal, a Gen Z expert and Rutgers University professor of communications has said, “Gen Z is looking for brands to make mental health a feature of their campaigns. If a brand had a campaign that was genuine and authentic around mental health, it would catch their attention.”

Sources: National Retail Federation: Gen Z brand relationships, Authenticity Matters | Kadence International: Understanding Gen Z: Insights into the Newest Consumer Market | Visual Capitalist: Ranked: Gen Z’s Favorite Brands in 2023 | DCDX: GEN Z Top 25 Most Magentic Brands 2023