Gen-uine Success
On Gen-Z’s spending power, authenticity, and a new world view
Gen-Z is overwhelmingly considered more open minded, creative, and fluid in both identities and beliefs compared with previous generations. Raised by Gen-X, they are the first digitally native, activism-focused consumer group. The rise of video-sharing apps has been largely attributed to the social media-driven Gen-Z consumer’s power, creating a new virtual world of influencers, content creation, and sharing. “Creators” with the greatest followings are openly communicative with their fans regarding social movements and share original, relatable content.
Just as their social footprint celebrates authenticity, so do their relationships with brands. With more insight and access to information at their fingertips than ever before, Gen-Z is able to research and form opinions on their consumption within seconds. Sustainability, ethical production, and the political and social positioning of brands and their affiliates have proven able to make or break businesses.
Marketing a brand to Gen-Z is a departure from generations of the past; they prefer unretouched images, testimonies from real customers, and most importantly, a way to insert themselves into the brand. Trend forecaster WGSN separates the generation into two consumer groups: Gen-Me, the style-obsessed, success-driven cohort, and Gen-We, the advocates and activists. A crossover between both is inevitable, so simply selling to Gen-Z doesn’t work. Their entrepreneurial, fearless-yet-informed nature demands a culture of inclusion, authentic experience, and genuine advocacy.