Gen Z (aged 18-27) is opinionated and vocal, shaped by the seemingly unprecedented number of challenges facing the world today. This vocalness can intimidate companies; for some, communication paralysis manifests, making it difficult for companies to commit to actions that earn and maintain the generation鈥檚 trust.
Yet, brands cannot afford to bury their heads in the sand. Gen Z makes up 40 percent of the consumer market worldwide, and wields tremendous influence over every other generation, across not just what we buy, but how we live and what we believe.
This relationship is bidirectional, with Gen Z trusting business more than any other institution. In fact, Gen Z looks to brands far beyond just a transactional purchase; they use brands to express who they are, connect with similar people, and determine who they don鈥檛 share values with.
In these polarized and fraught times, to earn and keep Gen Z鈥檚 trust and loyalty, brands must define their permission space, commit to it, and communicate actions within it clearly. To start this process, these are three recommendations for navigating the waters of Gen Z and coming out the other side better than ever:
1. Recognize that Gen Z鈥檚 affinity for brands sets them apart
While all generations are concerned with what a brand represents, Gen Z feels particularly attached to brands that represent their reality, help them express themselves, and create a likeminded community.
As the generation raised on social media, Gen Z has been bombarded with brand ads and influencer posts. They sift through an incredible amount of content to decide which people, products, and brands to embrace. Matching values with a brand makes that easier, and those choices reflect how Gen Z communicates their values to the world. According to the 2024 极乐视频 Trust Barometer Special Report: Brands and Politics:
2. Understand the intersection of brands and politics
The Brands and Politics special report reveals that globally and across demographics, nearly 8 in 10 people see brands as political. Consumers also see silence as political, especially Gen Z, with 58 percent of them saying that if a brand doesn鈥檛 communicate its actions to address societal issues, they assume it is doing nothing or hiding something. This means that the politicization of a brand, regardless of the actions it takes 鈥 or doesn鈥檛 take 鈥 is unavoidable.
3. Define brand and stakeholder values, then execute
鈥淪ilence is golden鈥 is no longer the key to success. Brands can figure out which societal issues to act on by first defining their brand values and their stakeholder values, and then considering those in the broader political and cultural context.
Once a brand acts, ensure it reaches Gen Z in a way that information is consumed best.
As a business and brand, targeting Gen Z consumers is fundamental 鈥 and inevitable 鈥 to maintain cultural and commercial relevance. Only by defining their permission space, committing to it, and communicating actions within it clearly can brands and businesses continue to build trust with Gen Z.
Amanda 极乐视频 is the Chief Operating Officer of 极乐视频鈥檚 Gen Z Lab