Brands are trying too hard, and Gen Z knows

Every few years, the startup world discovers a new generation and loses its mind. Right now, Gen Z is the target, and brands are acting like this generation has landed from Mars.

Sure, building for Gen Z is different from building for the previous generations - but they’re not a different species. I don’t think we need Gen Z-specific marketplaces, products, or apps. And to be honest, the way their consumption behaviours are not very different from those of millennials, it’s just that they care about different things. I think brands and companies currently have a very surface-level understanding of what Gen Z wants and have exploited it to death. 

So let’s talk about it and spend some time over what they really care about and might actually want in products and brands of their generation. 

I think it's very important to recognise that optics matter more than anything else for this generation. Things should look politically, morally, and environmentally correct for them to endorse a brand. Gone are the days of showing off your animal fur coats; the seal of approval comes only if it's ‘faux leather’.

At least on a surface level, they care about brands walking the talk. I’m sure you’ve seen the rise of Patagonia clothing around you lately. At face value, they’re just another clothing brand. But they’ve managed to earn this generation’s stamp of approval because they’ve been vocal about environmental rights and have a self-imposed 1% Earth tax that supports environmental nonprofits! So wearing a Patagonia t-shirt signals that you care about the environment, and in some way are donating to it without, you know, doing the actual work for saving the planet. It’s kinda performative to be honest, but as I stated, optics are everything.

But FYI, you can't be cringe while doing this. The design still needs to be top-notch and aesthetically pleasing, and the website UI should be chilled out and not in your face. You still need to do all those things to be worthy of the Gen Z eye. But what remains is that they’re still buying the same plain logo tees and jackets. They’re still buying things from a normal website. You don’t need exclusive Gen Z products and a whole different app to sell to them. You just need to keep it authentic and minimalist, and that might just do the trick.

Another thing that I think brands and companies get very wrong about this generation is how to advertise to them. They’ve created a 2D caricature of every Gen Z person - one who only talks in slang like bae, slay, kayyy, and wears really poppy, bright, and in-your-face makeup and clothes 24*7, and that’s it. That’s how they’ve represented an entire generation. 

Counterintuitively, using words like period, queen, and ate in your campaigns actually turns them off from your brand. Simply because it seems inauthentic, try-hard, and ‘cringeworthy’. I have a few examples here that will help explain this better.  

Take last year’s Spotify Wrapped. It got a ton of flak from users because it appeared to take 5 random Gen Z slang terms and turn them into a ‘thing’. Obviously, Gen Z wasn’t having it. They can sniff nonsense from a mile away. And I mean, can you blame them? What does this sentence even mean? Pink Pilates Princess Catwalk Pop. I’m a Gen Z, and it gave me a headache. 

I don’t think we needed this rebranded Spotify Wrapped at all. Both Gen Z and millennials loved it as it was, and this was a prime example of what I like to call ‘Z-washing’. It essentially did the opposite of its agenda and reduced people’s affinity towards a widely loved product.

Another example that’s a bit closer to home is Flipkart launching its Gen Z-focused clothing line called ‘Spoyl’. I’m not sure who this ad is directed towards, especially the campaign image. Nobody dresses like that, except for maybe a 5-year-old child. And nobody ever talks like that - ‘dope brands’ and ‘lit trends’. And I’d get it if the target audience was Gen Z from Tier 2 / 3  cities, who are less conscious of the optics and cringe factors. But it's not. All these campaigns are directed towards Tier 1, chronically online Gen Z folks. And they’re not giving even 10 seconds of eye time to these ads except to make fun of them. 

If this is not targeting ads to a different species, I don’t know what is. Sure, Gen Z often dresses differently from millennials, but they definitely don’t have antennas in their hair all the time, right? Do you ever see people walking around looking like this? I’m assuming no. Unless I’m the one living on a different planet in this case.

Getting marketing right is tough, so let’s build on some of the nicer examples and see what they did right. One of my favorite examples here is The Whole Truth. They don’t posture with Gen Z lingo or trends, but they deeply understand that transparency is the way to win with this generation. Because let’s be real, Gen Z has grown up on the internet. They’ve been using ad blockers since they were little kids, and trust me, they can smell PR antics from a long way. 

So, a brand that goes out of its way to be honest and healthy while maintaining aesthetic packaging and labels ticks all their boxes. 

I mean, look at it. There’s really nothing else on the packaging except for the ingredients, and it's clean and clutter-free. And it’s not like it's a completely one-of-a-kind product that only caters to Gen Z. There are tons of protein bars in the market, and none of the winners actually created a ‘Gen Z-specific brand’. Because it's not required.

By the way, if you wanted to turn your customers off from actually buying your protein bar, a great way to market it would be to use a gaudy font with an irrelevant celeb and bright neon packaging that says : 

“Try this clean protein bar, bestie! No lies, no cap, just vibes.” 

Genuinely had a brain stroke writing that, but you get the gist. There are so many other well-done examples that I can point to. In BPC, Fenty Beauty (Kay Beauty in India’s case) has a chokehold on Gen Z buyers because they cared enough to make a difference in an industry that only catered to white women predominantly. Both these brands came out with extensive shade ranges and excellent quality products, without any of the shoo-sha of being a Gen Z brand. Even Canva found a lot of love with the Gen Z audience because it felt like a direct and easy next step from Pinterest.  

The takeaway here is simple - there are many, many ways to dissuade this generation from using your products or engaging with your brand, and those are the ones that are more out there. However, it’s very important to really get into the psyche of the Gen Z user - whether it's for a clothing brand, a consumer app, or a tech product and understand what’s different about them. 

Usually, the differentiator is perhaps how they see design and user experience, how they see affirmative action and truthfulness, how they engage with ads, and how they want to be perceived by the world. But they still largely follow the same consumer patterns, they follow the same social cues (like how they don’t roam around with antennas on their heads), and they follow the same flows of conversion through advertisements. The core behaviours remain the same, but the way to get to the core is different.

So the next time you want to build something that’s targeted at Gen Z, maybe take a step back and really chart out their needs and behaviours and whether you even need something targeted towards them. Remember, at the end of the day, we’re just humans, not aliens from Mars!