People
Generation Z. The people of our future Generation. Gen Z is the generation roughly between the years 1996 and 2010, The generation is seen as the technical generation being exposed to technology and social media from such a young age and being brought up with them as part of their world which no other generation before had experienced. As a big part of this came great positives and negatives. The generation was exposed more to the media and informed about greater things going on around the world which has allowed them to become more culturally aware but exposed to the cruelty of the world from so young age. The authors, Fromm and Read express ‘Gen Z has never known a world without war and the world without war and the threat of domestic terrorism, (2018, page 2).
The biggest way brands can put themselves on the Gen Z radar is through social media, influencers and the Metaverse. As Gen Z has grown up on social media and has been exposed to online circles from such a young age, it’s a comfortable and safe environment for them where they feel they can explore and be their best selves. Fashion brands exploring those worlds will allow Gen Z to grow into those brands and eventually become a customer. ‘Zoomers spend time in virtual worlds to hang out with friends, with 90% of US Gen Z spending time playing video games and in virtual worlds.’ (Elizabeth Tan, 2023).
Figure 1 (Kessler, 2022)
As Gen Z get older and start to impact the economy by deciding where they shop, brands have become aware that Gen Z is a very diverse generation who looks towards the future and not the past. Knowing this as a brand you would choose to follow the generation’s morals to become or remain successful moving on. For example, Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty lingerie brand received a lot of attention casting the first-ever male-plus size model back in 2020, which was praised highly on social media as it was something never seen before. (Larsen, 2022).
One of the biggest skills needed for a brand to be successful is authenticity. Moving into the adulthood of Gen Z, growing up watching the world slowly crumble around them and understanding actions have consequences, including fashion being one of the main killers. Consumers want something they can trust and rely on to bring something unique, innovative beautiful and most importantly authentic and sustainable.
Reference list:
Fromm, J. and Read, A. (2018) Marketing to Gen Z. Proquest: Ebook Central.
Tan, E. (2023) Gen Z: Digital Media Profiles. Available at: https://www.wgsn.com/insight/article/64d20ce7f01b130be5d3c3da (Accessed: 14 October 2023).
Larsen, M. (2022) Diversity & Inclusion in Advertising 2022. Available at: https://www.wgsn.com/insight/article/6316035377f700abf0168b5f#page7 (Accessed: 14 October 2023).
Rahilly, L. and Finneman, B. (2020) Meet Generation Z: Shaping the future of shopping [Podcast]. 4 August. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/meet-generation-z-shaping-the-future-of-shopping (Accessed: 14 Ocotber 2023).
Photographic reference:
Kessler, A. (2022) Is Metaverse Fashion Week The Future Of The Industry? Available at: https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/metavese-fashion-week-decentraland (Accessed: 14 October 2023).