The Problem with Gen Z: Why Brands Fail at Audience Insights and Effective Marketing

It may seem almost null and void to say that brands need to keep their marketing strategy up to date with their audiences – it’s a given, surely? After all, audiences and the trends that follow them have never been and will never be static – they shift all the time.

 And yet, so many brands still seem to get it wrong. No doubt the ambition is there – to be current, to move and engage with the new wave of potential customers coming through – but we see it time and time again where brands just seem to stand still. As Lara likes to say, “They’re not getting jiggy with it”.

Just look at the utter pickle that John Lewis finds itself in these days. It’s confused beyond repair. One minute we have a billboard that tries to be witty but actually just manages to alienate everyone that’s ever purchased something from IKEA (which by the way is about 60% of the population according to YouGov) - and in the next breath we’ll have some fluffy Christmas ad hitting our screens that tries to pull on the heart strings but actually just leaves everyone a bit confused (yes, I’m talking about the Venus Flytrap… WTF?). I’m not sure what they’re thinking at any given time – I don’t think anyone does really – and there lies the problem.

What’s the consequence of this confused marketing strategy?Brands become irrelevant, they lose interest, trust, and ultimately, fall behind their competitors.

Of course, almost every brand and marketing person I know is obsessed with GenZ right now. I get it, they are the future. But I’ve always had a real uneasiness about entire marketing strategies being built around vast demographic groups. As human beings, we love to group things and chuck a nice label on it – it makes us feel good - like there’s order to the world. That’s fine, but my issue with this from a marketing perspective is we’re just talking about way too many people at completely different life stages. I, for example, am a Millennial – and as such, I am lumped in a category of people aged from 29 to 44. Let me tell you, at 29 my life couldn’t have been further from what it is now at 37.

And so, to Gen Z – who is basically anyone aged from 13 to 28. They may share a few behavioural traits (digital natives blah blah blah) but let’s face it, they are so far from each other in reality its bizarre to think you can target them all in a single campaign. Half are still at school, probably vaping behind the e-bike sheds for crying out loud!

Here's a classic example of why demographic targeting alone just doesn’t work. Do you remember a few years back around 2019 when the big news was that GenZ don’t drink alcohol. It was a revelation to all and of course, the non-alc brands jumped right on that train. Entire marketing strategies built around this newfound insight that the young folk had turned their backs on booze. Then low and behold, not merely a few weeks ago we have a new wave of headlines… Gen Z DO DRINK AFTER ALL. I’m sorry, did it not occur to anyone at all that perhaps the reason Gen Z weren’t drinking (or at least the vast majority), was simply to do with the fact that most of them weren’t old enough anyway. At the time, the youngest would have been about 7, making the oldest 22 – so only those aged 18 – 22 were actually of legal drinking age anyway. Mind blown!

I’m not saying that generational demographics aren’t a starting point, but to succeed you’ve got to go deeper than a few numbers and shared personality traits.

What do these people do in their spare time? Are they begging their parents for cash or are they spending their own? What do they care about? At 13 years old I cared about Incubus and saving up enough money to buy their latest album. At 23 I was spending serious cash going out almost every night of the week and my wardrobe was to die for. By 33 I was into vintage garms and was saving for my wedding. By 43 I will have two kids and a hefty mortgage – probably stealing loaves of bread to feed them if the economy keeps rolling the way it is. Do you see my point here?

Now, one campaign that I really did love recently was the launch of IKEA Oxford Street. It felt almost separate to IKEA’s usual approach, because let’s face it, the Oxford Street store was always going to attract a very different crowd compared to say… Lakeside (if you know, you know.) From tackling the ‘getting it home’ conundrum with the black taxi stunt, to the housewarming parties they held aimed to connect with young Londoners and explore the evolving concept of "home". And unlike John Lewis, their marketing strategy echoed the in-store experience. The community built displays and ‘culture clusters’ that speak to LGBTQ audiences, uni students and young pros with tiny flats. And yes, it speaks to some Gen Z micro groups, but also to young Millennials too. It taps into what people aged say 18 to 30(ish) really care about. Community, diversity, discovery, playfulness, experiences. It’s all there. It’s just a lot more curated and much more well thought out than just saying “We’re targeting Gen Z so what can we do that will make people go mad on TikTok?”.

My point to this rambling prose of marketing observation (forgive me, I am a Millennial after all)? Yes – keep up to date with your audience. Don’t do a John Lewis and get so caught up in your own image that you forget what people actually want and need you to be.

But don’t get so hung up on the next generational buzz-word that you end up basing your entire marketing strategy around a series of sweeping generalisations and stereotypes.

Do your research, drill down further. Really understand what it is your audience wants and needs to see, think and feel – and think about whether that genuinely aligns with your brand offering and values. If it doesn’t, then it’s probably wrong.