As the oldest members of Gen Z start entering their mid-twenties, this generation is quickly becoming a dominant force in the consumer market. In fact, Gen Z is predicted to account for 40% of all consumers in the United States alone. This presents a unique challenge for businesses and brands: how to build a brand that resonates with Gen Z. This article will explore some tips and strategies for building a brand that connects with this young, tech-savvy, and socially-conscious generation.

The Power of Resonance

Before diving into the strategies for building a brand that resonates with Gen Z, it’s essential to understand what we mean by “resonance.” At its core, resonance means connecting with your audience beyond just a transactional relationship. It means creating a brand that truly speaks to your target audience’s values, aspirations, and desires.

One brand that has mastered the art of resonating with Gen Z is Glossier. The beauty brand was founded by former CEO Emily Weiss in 2014, and since then, it has become a cult favorite among young consumers. Glossier’s success can be attributed to its ability to tap into the desires and values of Gen Z. The brand focuses on natural beauty, inclusivity, and authenticity, which aligns perfectly with the values of this socially-conscious generation. Glossier’s marketing and social media strategy also emphasizes user-generated content, further reinforcing its authenticity and inclusiveness message.

How Brand Resonance Has Changed 

The rise of digital media and social networks has fundamentally changed how brands resonate with their audiences. In the past, brands relied heavily on traditional advertising channels, such as TV commercials and print ads, to reach their target audiences. Today, however, Gen Z is more likely to discover new brands through social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. This has created new challenges for brands that want to resonate with this young, digitally-savvy audience.

Here are some tips and strategies for building a brand that resonates with Gen Z in the digital age:

1. Be Authentic: Authenticity is the highest value for Gen Z. Brands that try too hard to be trendy or cool will likely be seen as inauthentic and insincere. Instead, focus on being true to your brand’s values and personality.

2. Emphasize User-Generated Content: As we saw with Glossier, user-generated content can be a powerful way to reinforce your brand’s message of authenticity and inclusivity. Encourage your audience to create and share content that showcases your brand in a positive light.

3. Use Influencers and Micro-Influencers: Gen Z trusts influencers and micro-influencers more than traditional advertising channels. Work with influencers who align with your brand’s values and personality to reach a wider audience. Digital marketing agency services can help to identify influencers who could be the perfect fit for your brand.

4. Embrace Video Content: Video content is more popular than ever, especially on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. Experiment with short-form video content that showcases your brand’s personality and values.

Brands Struggling to Resonate

Despite the growing importance of Gen Z as a consumer group, many brands need help to resonate with this young audience. One reason for this is that Gen Z is more socially-conscious than previous generations, and they expect brands to be socially responsible as well. Brands that are seen as exploitative or environmentally unfriendly are likely to be rejected by Gen Z consumers.

Here are some tips and strategies for brands that are struggling to resonate with Gen Z:

1. Focus on Social Responsibility: Gen Z wants brands to take concrete steps to address social and environmental issues. This could mean using sustainable product materials, supporting social causes, or implementing fair labor practices. Brands that prioritize social responsibility are more likely to resonate with Gen Z consumers.

2. Be Inclusive: Gen Z is the most diverse generation yet, and they expect brands to be inclusive and representative of different identities and experiences. Make an effort to showcase diversity in your marketing and product offerings.

3. Listen to Feedback: Gen Z is more likely to speak out against brands they feel are not meeting their expectations. Take the time to listen to feedback from your audience and use it to improve your brand and products.

Brands Resonating with Gen Z

Despite the challenges of resonating with Gen Z, plenty of brands are succeeding in this space. These brands have tapped into this young audience’s values and desires and created a connection beyond just a transactional relationship.

Here are some examples of brands that resonate with Gen Z:

1. Nike: Nike has always been a popular brand among young consumers, but they have recently made a concerted effort to appeal to Gen Z. They have embraced inclusivity and social responsibility and have partnered with athletes and influencers who embody their brand’s values.

2. Ben & Jerry’s: Ben & Jerry’s is a brand that has always been socially-conscious, and this has resonated with Gen Z consumers. They have taken a strong stance on issues like climate change and racial justice and have used their platform to raise awareness and inspire action.

3. Lululemon: Lululemon has built a loyal following among young consumers by emphasizing wellness, mindfulness, and community. They have created a lifestyle brand beyond just workout gear and used social media to foster a sense of community among their customers.

Creating a Name That Resonates

Finally, let’s talk about creating a name that resonates with Gen Z. A brand’s name is often the first impression consumers have of a company, so it’s essential to choose a name that reflects your brand’s values and personality. Using a naming tool at Squadhelp is a great way to generate unique brand names, such as Triangle Lawn Care, a lawn care service in Cary.

Here are some top-name ideas that would resonate with Gen Z:

• Boldify: This name suggests confidence and empowerment, which aligns with the values of Gen Z.

• Flowtopia: This name has a calming, zen-like quality that would appeal to young consumers who value mindfulness and wellness.

• Empathify: This name suggests empathy and understanding, which are important values for Gen Z.

Conclusion

In conclusion, building a brand that resonates with Gen Z requires deeply understanding their values, desires, and habits. Brands that prioritize authenticity, social responsibility, inclusivity, and community are more likely to connect with this young, tech-savvy, and socially-conscious generation. By following the tips and strategies outlined in this article, brands can create a connection with Gen Z that goes beyond just a transactional relationship and can build a loyal following that will drive growth and success in the years to come.

Why is strategic brand management even more relevant during an economic downturn?

Brand management is bound to get rather complex during economic downturn and recessionary phases. This is because of the sensitivities created by the competitive landscape and market dynamics that tend to create price war and sometimes even result in cut throat competition amongst players. This is a situation that will render customers in a phase of introspection and critical evaluation of value for money spent before making purchase decisions. Consumer behaviour therefore becomes unpredictable.

From a business perspective, brands have two options in such situations. They can either be reactive and become victims of the situation by imposing cuts or ban on branding budgets. This will be the worst reaction because by doing so, they are only driving themselves away from people’s minds at a crucial and opportune time. On the other hand, brands can be proactive and use situations as a great opportunity to their advantage. Thereby they don’t just preserve, but enhance the brand reach, for example look at log cabins for sale from Parklink with their new brand management campaign.

Why is it so critical to stay invested in brand management during recessionary trends and downturns!

• Products tend to become commodities as functionality replaces blind faith in brands.
• Customers tend to become more price sensitive and less brand conscious, due to tightening of wallets.
• Search engines become choice engines, so to say. This is true more so of a B2B segment, where there are multiple purchase points across a value chain.

Here are some of the things that businesses can do right under such situations

• Clearly not fall into the trap of price war but sustain prices in a range and stay distinct as a niche player.
• Strengthen perceptions on professional pricing through strategic brand management and positioning.
• Use business process re-engineering and lean management concepts to achieve a backward integration of margins across all elements in value chain. This will help to make product offering more competitive for themselves and for customers.
• This is also a great opportunity to research consumer insights more deeply and gather reliable and useful information about which brands or products in the market are resilient and possess sustainable value These findings can then be effectively used in the ongoing brand strategy to achieve clear Customer Value proposition.

These are only some of the effective strategies that brands can adopt to use the recessionary phase to their advantage. But none of these would be possible if branding spends do not find a place in the budget which is even more crucial during these phases. Branding budgets are absolutely essential even just to stay afloat and retain market share, let along increase market share and margins.

Businesses that can visualize the long-term benefits of staying invested in brand management during these difficult situations would clearly foresee the benefits that would accrue in medium and long term. Brands that are successful in creating a lasting and consumer driven experience during difficult times would reap benefits of that investment through viral marketing that would be generated in future, merely by word of mouth. It is important to remember that cost of regaining lost customers is always a huge multiple of cost of maintaining them.

About the Author: Asha Sampath is Founder and Head of Growth and Brand Strategy Practice at Brandhorizon, a leading Digital Branding Solutions Company in India. She leverages over twenty years of rich experience and skills in General Management, Branding/Marketing and Finance Management. She integrates her in-depth knowledge and functional expertise in international businesses, in tailoring Brandhorizon and its services to help transform businesses using innovation needed in today’s dynamic and fast paced global marketplace. Her diverse experience to run businesses, both in India and abroad, includes General Management for Greenfield projects and financial positions with Price Waterhouse, Kirloskar Electric and Carrier Transicold (Part of United Technologies, IncUSA).

#Brandhorizon is an International Brand and Marketing Consultancy firm that offers Strategic Brand Consultancy and helps you to effectively utilize your limited budgets to strengthen your brands strategically, using Consumer Insights and Customer Experience Journey.