Before a brand can speak to Generation Z, it needs to understand who they actually are. Here are seven research-based strategies that’ll help you position your brand to appeal to Gen Z.
Who Is Generation Z?
Gen Z refers to those born roughly between the mid-1990s and early 2010s.
They are the first generation to have grown up with the internet not as a novelty but as part and parcel of their lives. Stanford researcher Roberta Katz, whose multi-year study of Gen Z involved over 2,000 participants across the US and UK, describes a typical Gen Zer as someone who “deeply cares about others, strives for a diverse community, is highly collaborative and social, values flexibility, relevance, authenticity and non-hierarchical leadership.” That’s a far cry from the “snowflake” stereotype that preceded serious research into this cohort.
Their relationship with technology has shaped everything: how they communicate, how they shop, how they evaluate trust, and for for businesses, how they decide which brands deserve their loyalty. They grew up processing information at speed, across multiple platforms simultaneously. Also, they have developed a finely tuned radar for anything that feels manufactured, hollow, or dishonest.
Equally important is understanding what motivates them emotionally. Gen Z came of age during economic recessions, a global pandemic, climate anxiety, and rolling social justice reckonings. This has made them, paradoxically, both pragmatic and idealistic. They want brands to stand for something but they’ll call out performative posturing faster than any generation before them.
They are also, as Katz’s research noted with some surprise, deeply social in the offline sense. When her team asked Gen Zers what form of communication they preferred, expecting answers like TikTok DMs or group chats, nearly every single respondent said their favorite form of communication was in person. Brands that forget this and treat Gen Z as purely digital creatures, will miss half the picture.
Now, armed with that understanding, here are the strategies that work.
1. Lead With Authenticity, Not a Performance of It
Authenticity is the word that appears in virtually every piece of Gen Z marketing literature, and for good reason. But it is also the most misunderstood concept in the space, because many brands treat it as an aesthetic rather than a posture.
According to Prasanna and Priyanka’s 2024 study published in the International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, Gen Z is “highly skeptical of traditional advertising and instead gravitates towards brands that demonstrate genuine commitment to their stated values,” The study further notes that this generation “prefers brands that engage in ethical practices, contribute to social and environmental causes, and reflect a commitment to sustainability.”
What this means in practice: authenticity is not raw, unfiltered Instagram content. It is organizational alignment. A brand cannot market sustainability while quietly maintaining exploitative supply chains and expect Gen Z not to notice or not to share what they find. Transparency about practices, values, and even shortcomings resonates more than a polished corporate narrative. Brands that share their stories candidly and engage in genuine conversations with their audience are far more likely to build trust with this generation than those who default to slick advertising.
The practical implication is that your brand story needs to be lived, not just told.
2. Invest in Influencer Marketing, But Be Care Who You Choose
Influencer marketing is not new, but how it functions with Gen Z has shifted meaningfully. High-follower celebrity endorsements have declining returns; what drives purchasing behavior now is relatability and perceived authenticity.
A 2024 Forbes piece by Zaheer Dodhia noted that while 28% of Gen Z consumers had purchased something based at least partially on an influencer recommendation — more than any other generation — it is nano-influencers, those with fewer than 10,000 followers, who achieve the highest engagement rates. The logic is simple: a creator with 6,000 highly engaged followers in a niche community feels like a peer, not a paid spokesperson.
The IJFMR study reinforces this. They cite research by Casaló, Flavián, and Guinalíu (2018), which found that “influencers who align with a brand’s values and resonate with Gen Z’s interests can effectively bridge the gap between brands and this demographic.” Crucially, the study emphasizes that brands must “carefully select influencers who align with their message and values to maximize the impact of their marketing efforts.” Misaligned influencer partnership can do more damage than no partnership at all.
The takeaway for brands: go smaller, go deeper, go aligned. A micro-creator whose audience trusts them is worth more than a macro-influencer whose audience scrolls past.
3. Make Social Media a Two-Way Relationship
Gen Z are not mere consumers social media, they participate in it. They create, remix, comment, and co-author culture in real time. Brands that use social platforms merely as broadcast channels will be tuned out.
Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat function as discovery engines, peer review aggregates, and cultural barometers for them. Prasanna and Priyanka’s study notes that these platforms “serve not only as social interaction tools but also as discovery channels for new products and brands.” The implications for brand strategy are significant: social media presence must be active, responsive, and willing to participate in the cultural conversation rather than hover above it.
This means creating content that invites engagement including polls, challenges, behind-the-scenes glimpses, comment interactions, rather than content that merely announces. It also means participating authentically in trending moments when relevant, without forcing it. Gen Z can smell a brand awkwardly shoehorning itself into a meme from a mile away, and the cringe fallout is swift.
User-generated content (UGC) is especially powerful. The IJFMR research references a Nielsen (2018) finding that Gen Z “trusts peer reviews and UGC more than traditional advertising.” Encouraging customers to create and share their experiences helps build community, while also generating a kind of social proof that no paid campaign can replicate.
4. Build Purpose Into Your Brand DNA
Gen Z wants to support companies that are genuinely trying to make the world better, not companies that have a sustainability page buried in their website footer. This is a generation shaped by climate anxiety, racial justice movements, and mental health awareness, and they apply those values to their consumer choices with real conviction.
The IJFMR study cites an Edelman (2021) finding that Gen Z “expects brands to take a stand on important issues and actively participate in creating positive change.” However, “this activism must be genuine and aligned with the brand’s core values to avoid accusations of ‘woke-washing.'” The risk of performative purpose is not just a PR inconvenience; for Gen Z, it is a trust-destroying act that can permanently alienate a would-be loyal customer.
Dodhia’s Forbes piece points to Maybelline as a useful case study: the brand embedded diversity into its advertising campaigns and backed that commitment up with concrete action by expanding its foundation shade range. The message wasn’t just communicated, but demonstrated. That is the distinction Gen Z makes.
Brands should ask: what causes are genuinely connected to what we do, and how can we demonstrate that connection through action rather than messaging?
5. Personalize the Experience
Individuality matters deeply to Gen Z. They are, as researchers have observed, a generation that grew up with algorithmic personalization as the default and they now expect brands to meet that same standard.
Prasanna and Priyanka’s study describes how Gen Z “values tailored experiences and expects brands to engage with them through customized content, real-time feedback, and interactive features.” They add that “the ability to create meaningful, personalized interactions can significantly enhance brand loyalty and consumer satisfaction.” This does more than recommending the right product to communicating style, timing, platform choice, and the sense that a brand gets a particular individual.
For businesses, this means investing in data-driven personalization tools. It also means rethinking how customer service, email marketing, and content delivery are structured. Conversational, direct communication that eschews corporate-speak and sales-driven language, goes a long way toward making Gen Z feel seen rather than targeted.
6. Don’t Underestimate the Value of the In-Person Moment
Given everything above, it might seem counterintuitive to emphasize offline engagement. But this is precisely where many digital-first brands leave value on the table.
Dodhia’s Forbes piece argues that “an in-person approach can highlight the importance and value of a brand,” and recommends that even online-only businesses find ways to meet their Gen Z audience in person through local events, sponsorships, pop-ups, and community presence. This aligns directly with Roberta Katz’s research finding that Gen Z’s preferred mode of communication, above all digital alternatives, is face-to-face interaction.
The brands that win with this generation will be those that use digital channels to build awareness and community, then invest in real-world moments to deepen that relationship. A pop-up event, a community sponsorship, a campus activation, create the kind of memorable, emotional resonance that no TikTok campaign can fully replicate.
7. Prioritize Diversity and Inclusion
This is both a moral imperative and a commercial one. Gen Z is the most diverse generation in history, and they notice and actively respond to how brands reflect that diversity in their marketing, their leadership, and their products.
Brands that feature diverse representation not as a seasonal campaign but as an ongoing, embedded practice signal to Gen Z that they belong. Those that don’t, or that treat diversity as a checkbox exercise, will face disengagement from a generation that has no patience for tokenism.
