Beyond memes, woke slogans and hip-hop: Why brands keep missing the mark with Gen Z

New Delhi: Brands often stumble into the Gen-Z trap by thinking they've cracked the code—memes, hip-hop, and woke slogans should do the trick, right? Wrong! In their rush to seem "cool," marketers make the classic mistake of treating Gen-Z like a walking TikTok trend. 

Many assume everyone’s into the same beats, the same social causes, and that a few emojis can unlock the secret to their wallets. But here’s the catch: Gen-Z is far from a monolith. This 377 million-strong group is more complex than the latest viral meme, and trying to box them in is a sure way to miss the mark. 

Anand Murty, Founder & CSO, Fundamental, said, “377 million strong. That’s the current estimate of the Gen-Z population in India alone. And yet, if we were to go by yearly plans made by marketing teams or advertising briefing sessions:

‘They all love hip-hop. They’re all woke, environment-loving, authority-questioning, fast fashion hating, tech-savvy, beyond genre with goldfish attention spans—you know the drill. In sum, they’re a monolith. All 377 million of them. A single set of characteristics to be fetishised, romanced, cajoled and entertained.”

He added that considering Gen-Z as a monolith is not just an Indian phenomenon and that the same erroneous attitudes also exist outside India.

“At a global pitch for a bubbly soda brand, the agency marched in with a campaign made for Gen-Z. BLM and ‘Save the Environment’ were prominently featured themes. Vivid colours. Rousing lines. Till the jittery client stepped in to remind the room that 50% of the base identified as Conservatives. The campaign risked being disastrously alienating.”

Gen-Z plans to spend $2 trillion by 22035, according to a report developed by Snap.Inc in partnership with Boston Consulting Group (BCG). As per the report, Gen Z is not just influencing the market but changing it. They collectively plan to spend $860 billion, making up 43% of the country’s total consumption. They significantly impact spending in areas like footwear (50%), dining (48%), out-of-home entertainment (48%), and fashion and lifestyle (47%). Their spending power is expected to grow to $2 trillion by 2035. 

The opportunities for brands are vast, yet many brand managers struggle to connect with Gen-Z. The key question now is: Where are brands going wrong when it comes to engaging this generation?

Brand managers listen in. Stop categorising Gen-Z as a single unit in the era of personalisation. 

Backing this thought, Piali Dasgupta Surendran, a senior brand advisor, said, “Brands need to acknowledge Gen-Z’s individuality, at a day and age when we are constantly talking about personalisation. That apart, brands and brand owners tend to think that this is a generation that's all about fancy lingo, fleeting trends on social media, and fluff. But that's not true. 

This generation has seen its own share of economic uncertainty and hardship during the COVID years and values money. They are the largest demographic in the country today, contributing to over 45% of the revenue for a majority of the lifestyle categories, including fashion, beauty, OTT, travel, and healthcare. So it's high time that the spending power of this generation is taken seriously.”

The old folks are quick to generalise Gen-Z and put them into silos, trying to understand a whole generation of people with insights provided by AI. Murty (Fundamental) sees this as a part of the problem as to why brands struggle to resonate with Gen-Z. 

Commenting on the same, Murty said, “Easy labels and colour-coded maps courtesy of those in-house AI-powered tools are no substitute for good old work in the sun. A reel comprising trending musical hits won’t yield rich insights.  

Doing the deep work of meeting people, observing behaviour, and understanding those behaviours given the historical, economic, social and cultural context is essential work. Gen Zs invite us to engage more deeply with people—beyond monolithic labels—to understand sub-cultures and gauge the best alignment with the world of the brand.”

Walking along similar lines, Abhik Santara, Director and CEO of Atom Network, said, “People in advertising, or senior marketing folks, are old school and have very limited knowledge about this generation beyond power points and LinkedIn posts.  

They have not spent enough time with them to know them. Secretly, they have no real love for this generation and are discussed as careless and non-motivated during coffee meetings. Nothing can be further from the truth.” 

So, marketers, here’s your lesson: Invest time in understanding, not generalising.

Imagine you have a toy store on Instagram. You post different things: a product post, a themed post, an experiential post, a cool song, and a famous kid talking about your toys (influencer post).

You can do all this but there’s a problem here: if you just follow this checklist without thinking about what kids really like, your posts might not be exciting. If you are a digital marketer, then you will know that we are not talking about a toy store here but brands. Age-old brands are working on their social media for the sake of it with no real foresight in mind and their poorly designed Instagram handles are proof. 

Presenting his thoughts on the same, Murty said, “With many brands, their Instagram is a dead giveaway. You will see the template come alive—there’s the product post. Then the theme post. Oh, wait! We need stuff for the experiential bucket. Oh, and it’s Gen Z so music—we need content on that. Here’s the latest, coolest hip-hop sensation. 

Let’s not forget those influencers. The result? Poor engagement, suboptimal results. If the deep work in step 1 is done and dusted, you’re more likely to crack a platform idea that lends itself seamlessly to a plethora of ideas across touchpoints without the worry of tick-boxes.”

Harshit Sharma, Founding Member and Senior Brand Strategist, Youngun, mentioned that the old folks responsible for marketing at traditional brands are scared of change and hesitant toward adopting a digital-first approach. 

From the horse’s lips itself, Sharma said, “The main reason traditional brands struggle with a digital-first approach is that they’re a bit scared of all the changes. They have a lot of "what ifs"—like, "What if it doesn’t work like our traditional methods?" or "What if we don’t get the same sales or profits?" 

They need to set aside those doubts and give digital marketing a proper chance. Most brands have already adapted, and the ones who haven’t are usually those whose target audience isn’t Gen Z, which is fine for now. But eventually, even they’ll need to shift.”

Highlighting the importance of the same, Vishwanath Shetty, D2C Business Head, Pocket Aces, said, “Our approach across FilterCopy demonstrates how content needs to be tailored for each platform while maintaining consistent brand values. 

For instance, how we adapt our storytelling for YouTube versus Instagram highlights the importance of understanding platform-specific behaviour patterns. Traditional brands often struggle because they try to force-fit traditional marketing formats into digital platforms rather than creating native digital content.”

House of lies

Another motif that Gen-Z cares about is authenticity, which in consumer culture refers to an economy where authenticity is more valuable than perfection. Brands and creators who are real and transparent are gaining more trust from consumers, as people seek genuine, relatable content rather than highly curated, polished versions of reality.

Surendran calls Gen-Z the most authentic generation today and reasons why authenticity is the most important brand trait are that brands should be authentic in their communication when marketing to Gen-Z.

In the words of Surendran, “Gen-Z is significantly more authentic than millennials and believes in expressing themselves, laying bare their vulnerabilities and flaws. They are looking for brands that are real and authentic too. And that means no purpose washing, greenwashing, etc., walking the talk and owning up to mistakes. Most brands fail to do that. They place themselves on a pedestal, which they need not. 

Authenticity is about understanding that everyone is flawed to a certain extent. It's about how you can own your story and Gen Z cares deeply about this. Brands that understand and implement this will resonate with Gen Z.”

Resounding the same bugle as Surendran, Murty said, “Authenticity is valued big time because it is easier than ever to root out and fact-check liars! A content creator at home can happily access links to information going back decades—so if the latest Godperson on the block can be exposed in a series of viral YouTube videos, brands are most certainly not exempt. 

You can’t put out honey-laden pride videos and merch when a simple search will throw up cases of identity/gender-based discrimination in your organisation! It is important to stick to your truth, your point of view and if it aligns with people, they’ll come to you. You can’t take a progressive stand on culture without the stamina and the action plan to deal with pushback and trolling that might come your way.”

“Make a rap song; Gen-Z loves it.”

How many times have you heard brands coming up with rap songs during the festive season targeted at Gen-Z? Stop counting because you will not be able to do so. Brands see Gen-Z as bedridden with rap songs, forgetting that artists like Prateek Kuhad and Anuv Jain, who are known for their ‘melodic vibe’ are equally loved by Gen-Z.

Giving us a piece of his thoughts on the subject, Sharma said, “Yes, most brands think reaching Gen Z is all about memes, which I feel is wrong because memes are just a part of our culture, like how cinema and Bollywood were for 90s kids. You can also tap into Gen Z through nostalgia. 

For example, Uber recently launched a great campaign with Jackie and Tiger Shroff, which didn’t rely on memes or trendy content. Instead, they used a father-son duo that appealed to millennials and Gen Z still found it funny.”

Since Gen-Z is not all about memes, creating culturally nuanced content has become vital. 

Emphasising the need for culturally nuanced content, Shetty spoke about how Filtercopy has hit the bull’s eye in creating a bridge with Gen-Z. 

“Brands should create content that celebrates India's diversity while maintaining a contemporary outlook. We've succeeded by creating "bridge content"—stories that connect traditional Indian values with contemporary youth experiences. This approach has helped us build a loyal audience that trusts us to authentically represent their complex cultural identities,” Shetty quoted.

It’s not just about digital

While the above paragraphs may highlight the importance of a digital-first marketing approach, it is important to note that Gen-Z also craves in-person physical experiences. 

As Sharma puts it, “Social is great, but not all the time. Gen Z also craves physical experiences. Zomato’s Zomaland is a great example of this—giving customers a fun, physical experience while staying relevant. Gen Z loves new, fun events hosted by brands, and even if there’s a cost involved, they’ll pay for it if it’s enjoyable.”

Complementing Sharma’s thoughts, Surendran said, “It's a generation that will video call a friend from a trial room to take her opinion on a dress. So, while they do almost everything online—right from shopping to socialising and learning to exercising—the human touch is important. 

They are also hugely curious about the analogue world because they haven't experienced it as much as the previous generations. If you can give them an experience that has the convenience of the digital world and the nostalgia of the analogue world, you are likely to win them over.”

Let Gen-Z manage Gen-Z

Wrapping it up with a management lesson by Santara, “Leave Gen-Z to be managed by Gen-Z. I think this generation is the most misunderstood ever. For every past generation, there have been incremental changes in outlook and values. Gen Zs have taken the quantum leap. So the people who are dealing with them are not able to catch up.

Brands should just leave Genzs to be managed by Genzs. In most cases, either on the brand side or on the agency side (or on both sides), there will be a guru who will try to control things. That’s where the ball gets dropped.”