How members of Gen Z choose brands

Emma Chiu, from Wunderman Thompson Intelligence, provides an insight from the agency's recent study regarding how the coming generation of shoppers choose brands. (This is an excerpt from a longer Opinion piece. Click "View more" to read the full article.)

Move aside millennials, Gen Z is now setting the pace for popular culture and trends, making brands and marketers track this generation with an eagle eye. Gen Zers already make up 40% of the global consumers and have an estimated $150 billion in spending power in the United States alone (McKinsey & Company), making them a key force in defining brand and consumer influence.

For Gen Z, brand choice is an extension of who they are and what they stand for – it’s personal. Nearly two thirds (60%) of American Gen Zers see their choice in brands as an expression of who they are and 79% want their money to go to a brand they believe in. However, as much as Gen Zers are reshaping the meaning of a brand, they also see brands playing a vital role in society and their future. Over three quarters (78%) of American Gen Zers believe that in the wake of COVID-19 brands have a responsibility to help build a better normal.

Gen Zers are rolling up their sleeves and paving the way to build a better normal. It’s time for brands, influential figures and marketers to join the task force in creating a better future, or risk being left behind.