Nutter Butter's social media has veered into the surreal, and Gen Z loves it.
Connecting with Gen Z can be both a challenge and an opportunity for brands. The group is not a monolith, giving marketers an opportunity to speak to a wide variety of consumers. While many Gen Zers value authenticity and inclusivity, they also love when brands let loose, leaning into absurdist humor and not taking themselves too seriously.
Below, Ad Age ranks this year’s top brands when it comes to marketing to Gen Z, the demographic born between 1997 and 2012.
The beauty brand founded by Selena Gomez has connected to Gen Z through mental health awareness. Even before the brand started selling makeup, Gomez launched the Rare Impact Fund to provide young people with access to mental health services and education. The brand also has a Mental Health Council that helps with consumer research and ideas for live events.
Earlier this year, Rare Beauty launched its first global brand campaign, called “Love Your Rare,” from agency Fred & Farid Los Angeles. The spot, narrated by Gomez, focuses on self-love over perfection and features a diverse cast.
Also read: How Rare Beauty built its brand community
There are tons of options when it comes to school backpacks. To break through, JanSport leaned heavily into absurd humor with its back-to-school campaign. The “Always With You” campaign from Party Land focused on the everyday moments where backpacks are often overlooked.
In the spots, teens deadpan-sing through moments when they’re glad to have their JanSport—whether in a school bathroom, seeking personal space on the subway or mourning a dead pet.
“We shied away from aspirational, like Nike or Patagonia,” said Natalia Fredericks, Party Land’s creative director. “That led us down the rabbit hole of everyday experiences.”
More recently, the brand has tapped into Gen Z’s love of nostalgia with a retro collection that features the brand name in big letters.
The Walmart-owned warehouse chain has found its in with Gen Z through fashion. Younger consumers were already raving about the brand’s low-cost clothing, but Sam’s Club took it a step further with a size-inclusive clothing collection created in partnership with TikToker and model Remi Bader. The line includes sweaters, jackets, dresses, denim jeans and skirts, all under $30.
The retailer’s low prices have attracted more Gen Zers, with Gen Z membership holders increasing by 68% over the past two years, according to Sam’s Club President and CEO Chris Nicholas. But the chain has also appealed to the tech-savvy generation with a growing e-commerce section and a “Scan and Go” app for faster checkout.
Most brands would not be willing to post surreal and nightmarish imagery on social media. But Nutter Butter has become a hot brand for doing just that. The cookie brand’s account largely flew under the radar until a nano-influencer urged viewers to go watch it. The wild content had been part of a marketing plan three years in the making, with parent company Mondelēz looking to drive awareness of Nutter Butter.
The team constructed plot lines, lore and characters. The two main players are Aidan—named after a brand superfan—and the Nutter Butter Man, a Willy Wonka-esque figure who appeared in one of the brand’s ads from the 1970s. Rounding out the supporting cast are Nadia (Aidan spelled backward); an amorphous cloud of black smoke; Mr. 1021, a silhouette of a CEO-like figure with an artificially deepened voice; and Nutey Nuter, one of the peanut butter cookies with a human face. The content has won over absurdist-loving Gen Z.
McDonald’s has embraced that Gen Z is not a monolith, instead opting to speak to niche fandoms within McDonald’s customers. The fast-feeder had several wins this year, starting with its WcDonald’s anime campaign from lead agency Wieden+Kennedy New York, capitalizing on many Gen Zers’ love of anime and manga. The campaign included anime characters and shorts that doubled as TV commercials, an anime bag and a McNugget meal with a limited-time savory chili sauce.
The chain has also done other anime-related campaigns, including in-app campaigns for a Jujutsu Kaisen garlic sauce and a deal on apple pie as a tie-in to the video game Genshin Impact.
Other efforts have included a butterscotch Grandma McFlurry, which focused on the feeling Gen Z have of being spoiled by their grandparents, as well as a Collector’s Cup campaign. More recently, McDonald’s worked with streamer Kai Cenat to spread the word about the chain’s new Chicken Big Mac, even having Serena Williams join the stream.
McDonald’s is also partnering with NFT project Doodles for limited-time holiday cups.
