Converse keeps scoring with Gen Z, thanks to timely shoe collaborations, including some targeting college students. The Nike-owned brand tops the latest Ad Age-Harris Poll Gen Z brand tracker, which ranks brands that gained the most attention from Gen Z in the first quarter of 2022. 

It marks the second time in less than a year that Converse has taken first place in the poll, which ranks brands by how much their equity has changed with Gen Z—that is, how much this generation’s perception of these brands is changing from quarter to quarter. It surveys consumers ages 18-24; younger members of Gen Z are unable to answer without adult supervision, so are excluded from the analysis.

Home and food storage manufacturer Rubbermaid came in second followed by video game publisher Blizzard, with Lego and telehealth company Hims & Hers finishing fourth and fifth place, respectively.

“We continue to see brands that leverage new media and culturally relevant partnerships win with Gen Z,” Harris Poll CEO Will Johnson said in a statement. “If it’s Dr. Squatch releasing special edition soaps for 'The Mandalorian' and Jurassic Park, Lego bringing new attention to Indiana Jones and classic Disney characters, or Kraft Heinz partnering with Ed Sheeran to plug its new hot sauce, top-performing brands are recognizing they can reach new heights (and audiences) by tapping into cross-promotion."

Read more: How brand collabs can help marketers in a down economy

Top Gen Z brands by brand equity growth

Hover or click over brands to see more details, including comparisons with other generations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Harris Poll.
Credit: Infographic by Ad Age.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Converse last took first place in the poll in July 2022 after being in the news when people bought its shoes in honor of 10-year-old Maite Rodriguez, a student who’d been wearing green high-top Converse when she was murdered during the Uvalde, Texas school shooting. The brand didn’t rebrand the shoes, instead choosing to make donations.

This time, Converse has benefited from a name drop in the recently-released “Air” movie, which is about its parent company Nike’s 1980s-era pursuit of Michael Jordan. “What’s a Converse?” asks Matt Damon, playing the role of former Nike exec Sonny Vaccaro in the trailer. (Nike and Converse were competitors at the time.)

But Converse’s marketing today is leaving a bigger mark with Gen Z: It has jumped on events such as March Madness with a launch of customizable Chuck Taylors for college students to wear their university logo. For Black History Month in February, it released a “Black Joy” collection in that included nature-themed clothes and shoes.

The brand’s other collaborations have included its first capsule collection with Liverpool Football Club in April.

 

Below, a quick look at how some other brands made the top 20 in this quarter’s poll.

**Rubbermaid's “Brilliance Pantry Food Storage Containers” were named the best dry food storage containers by the New York Times in March. And as rival Tupperware struggles, Rubbermaid has touted deals including selling a 23-piece set for $8 at Walmart in January.

Read more: How Tupperware can make a comeback—marketing experts weigh in on the troubled brand 

The brand’s parent company Newell Brands gained attention with announcements of restructuring plans and layoffs of 13% of its staff in January. Its CEO said it was expanding its distribution in supermarkets and its product range during a consumer conference in February, according to Reuters. 

**Lego gained traction with partnerships such as a Lord of the Rings-themed collection in February, and a figurine set for Disney’s 100th anniversary. The company also got love from the art world when artist Ai Weiwei launched an exhibition in March featuring a 50-foot-long recreation of Monet’s “Water Lilies” painting made out of Lego pieces. The artist has previously worked with Lego bricks for his “Trace” series featuring 176 portraits of political prisoners made out of Lego.

**Blizzard, part of gaming giant Activision Blizzard, hyped up a beta version of its game Diablo 4 in March through a partnership with KFC that gave a code to access the game to people who bought the fast food chain’s Double Down fried chicken sandwich. 

**Hims & Hers, which offers services including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, as well as personal care products, signed actor Kristen Bell as a mental health ambassador for its Hers division in January.

**The Alzheimer’s Association launched a campaign in March with the Ad Council that featured Nascar driver Ryan Blaney to raise awareness about early detection.

**Kraft Heinz and Popeyes have both benefited from partnerships and new launches, with the former working with Ed Sheeran to launch its new hot sauce in February and announcing plans to add Lunchables to the National School Lunch Program starting this fall.

Popeyes signed an NIL deal in January with the “Popeyes kid,” who appeared in a meme almost a decade ago that showed him hitting someone with a side-eye in one of the chain’s locations. The brand also re-launched its Ghost Pepper Wings in January after several years, and brought out limited-edition frosted strawberry biscuits in March.

 

**Molson Coors had two brands crack the list—Vizzy Hard Seltzer as well as Coors. Coors Light gained exposure from the company’s first Super Bowl ad in more than 30 years.

 

 

 

**Fashion brand Kate Spade drew headlines for partnering with resale site ThredUp. The brand also worked with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who plugged the brand in a TikTok video in late March—soon before Mulvaney’s video for Bud Light irked conservatives and put the beer brand on the defensive.

 

**Dr. Squatch, which returned to the poll after first cracking it in May of last year, gained recognition on TikTok by “not taking ourselves too seriously” with humorous posts such as memes, said the brand’s head of marketing in an interview with Glossy in March.

It has also released products such as a limited-edition Jurassic Park-themed soap in partnership with Universal Studios for the film’s 30th anniversary.