20 brands getting Gen Z attention right now

Planned Parenthood is gaining in popularity with Gen Z, as the pro-choice group boosts its marketing in wake of the June decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. The organization’s actions, which have included a $16 million dollar ad campaign, caused it to jump to third place in the latest Ad Age-Harris Poll Gen Z brand tracker, a ranking of brands gaining the most attention from Gen Z in the third quarter. Beats by Dre took the top spot, followed by Jersey Mike’s Subs. Lenovo and New Balance rounded out the top five. Conducted quarterly, the poll 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. Top Gen Z brands by brand equity growth Brands are ranked by change in brand equity scores among Gen Z consumers. Hover or click over brands to see more details, including factors that make up the score and gains or losses each brand made with other generations. Scroll to see the full list. *Consideration quantifies consumers’ likelihood to purchase a product or service; Momentum measures consumers’ perception of whether a brand is gaining or losing market position against its competitors; Quality signals how consumers perceive the quality of a particular brand’s product or service compared to the quality of their competitors’ offerings; Familiarity shows how recognizable a brand is to the general population. Numbers displayed for each of these attributes show the change in the raw score for Gen Z from Q2 to Q3. Demographic numbers show how much the brand equity score increased for each generation, compared with the previous quarter. Source: Harris Poll. Credit: Infographic by Ad Age. Planned Parenthood announced that it was spending $16 million on a campaign called “Bans Off Our Bodies,” supporting abortion access, in late April. Politico reported on a leaked draft signaling the Supreme Court was poised to overturn Roe v. Wade in early May. After Roe v. Wade was officially overturned in June, the organization released a spot called “Force of Nature,” which showed people preparing for a literal storm that acted as a metaphor for the effect of the ruling on abortion rights. The ad saw more than 1 million organic impressions on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, while both Bans Off Our Bodies websites (in Spanish and English) had 3.8 million pageviews from April to July, according to Planned Parenthood. The broader campaign was by Chong + Koster, while “Force of Nature” was from Virtue Worldwide. Planned Parenthood also relaunched its Bans Off Our Bodies website, also available in Spanish, as part of an abortion rights campaign. The nonprofit has announced that is it basing a mobile abortion clinic in southern Illinois, near the borders of red states where women are not able to obtain abortions. The clinic will open before the end of the year, according to the organization. Planned Parenthood has focused on “really connecting with Gen Z and where they are in culture,” said Lauren Garcimonde-Fisher, the organization’s VP for brand and culture strategy. Efforts to reach Gen Z have included advertising on college campuses and working with influencers on TikTok to educate people about abortion rights, said Garcimonde-Fisher. The nonprofit has also worked with celebrities such as Megan Thee Stallion, who appeared in the organization’s advertising in the New York Times in May, and has created GIFs and memes about abortion. Here is a look at how some of the other brands cracked the top 20 in this quarter’s poll. ** Apple-owned Beats earned the top spot thanks in part to its partnership with reality TV personality Kim Kardashian. Kardashian was involved in the launch of wireless earbuds in three neutral shades in August. Her efforts included appearing in an ad that shows the process behind creating the earbuds. Beats was joined on the list by another speaker marketer, Bose, which came in 13th. The brand in September released wireless noise-canceling earbuds, which are “another popular (type of) product among Gen Z,” Harris Poll CEO Will Johnson said in a statement. ** Jersey Mike’s rose in popularity with Gen Z with help from actor Danny DeVito—who at 77 is much older than members of the generation—in a campaign by Highdive that debuted in September. It features an ad called “Emotions,” showing all of DeVito’s emotions as he watches a sandwich being made. The brand also had a month of giving in March, donating a day of its sales to the Special Olympics. **Impossible Foods is doing well with Gen Z, coming in seventh, even as meatless industry sales slow, according to reporting from Bloomberg and IRI data. Company CEO Peter McGuinness, a former agency and marketing executive, is looking to raise the company’s profits and is focusing on advertising, according to Business Insider. Impossible partnered with Burger King in August to launch chicken-less “chicken” sandwiches, launched its first packaged frozen meals in September and stocked its Impossible Bowls in Walmart, also in September. Those activities came as competitor Beyond Meat grappled with a much-publicized nose-biting incident by one of its executives. **Luxury brand Coach, which placed eighth, is rebranding to focus on “expressive luxury” to reach Gen Z and meet financial targets, according to an article by Vogue Business in September. Coach, owned by holding company Tapestry, is chasing Gen Z values including sustainability and seeking to marry this with consumer self-expression, according to Vogue Business. Having already created a second-hand program in 2021, the brand is expanding its “Coach Re(Loved)” program to create bars and workshops where people can become more involved in the recycling process. The brand also enlisted rapper Lil Nas as its global ambassador in September. He appeared in a film for the brand called “The Courage To Be Real” that tracks the rapper’s evolution. **Flex Seal, which came ninth on the list, launched a new campaign, “Toolbox Hero,” and new tagline “Because It Works,” in July. The brand’s direct-response ads have featured CEO Phil Swift, who stands among giant versions of products or as a giant himself, expounding on the merits of his products. **Several food companies made the top 20, including Pillsbury, Häagen-Dazs and granola bar brand Nature Valley. Pillsbury’s accomplishment could be partly attributed to colder seasons leading to more interest in seasonal baked goods, according to the Ad Age-Harris Poll. But the brand also launched a baking contest that asked contestants to use anything but ovens in an “Ovens Off Bake-Off,” with the winning entry revealed as Greek crescent nachos made with an air fryer. Häagen-Dazs released a limited-edition bucket hat in July in collaboration with visual art Jade Purple Brown, with all profits going to underrepresented creative organizations, according to Complex.com. Nature Valley has also channeled Gen Z values by focusing on sustainability—the brand partnered with influencers Stephen “tWitch” Boss and Allison Holker-Boss to launch a TikTok rewards shop in September. People who shared posts of their environmentally-minded practices on TikTok using the hashtag #ReTokForNature could win products such as backpacks from brands such as L.L Bean. **Fiji bottled water, which ranked 19th, has seen most of its boost come from its prominent product placement in the film “Bullet Train,” which premiered this August. (Spoiler alert: the water bottle is used to give someone sleeping powder.) The brand has previously tried bold product placements such as at the 2019 Golden Globes, resulting in a CNN article titled “And the Golden Globe for most obvious PR stunt goes to Fiji Water Girl.” The brand also announced in August that some of its bottles will be 100% recycled. **State Farm came in 20th, taking over from insurer Allstate, which came seventh last quarter. Insurance companies are amping up their efforts to reach Gen Z with digital marketing. State Farm’s previous efforts have included using NFTs and exploring platforms such as Roblox. “State Farm has continually invested in connecting with Gen Z on the platforms on which they hang out,” said Johnson. Ad Age Next: CMO Get your tickets for the Dec. 7 event in New York Register here

20 brands getting Gen Z attention right now

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