1. Gen Z trusts humans, not institutions
The workplace, cryptocurrency and financial institutions, education systems and the corporatization of social media—Gen Zers are distrustful of faceless entities that infringe on their spaces and lives. Brands successfully reaching Gen Z have found multiple ways to humanize their relationships, such as by making brand leaders present and interactive on social channels or by developing content as if the brand is an influencer itself rather than carrying over ad-break assets from other channels.
“Human value is trusted and sought after the most. We call it the founder-led mindset … Mark Zuckerberg is out in every single podcast, every single thing—you get a glimpse into his life, because they’re trying to humanize a corporate billionaire that seemed untouchable in the past…[Humanizing brands and leaders] resonates with Gen Z when it comes to marketing to them, driving culture, driving community and driving commerce,” said Karan Dang, co-founder and CEO of Gen Z marketing consultancy Dang.
One TikTok brand account that has done a good job of marketing to Gen Z by generating influencer-like content and giving an inanimate entity a human face—literally—is the Empire State Building, said Erifili Gounari, founder and CEO of Gen Z agency The Z Link.