Putting a Label on “Generation Z”

Do brands limit their marketing capabilities by putting a label on “Generation Z”?

Recent English Literature Graduate, Hugh, reveals his issue with brands “boxing up” Generation Z.

“On the evening of Friday 9th June, 2017 my friends and I drank and rejoiced in a local pub. There was about fifteen of us in total, with only five of that number being what I’d call close friends. The rest, acquaintances, friends of friends, but it seemed like we all felt the same ecstasy that evening.”

Jeremy Corbyn had lost the election last night, but he had won the fight. We all felt that the next five years were going to be hard, but there was something our generation hadn’t experienced in our lives hanging in the air: hope.

And yet, as we excitedly drank beer and looked confidently to the future, a voice echoed above the din. It shattered any notion that Generation Z could be prescribed with one, slick persona.

“I voted Tory.”

It’s easy to assume that a generation follows all the same patterns. Statistically, most of us voted for Corbyn, but not all of us. That’s the problem: if you just look at statistics, if you try to define a generation by what’s around you, you’re never going to discover what a generation is. I voted one way; my friends mostly voted the same way, but not all of us.

My advice to brands would be to look further beyond what you’re told on the internet and take the time to listen to our differing perspectives. We appreciate brands that take the time to get to know us rather than assume all students think, act and feel the same way just because we were born in the same era.”

Campus Media are experts in helping brands understand their student audience. If you’re interested in running a student focus group or market research project, email amanda.thomson@campusmedia.co.uk or call 020 8265 0130.

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