![]() ![]() Market to Gen Z using a mixture of comfort and inspiration. They are looking for something more than just the past. Gen Z love the idea of an old school product, but what’s key to remember is they won’t respond to old school values. Their values on the other hand, mean they want to tackle social and environmental issues head on. This generation's emotional drive sits largely with nostalgic messaging. In this case, they are looking to make ethical fashion choices and are using the style they know and love to do so.īut how can marketers navigate this complex set of needs? What this tells us is that Gen Z’s mindsets are merging: their nostalgic tendency towards the 2000’s era and their heightened consideration for the planet. According to YPulse, the shopping app has received a 65% uplift in sales since March 2020, with a large proportion of the items listed being customised or upcycled. They experience tension between longing for the past and trying to shape the future.Ī great example of this collision of values is the booming vintage and resale market we are seeing on sites such as Depop, where the “Y2K” hashtag has become increasingly popular. So what happens when aspiration merges with comfort?Īs we can see from the above, Gen Z’s mindset is quite conflicting. It’s clear that this idyllic view of the turn of the century soothes the younger generation, but what’s interesting is this often reflects memories before they were even born. Juicy Couture tracksuits have even made a comeback at ASOS, so if that's not enough to transport you back to the Paris Hilton era, I don’t know what is. Ariana Grande’s embodiment of the Mean Girls theme in her ‘Thank U, Next’ video is keeping this time alive for Gen Z, and influencers like are wearing everything from butterfly clips to rhinestones and tie-dye. We see this manifested in Instagram accounts like which revels in the past and describes its content as appreciating the ‘elegance’ and ‘sophistication’ of the time.Īlthough it doesn’t stop there: celebrities and influencers are having a huge impact too. Whilst we know Millennials are famous for returning to the ‘90s, Gen Z are creating their own comfort blanket by embracing trends from the early 2000s. Searching for solace amongst the chaos, a large swathe of Gen Z have turned to nostalgia as a form of escapism. Not only are they uncertain about the future of the pandemic, but the rise of tech and looming sustainability crisis has left this generation acutely aware and frankly quite nervous of the challenges they face moving forward. #2 They look to the past for belonging and comfortĭespite all of their aspiration and drive, GWI’s Gen Z report states that this generation is 37% more likely to have experienced feelings of panic since the beginning of the outbreak. It’s these honest and bold statements which set brands apart for Gen Z, a generation who make brand decisions based on not just purchase value but their own set of values. They are experts at weeding out the brands and organisations who don’t have their best interests at heart, and according to GWI, 37% of them say the most important thing a brand can do is stand for something and be purposeful.Ī great example of this is Patagonia, who used their influence to create political change by printing “ Vote the Assholes Out” labels on their clothing in the lead up to the US election. They not only push themselves forward, but aim to drive change for issues such as social equality, mental health and sustainable planet solutions. Gen Z is known as the ambitious generation. But what makes this group so interesting is that they have a complex and sometimes conflicting set of needs. They are growing up in the digital age, where Instagram and TikTok create their trends and help form their outlook. ![]() ![]() But what is it about this generation that makes them so fascinated by the past?īorn between 1997 and the early 2010s, Gen Z are the group all marketers are trying to understand. Surprisingly though, it’s our Gen Z audience who seem to have caught the biggest wave of nostalgia. Spotify also reported that in the first week of April 2020 their music-streaming service saw a 54% increase in nostalgia-themed playlists being created. The first lockdown saw 37% of UK consumers revisiting dishes from their childhood, and tweets including “I miss” increasing by 63% worldwide. A huge indicator of this was seen in April last year, when as a nation we looked for comfort in things that connect us: food, music, and social media. ![]()
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