Marketing to the Generation That Tore Up the Rulebook

Every generation likes to believe it totally reinvented culture. Most didn’t. We simply inherited a new soundtrack, a different haircut and another version of the same advertising, play by play.

This generation changed the rules. Not quietly either…

 Brands are desperate to reach Gen Z and the emerging Gen Alpha audience. The reality is that they are potentially the toughest consumer in history. They are digital natives, yes, but that description always undersells them. They are culturally literate across multiple generations. The majority can decode branding mechanics instantly and they know when they are being sold to and, more importantly, they usually know when they are being ‘influenced’.

And honestly? It is refreshing 

 Growing up in the 90s/00s we had some great TV ads whose catchphrases are still regularly quoted today. There were however, especially in the Hair, Beauty & Fashion world, campaigns that would absolutely not pass the vibe check in 2026. built on lazy stereotypes and impossible beauty standards. 

Today’s younger consumers have far less tolerance for nonsense.

 A 2023 global study by Deloitte found that around 62% of Gen Z consumers said they are more likely to trust brands that show transparency about their business practices and values. In practical terms, this means the old advertising tricks are collapsing faster than marketeers would like to admit.

Younger audiences are the least likely to believe that a lion is actually walking past Buckingham Palace on a Tuesday afternoon.  They can smell corporate theatre and AI generated videos from a mile away. The moment a campaign sounds like it was approved by 12 stakeholders and a legal department, they’ve got ‘the ick’. 

 They still buy products. They still obsess over fashion, beauty, technology and status. In many ways, younger consumers are less cynical than previous generations because they’re usually more informed.

This is why the language of modern marketing has changed so dramatically.

 The best brands today communicate clearly, quickly and conversationally. They price transparently. They admit mistakes publicly. They understand that honesty has become a competitive advantage.

A friend shared recently they though retail ‘was dead’. Far from it. 

 There is still a strong consumer market out there that are willing to spend, it’s just that their shopping terms and conditions have changed. Marketing will always involve storytelling, but now more than ever, the strength holds more value when it’s an external influencer, friend or customer sharing them.

 According to a 2024 report from Influencer Marketing Hub, 69% of consumers said they trust recommendations from influencers they follow more than direct brand messaging. Even when audiences know sponsored content is commercial, they often accept it because of their trust in the influencer. 

 The same shift is visible in Out of Home advertising. Some of the strongest campaigns in recent years have succeeded precisely because they avoid trying too hard.

 Because of these cultural changes, success no longer automatically belongs to the loudest brands with the biggest budgets. 

That is a healthier relationship between audience and advertiser, and I can’t wait to see how brands continue to respond to the shift.