How McDonald’s marketing misfired
McDonald’s CEO, Chris Zempczinski, was mocked last week for ‘eating’ a new Big Arch burger weirdly and referring to it as a ‘product.’ His behaviour and the ensuing backlash demonstrated a fundamental, widening disconnect between corporate types and the average consumer. So…we’re guessing you’ve probably seen McDonald’s CEO, Chris Zempczinski,...
Current in The Gen Zer
Why brands are struggling to keep Gen Z spending
Economic uncertainty and permanent stress have young people reluctant to fork out cash on purchases they don’t need, at least according to the latest research. What’s causing this hesitation to spend? Are brands and marketers facing a potential crisis in 2026? New research by The Robin Report has described Gen...
Selling love to Gen Z in the ‘sex recession’ era
Sexual activity across generations is on the decline for the first time in modern history. As Gen Z avoid intimacy and love, how do marketers sell romance in an era that seems keen to do anything but? Love. Dating. Swiping. Apps. Anxiety. Does any of that sound familiar? For many Gen...
Living offline has become Gen Z’s quiet luxury
Tech companies and AI slop have taken over the internet. As social media becomes increasingly homogenised, invasive, and polarising, there is now status in actively choosing to avoid the digital world entirely and rejecting the pursuit of a personal brand. Zuckerbergs of the world, beware: offline living is on the...
Gen Z are turning thirty…do they look it?
As the eldest Gen Zers start turning 30, many have pointed out that they seem to look a lot younger than their parents did at the same age. Is it a real phenomena, or just a symptom of our youth-obsessed social media era? Are Gen Z ageing slower than their...
The rise of #RichTok, Gen Z’s latest escape
A specific brand of TikTok luxury is doing the rounds online, known as #RichTok. Wealthy creators are unashamedly flexing their expensive lifestyles for millions of followers, showing off homes, jets, meals and branded clothing. Unsurprisingly, Gen Z are using this content as a way to escape, though not everyone...
How are publishers pushing Gen Z to read?
Recent data suggests that traditional marketing for new books is steadily facing irrelevance with Gen Z. Is it the end times, or simply a shift away into less conventional formats of storytelling? The book industry is facing a dilemma. Recent studies suggest that teenagers and younger Gen Zers aren’t reading many books in full. College students are increasingly turning to AI tools like ChatGPT to research, curate and interpret information for...
Why Marty Supreme’s Gen Z marketing worked
Josh Safdie’s latest film stars Timothee Chalamet as a troubled table tennis star on the cusp of greatness. It’s a hit with critics and audiences alike thanks to A24’s viral, new-age marketing campaign that has successfully tapped into Gen Z sensibilities. Marty Supreme, the latest film by Uncut Gems director Josh Safdie starring Timothee Chalamet as a troubled table tennis star, has become a cultural phenomenon. Released on Christmas Day, this...
Millennial optimism? More like Gen Z cynicism
Gen Zers have been making fun of the early 2010s ‘millennial optimism era’ on TikTok this week, highlighting the naivety of the time. Compared to the cynicism of our modern world, it makes for a jarring case of cultural whiplash. Anyone heard of ‘millennial optimism?’ A new trend has been making the rounds this week in which Gen Zers and millennials remember the hopeful romanticism of online spaces in the early...
It’s a Wrap(ped): analysing Spotify’s Gen Z success
Spotify Wrapped 2025 is out, baby. The streaming platform’s synopsis of our yearly listening habits has become a cultural staple, boosting the brand’s reach and engagement with Gen Z across social media. Spotify Wrapped is here, folks. We’re sure that you’re most likely aware of Spotify’s extremely popular end-of-year round-up of listening habits and stats by now. Launched in 2016, Wrapped gives listeners an opportunity to reflect on and share...
