4 things Gen Z taught me about brand trust and authenticity

Curiosity is one of the key traits of a great writer—at least according to me. That’s why I snatched the opportunity to participate in a reverse mentorship program through The Word Tonic Gen Z community.

My Gen Z partner (shout-out, Amy Worgan!) and I meet twice a month to mentor one another — she mentors me at the start of the month, and I mentor her at the end. I give her my pearls of wisdom, and, in return, she gives me intel on her lived experiences, perspectives on marketing, and a genuine discourse around the mistakes brands targeting Gen Z often make. And the insights are hot. 🔥

Although I’m never one to be a gatekeeping Girl Boss, I’m only sharing a smattering of the earth-shattering revelations Amy has shared with me. If you want the full tea in all its piping-hot glory, you’ll have for sign up to the reverse mentorship program or hire me/Amy as your writer 😁

1) Brand influencer partnerships need to be carefully chosen

Anyone who thinks Gen Z consumers are blindly led and easily won has clearly never taken the time to actually talk to them. If your ad campaign includes putting your products into the hands of a top Gen Z influencer, you’ll need to rethink your strategy. Because it’s going to take a hell of a lot more thought.

Statistically, Gen Z are ethical spenders. They’re also considered to be incredibly sceptical…especially when it comes to marketing and influencer marketing. And honestly, good for them.

If you want to use influencer marketing as part of your campaign, you’ll need to thoroughly vet the influencer you’re hiring. They’ve gotta be credible in the related scene, with a rock-solid history of truthful product reviews, and a transparent approach to paid partnerships. Gen Z take all this into consideration before making a purchase, so don’t be led by subscriber/follower counts.

2) You need to actually speak to the demographic you’re targting

During one of our discussions, I asked my mentor about brands nailing authenticity versus those slightly more cringe. EE’s ‘EE Learn’ advert came out on top for authenticity. Take a look 👇

This ad is different from all the others depicting Gen Z because, according to my mentor, EE clearly spoke to actual Gen Zers. They’re not making wild assumptions or grandiose, overgeneralised statements about who this generation is and what they need from a mobile phone provider. No, miss mam. They’re letting the candid-style footage speak for itself.

EE shot the advert using the same stylistic conventions you’d see in any piece of Smartphone footage or social media post. It’s clear these examples have come straight from the target consumer — it doesn’t feel cooked up by a crusty marketing exec.

Better yet, each scenario is conveyed in the most natural, unashamedly authentic way. Which leads me onto my next point…

3) Shuck the glossy marketing veneer

Anyone hoping to lure in a younger target customer needs to leave their idea of glossy marketing at the door. These guys aren’t interested in anything that looks overly polished or studded with marketing jargon. They’re the first to point to a style-over-substance strapline and ask, “WTF is that supposed to mean?”

Don’t forget that you’re dealing with a highly sceptical demographic likely to shut down when they detect the faintest whiff of hardcore marketing strategy. The more authentic and credible the ad, the more likely you'll gain favour. That means being transparent about supply chains, fair worker treatment, and green targets. It means using peer reviews to boost credibility and paying attention to outlets that Gen Z uses for pre-buying research (think Reddit and TikTok reviews).

4) Learn to kill your hubris

There’s one brand that rises above the rest when it comes to Gen Z humour and fair warning: you’ll need Space Hopper-sized balls if you want a slice of the same kind of action.

It’s Duolingo, babe.

Duolingo has cracked the code (no egg pun intended). For those not in the know, the Duolingo language-learning app has a dirty habit of aggressively calling out its users via push notifications and emails. If you’ve missed your daily lesson, you can expect to be chased by the app. Several times. Sometimes even passive-aggressively.

The app is so notorious for its aggressive push tactics that its users started making jokes about it online — jokes that Duo was quick to adopt—and to great success…

Not only are they super quick to jump on a trend (like, before other brands kill it…and not ‘kill it’ in the good way), it’s clear they actually understand what the trend is (another huge mistake from marketing teams without Gen Z people at the table), and aren’t afraid to lean into the public’s image of them.

It’s self-deprecating humour that makes them, in a word, ICONIC. And you can’t do that with a 20-step social media approval process in which older marketing professionals strip out the humour because the non-conformist approach ‘makes us look bad’.

Pay attention; Duolingo is a masterclass on how to get it right!

In an ideal world, every marketing and creative team would be loaded with diverse individuals…because you can’t be truly innovative without a variety of voices at your table. So, here’s a parting word of advice — don’t set the barrier to entry impossibly high for junior roles.

I’ve spoken to incredibly talented juniors who feel they have no hope of breaking into the marketing sector because job requirements are so ridiculous. And it’s you, the employer, who’s really missing out.

You can find my Gen-Z mentor here (I also have another lovely mentee named Yasi — you can find her here) or go and find your own Gen Z talent over on The Word Tonic community.

Do yourself a favour, yeah? No one wants to be crusty, dusty, and cringe.