SELFHOOD on: Making it count.
by Adele Lefebvre du Prey
“I’ve got one life.. I’ve got one chance, I’m not going to muddy it up with things I don’t want to do”, Chase, 21.
Research on Next Gen says that Gen Z are often tarred with the same brush of being lazy under-acheivers, but the more we talk to them, the more we see this is far from the truth.
The Next Gen are more switched on than ever to the mounting instability in the world, be it financially, environmentally or socially. They know that time on earth is short so they want to make it f*cking count. Their look to the future is a mixture of optimism and anxiety.
They are chasing their dreams, pushing aside the rules and aspirations imposed by generations before and are carving their own path in the world. “It feels like I’m supposed to be making noise all over the world”, Paul, 20. Today’s youth want to make a difference, either within their own lives or on a global scale; see Greta Thunberg.
Sandro, 23, told us that for him skateboarding was his entire identity until he picked up a camera, and now that is all he wants to do. “It’s an addiction”.
To find the things that you love and give you purpose, that’s what the Next Gen are focused on.
For brands this means also throwing out the rule book and following the path less trodden. Find the cause or purpose behind the brand and go after it, doggedly. No more tokenistic gestures or BS half-hearted campaigns. The brands that thrive are the ones that adapt and listen to the market that will in 5 years have the most spending power.
Gen Z trends is about learning continually and evolving from each other and the changing world around them and so too should brands. Like the old adage about the duck on water goes, Gen Z may appear sloth but under the water, their legs are working at 100 mph. They’re looking for the thing that sets fire to their soul and gives them purpose in the morning.