Companies, admitting they got millennials wrong, try memes, ethical stances and whispering to lure the newest spenders.
People in generational cohorts are never as uniform as marketers would like. Still, to hear researchers and Gen Zers themselves tell it, this one will put a new spin on consumerism, making things difficult for the big, established chains. One reason: Gen Z consumers don’t much care about brands. Or labels. Or corporations. They see themselves as entrepreneurial; around half may never work for someone else if they get their way. They’re ethnically diverse, socially tolerant, globally connected, environmentally aware. One nickname for the group: Philanthroteens.