Speaking Gen Z: Why understanding their language gives brands a competitive edge

Many summers ago as a graduate student, I found myself on a month-long grant program in Germany – surrounded by undergrads who, at first glance, seemed refreshingly easy to talk to.

But within the first few days, I found myself diving into more than just business and cultural studies. I was actually studying my undergrad peers. No one wore branded tees. Their outfits were curated but casual – thrifted cargos, minimal sneakers, tiny sunglasses and thrift store finds. No millennial-style skinny jeans. They rotated between ironic vintage and cool sustainability. One guy carried a flip phone – not for function, but for the aesthetic.

They weren’t just dressing differently – they were being differently. Their humor, their pace, even the way they engaged with people and ideas all had this unspoken Gen Z language I wasn’t fluent in.

But I also realized something quietly jarring: I wasn’t just a few years older – I was culturally out of sync. I came from the world of polished Instagram captions, loyalty to heritage brands, and carefully managed professional personas. They were living in the world of memes, authenticity, voice notes, and quiet irony.

That trip cracked open a curiosity I’ve carried into my work with brands ever since.

What Gen Z really wants from brands: Clarity, context, and authenticity

Gen Z isn’t anti-brand. They just engage on entirely different terms. Here’s what we’re seeing in the data – and hearing in the field:

They don’t buy logos – they buy authenticity and transparency. They want brands to reflect their values without shouting them.
Irony and sincerity co-exist. The performance of perfection or idealism doesn’t impress them – range does. 65% dislike ads that make life look perfect.
They read between the lines. If your brand’s DEI stance, climate message, or mission feels hollow, they’ll detect it instantly – and likely call it out (or worse, ignore it).
They don’t want to be sold to, they want to be part of something. Participatory culture and community building (Duolingo’s TikTok) wins out over polished, ad-copy-style engagement.

So how can we actually connect with this group in a way that resonates now and earns trust and loyalty over time?

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The power of participatory culture: From audience to co-creator

Gen Z grew up not just consuming content, but actively shaping it – through remixes, playlists, avatar designs, and beyond. They crave invitation, not persuasion.

Rare Beauty’s debut fragrance, Rare Eau de Parfum, showcases how a brand can turn that craving into collaboration. Selena Gomez didn’t just launch a perfume. She shared a highly personal creative process:

She described scent development as deeply memorable, tied to life milestones like her engagement and birthday, even crafting it “in our little test tube” to ensure it represented a slice of her world.
The fragrance is paired with layering balms – from Amber Vanilla to Fresh Bergamot – allowing users to mix, match, and personalize their scent story, rather than being confined to a single note.
Accessibility wasn’t an afterthought. The bottle was intentionally designed with input from certified hand therapists to accommodate people with limited dexterity. That design earned praise from disability advocates, with one user saying: “This is the first perfume I’ve ever been able to spray by myself”

This isn’t just product design – it’s participatory co-creation. Fans don’t solely buy the fragrance. They help shape its experience, its accessibility, and its identity. With scents like Rare Eau de Parfum, the value lies in the “realness” of the process – not the polish of the final ad.

Or take Starface, whose playful, star-shaped pimple patches have become a viral sensation – not through traditional ad spend, but through user-generated content and authentic community engagement. The brand transforms what could be an isolating experience into a collective movement of acne positivity. On platforms like Instagram and TikTok, Starface consistently encourages fans to share their Hydro‑Star patch selfies and memes, celebrating rather than hiding imperfections

This participatory approach is at the heart of Starface’s identity: skincare as a medium for self‑expression, not concealment.

And look at CAMP, a “Family Experience Company” that combines play, programming, and product in ways that make every visit feel co-created. Step through CAMP’s “magic door” and you're transported from a toy-laden storefront into immersive, thematic worlds – from slime stations and disco-themed cabins to craft tables and performances – that are both playful experiences and shoppable environments.

During its immersive “family experiences,” CAMP invites kids and grownups to engage in story-driven adventures – complete with music, slides, arts and crafts, and interactive fun – all hosted by animated counselors. These aren’t mere displays; families are co-creating the moment, stepping into stories and infusing them with their own energy and reactions.

This participatory model is why families spend 90 minutes to two hours per visit, far beyond what typical retail visits command. It’s the difference between a transaction and a memory.

Participatory culture blurs the line between consumer and contributor. Gen Z doesn’t want to be looped in after the fact – they want to shape the story from the start.

This shift also explains why micro-creators and niche influencers continue to outperform celebrity endorsements. A TikToker with 5,000 loyal followers who builds in public feels more authentic than a million-follower influencer with a scripted collab.

Takeaway for brands: Gen Z doesn’t want to be spoken to. They want to be part of the conversation, the creative process, and the brand itself. They’re not your audience; they’re your co-architects.

Whether it’s customizing a fragrance, remixing a product’s visual identity, or shaping an in-store experience, this generation expects to contribute – not just consume. The brands earning their trust aren’t broadcasting perfection. They’re opening space for collaboration, imperfection, and expression.

So don’t just launch something. Build it with them. Design with transparency, invite real input, and amplify the voices that are already shaping your culture.

The result isn’t just deeper connection. It’s long-term loyalty – because Gen Z sticks with brands that let them belong, create, and be seen.

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Decoding digital subcultures: Why you can’t generalize Gen Z

It’s tempting to talk about Gen Z as a single audience. But the truth is: Gen Z isn’t one generation. It’s thousands of overlapping digital micro-communities. Each with their own rules, memes, priorities, and aesthetics.

Whether it’s the dreamy escapism of cottagecore or the nostalgic chaos of early 2000s “indie sleaze,” Gen Z’s identities are shaped by the niche internet spaces they inhabit. One user’s For You Page could be all #BookTok and vintage fashion; another’s might be anime edits, coding tutorials, and protest organizing. Same age, completely different algorithm.

And these subcultures aren’t just surface-level trends – they shape how Gen Z talks, what they care about, and how they choose brands to trust. As noted in Morning Consult’s 2024 Gen Z report, young consumers increasingly identify with online communities over traditional demographics like location or ethnicity.

That’s why brands that try to reach “Gen Z” with a generic tone or aesthetic often fall flat. Gen Z isn’t a single voice. It’s a spectrum of dialects, humor styles, and cultural references.

For example, when brands latch onto viral memes without understanding their origin – or worse, misuse them – they risk alienating the very audience they’re trying to win over. Case in point: Burger King’s failed attempt to use gamer slang during a Twitch stream, which came off as inauthentic and out-of-touch.

Burger King’s campaign, developed by ad agency Ogilvy, attempted to hack Twitch’s donation feature as a marketing channel. Instead of paying for sponsorships, the brand dropped small donations into popular streamers’ channels along with promotional messages like “Get a Whopper for $5 right now at Burger King dot com,” which were then read aloud automatically via Twitch’s text-to-speech feature.

While technically within Twitch’s rules, the stunt was widely condemned by streamers and their communities as exploitative and inauthentic. Many called it “predatory marketing,” accusing Burger King of hijacking their platforms without consent or compensation.

Takeaway for brands: So how do brands get it right? It starts with cultural listening. Before launching campaigns, ask:

Which digital subcultures naturally align with our brand’s values?
Who are the trusted voices shaping those communities?
What’s the emotional texture of the space – is it ironic, earnest, chaotic, playful?

The key isn’t to speak to all of Gen Z. It’s to show up authentically in the right corners of the culture: where your message fits, your presence is welcome, and your tone matches the room. That’s how trust is built, and earned.

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AI-Moderated voice conversations: Why they work so well for Gen Z

At a time when Gen Z is fatigued by digital noise and performative online marketing, moderated voice conversations offer something radically different and real. These conversations, powered by AI and guided by human researchers, create space for Gen Z to:

Speak in their own language, tone, and pace
Feel heard, not just surveyed
Explore emerging thoughts and ideas, not just checkbox opinions
Share emotional nuance that text-based polls often miss

But the real magic is what happens after the conversation. With AI tools like Suzy Speaks, brands can now analyze this rich qualitative input at scale – unlocking patterns, sentiments, and surprising insights faster than ever before.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) and sentiment analysis tools allow teams to extract key themes, emotional drivers, and behavioral indicators from hundreds of hours of voice content. AI doesn't just transcribe – it interprets.

This approach also surfaces what traditional surveys miss:

The hesitation in a Gen Z shopper’s voice when they talk about sustainability
The excitement in their tone when a brand finally gets representation right
The frustration when something feels inauthentic or tone-deaf

By combining AI with human moderation and analysis, brands get a powerful mix: speed and scale without losing the human texture of voice. Researchers can go from anecdote to insight in real time, and adjust strategies on the fly based on what people are actually feeling – not just what they check on a form.

Voice captures what text misses – Gen Z’s nuance, irony, vulnerability, and humor. It’s the medium through which they’re not just telling you what they like. They’re telling you who they are.

We’ve found that voice conversations reveal the “why behind the why” – the emotion, uncertainty, and humor Gen Z brings to every part of their decision-making. AI moderation helps scale and analyze these insights in real time, while keeping the conversation fluid, safe, and meaningful.

Whether they’re talking about sustainability, sneaker drops, or their identity, Gen Z isn’t just telling you what they like –

they’re telling you who they are. Voice is how they want to be heard.

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Final thoughts: The future isn’t just digital — it’s conversational

That summer in Germany gave me a front-row seat to a generation that isn’t trying to fit into brand stories – they’re rewriting them. And as companies, we’re either adapting to their language or being left behind.

Voice is where the connection is going. It’s where Gen Z’s nuance, irony, emotion, and insight live. And if we can meet them there with curiosity and care, they’ll tell us everything we need to know.

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Curious how Suzy is using AI to turn Gen Z insights into real brand impact?

Let’s talk about how AI-moderated voice conversations can help your team connect with this generation on their terms – with nuance, context, and authenticity. Book a demo and see how we’re redefining what research can feel like.

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