If you built your brand in the Gen-X marketing era, where authority, expertise, professionalism, and polish were the gold standard, you’re about to get stretched.

Because here’s what is happening:

Gen Z isn’t buying what Gen-X-built brands are selling.
Not the way we’ve been selling it, anyway.

And this isn’t an opinion, it’s backed by research.

Gen Z grew up in a completely different emotional and technological environment. Institutional trust collapsed. Social media exploded. Aesthetic became a language. And as a result, the traditional Gen-X brand playbook no longer works.

Here's the break down of the data.

1. Gen Z Distrusts Institutional Authority

Studies consistently show that Gen Z has the lowest institutional trust of any generation.

This matters because Gen-X branding was built on institutional authority, credentials, and expertise. Gen Z doesn’t buy those signals.

They buy resonance.

2. Gen Z Makes Decisions Based on Emotion, Identity & Values

A McKinsey analysis found that Gen Z purchases are driven by:

  • self-expression

  • identity alignment

  • emotional connection

  • aesthetic coherence

Not by:

  • expertise

  • professional credentials

  • authority

  • legacy status

McKinsey Explainer:
🔗 https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-gen-z

This flips the Gen-X model on its head.
Authority ≠ Influence.
Alignment = Influence.

3. Gen Z Has a Hyper-Attuned Authenticity Radar

Harvard Business Review (HBR) notes that Gen Z is a “hyper-authenticity-seeking generation.” They reject:

  • overly polished messaging

  • performative branding

  • controlled corporate voice

Gen-X brands thrived on all three.

Gen Z won’t tolerate any of them.

They want real.
Human.
Emotional.
Flawed.
Present.

4. Gen Z Buys Experiences, Not Brands

According to Forrester and YPulse research:

  • Gen Z values immersive experiences more than any generation before them

  • They respond to brands that feel like worlds

  • They follow brands that embody a vibe, not a pitch

Ipsos puts it perfectly:
“Gen Z connects with brands that reflect their values, feelings, and identity — brands they can resonate with.”

🔗 https://www.ipsos.com/en-ke/focus-gen-z-values-make-your-brand-resonate-consumers

This aligns with next-generation creative direction — like Parsa Afsharjavan’s world-building approach discussed in the latest episode of my podcast.

So Is It True?

Yes.
Gen Z still buys, but they buy from brands that speak a different language than the one Gen-X brands were built on.

They’re not rejecting the products.They’re rejecting the style of branding:

  • the authority posture

  • the polished messaging

  • the “here’s why we’re amazing” tone

  • the expertise-first presentation

They buy worlds, not resumes. Meaning, not polish. Resonance, not reputation.

This is the shift.

If you want your brand to matter in the next decade, you will have to evolve with the psychology of today’s buyers. Gen Z is not persuaded by the old playbook, authority, polish, expertise, and professional messaging. They respond to emotional resonance, immersive storytelling, aesthetics, values alignment, and human presence.

Brands that cling to the Gen-X model will fade.
Brands willing to unlearn, to feel, to evolve will lead.

 

Listen to an interview with Parsa Afsharjavan on the Results-Driven Life by Design Podcast about how Gen Z is rewriting the rules of branding. 

 

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