Millennials and Generation Z rally behind brands that their parents would never consider. Morning Consult CGO, Jeff Cartwright, says that’s because “older generations have had more time with brands,” and that Gen X and boomers have “been in the buying zone for longer.” The assumption is that with age, comes the skepticism that prevents older generations from putting their trust in digitally native brands. Brand trust was once validated by incident-free operations over time, if a brand had been on shelves long enough, public opinion said that “they must be doing something right.”
Boomers value a timestamp; their fourth-favorite brand today, Tylenol, was lethal to a few Midwestern headache sufferers during the Tylenol Murders of the 1980s. Millennials and Gen Z don’t trust brands because they’re time-tested; they trust brands that feel honest, immediate, and emotionally aligned—even if they’re flawed.
Let’s look at the factors that shape how next gens build community and trust, and how retailers can authentically meet them where they are.
Trust is built in the quiet moments, researching a company’s comments on TikTok and the user-submitted product photos on their Amazon reviews. Loyalty, in turn, is built through the subtle signals of shared language and value alignment, made visible when brands operate transparently, consistently, and with a clear sense of identity.
Growing Up in the Era of Brand Dilution
Some legacy brands lost their sacredness more recently in the early aughts. Next gens learned that a name alone doesn’t equal quality when their name-brand sweaters from Ross Dress for Less fell apart after two washes. That’s a different brand message than when boomers and older Gen X grew up with products built to last. Boomers and Gen X grew up in the halcyon days of brand trust––when the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade set the tone of the sentimental, predictably joyous holiday season and the idea of Tiffany making a marketing error was unfathomable.
The off-price boom of the early 2000s was a paradigm change for brand trust. Younger consumers grew up in the era of the brand bait-and-switch. During Gen Z’s formative years, many legacy brand names lost their meaning. The Myth of the Maxxinista loomed large in the 2010s. Logos like Calvin Klein, Coach, and Adidas were slapped on goods produced in completely different factories at a significantly lower quality than their full-priced namesakes.
For next gens, trust has to be earned, not inherited. Next gens trust themselves to research a product and spot true quality. Brand names do not earn a free pass. Enter the post-logo consumer: the one who reads Reddit reviews, studies brands on social media, checks tags for country of origin, and trusts micro-influencers over TV stars.
Dupes Are Gen Z’s Maxxinista Moment
Gen Z’s affinity for high-quality, durable goods is mitigated by the stark realities of the economic landscape. They’re entering the job market at the same moment that white collar jobs are being uprooted by artificial intelligence. Combine that with the contentious political landscape, and you have a generation facing fearful uncertainties where their predecessors saw possibilities.
So, Gen Z remains frugal and more focused on the functionality of a product than the label affixed to it. This isn’t just a result of their digital prowess—it’s a survival instinct. They want honest products to facilitate and enhance their lives, and aspirational branding feels too “let them eat cake” in today’s world.
Enter Gen Z’s dupe economy: they know what they’re buying isn’t the original—and that’s the point. With billions of views on TikTok, #dupe refers to intentionally finding a low-priced product as a substitute for a buzzy full-priced item. There’s no shame in the dupe game either. It reflects the generation’s shift from flexing wealth to flexing intelligence. Gen Z’s evolved relationship with status is self-aware and immune to luxury marketing’s old tricks.
Trust is Fast, Emotional, and Often Irrational
No generation’s path to trust is immune to criticism: Boomers trust Coca Cola, even though it’s sugar water and uses vast resources; next gens trust YouTube, even when it spreads conspiracies. Morning Consult found that Gen Z’s most trusted brands are YouTube, TikTok, and Google, despite misinformation issues, bias, and global controversies.
We’re living in a time of global brand boycotts. Next gens aren’t buying PR-polished brand reputations when they’re aware of how company leaders behave outside of the spotlight. But there’s a pragmatic paradox: why do Gen Z consumers trust TikTok, an app under federal investigation? Trust is shaped by positive immersion, relatability, and repetition. The social media landscape they co-create through their customized feeds on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat feels more familiar and immediate than the polished campaigns of legacy brands.
Today’s winning brands aren’t even trying to dictate trends to younger customers anymore. Instead, they’re building cult followings. Whether it’s limited edition Eras Tour merchandise or hyper-local product drops at Trader Joe’s, brands and retailers that are nailing it with next gens in today’s world understand the new Golden Rule of Retail: Fandom means trust, which leads to conversions.
Earning Loyalty Through Identity
Next gens don’t need a lengthy brand history to put their dollars behind a brand. But it’s a mistake to think that the speed with which they build trust means that they aren’t doing their research before making a purchase. The inverse is true: Trust is built in the quiet moments, researching a company’s comments on TikTok and the user-submitted product photos on their Amazon reviews. Loyalty, in turn, is built through the subtle signals of shared language and value alignment, made visible when brands operate transparently, consistently, and with a clear sense of identity.
Community is the new collateral. In a cultural climate of oversaturation and performative branding, the brands that thrive create a sense of belonging. Fandoms allow next gens to build in-groups where they can connect based on taste, while #dupes connect users to others with their eye for simulated quality. Next gen consumer attention works like an algorithm, homing in on what feels authentic to them and producing more of the same, often to the point of insularity. They’re claiming their identities like badges with every purchase.