{"id":34173,"date":"2026-02-14T22:22:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T03:22:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/2026\/02\/14\/brand-of-the-z-the-firms-trying-to-lure-young-consumers\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T22:22:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T03:22:55","slug":"brand-of-the-z-the-firms-trying-to-lure-young-consumers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/2026\/02\/14\/brand-of-the-z-the-firms-trying-to-lure-young-consumers\/","title":{"rendered":"Brand of the Z: The firms trying to lure young consumers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

If you were asked to describe Slazenger, you’d likely say it was a tennis brand.<\/p>\n

Or maybe you connect it with golf.<\/p>\n

But nowadays there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019d associate it with the bargain bin. Or you just wouldn\u2019t know if it at all.<\/p>\n

For a time Slazenger was a major sportswear brand \u2013 with a significant reputation for quality and style. Sean Connery\u2019s James Bond even wore a Slazenger jumper while playing golf in Goldfinger.<\/p>\n

But in the past 20 or even 30 years, its star has faded considerably \u2013 brands like Wilson and Yonex, and Titleist and Callaway have taken over as the dominant brands of tennis and golf respective.<\/p>\n

However Slazenger is still going \u2013 in fact it\u2019s still the official ball supplier for Wimbledon. But one major difference is that it\u2019s now owned by Frasers Group; Mike Ashley\u2019s company which runs House of Fraser, Flannels and Sports Direct.<\/p>\n

And over the years Ashley\u2019s business has made a habit of buying legacy sports brands that had fallen on hard times.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s done this with lots of other recognisable names; like Dunlop, Firetrap, Everlast, Jack Wills and LA Gear.<\/p>\n

But they weren\u2019t really acquired with the intention of being reinvigorated \u2013 instead the idea has been to buy struggling names at a low price and then use that recognisable brand on often low-priced stock that can fill their shop shelves.<\/p>\n

Which isn\u2019t necessarily a bad business model \u2013 but it\u2019s one that has an expiry date.<\/p>\n

Because while the likes of Slazenger might have brand recognition for people in their 40s or older, younger people \u2013 like Gen Z \u2013 will only recognise it as that cheap brand that sells five pairs of socks for \u20ac6.<\/p>\n

That means it has little to no cache with them \u2013 which is a growing problem.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

Well Gen Zers are those born between 1997 and 2012 \u2013 so that means they are now aged between 14 and 29 years old.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s important because, for a long time, consumer brands have tended to focus in on that late teen to early to mid-twenties demographic \u2013 whatever generation they may have been.<\/p>\n

Because they\u2019re seen to be extremely lucrative.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s first and foremost because that age group are the one that has just become fully-fledged consumers \u2013 with their own jobs and their own money to spend.<\/p>\n

Crucially, though, they\u2019re also a group of consumers that tend to be the most socially active \u2013 and the least likely to have major financial commitments that they have to divert that income to. In other words, no pesky kids or mortgages distracting them from all the very important consumption and socialising that they might want to be doing.<\/p>\n

So having long been the up-and-coming demographic, Gen Z is now the one that has become \u2013 or is on the verge of becoming – a sizable economic force.<\/p>\n

Gen Z represents roughly a quarter of the global population \u2013 but because of their spending and socialising habits they likely represent a lot more of the economy\u2019s buying power.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s at all levels \u2013 a report by Boston Consulting Group found that while Gen Z made up just 4% of global luxury spending before the pandemic (when they were aged 7-22) they\u2019ll account for 25% of that market by 2030 (when they\u2019ll be aged 18 to 33).<\/p>\n

But this kind of teens to twenties age group is also particularly important for companies to target \u2013 because this is the age where people start to form connections with brands.<\/p>\n

Not only are young adults in possession of their own income, they\u2019re also looking to forge their own identities and hobbies and interests. And there\u2019s a good chance that \u2013 if you become that 18 year old\u2019s favourite runner brand, or make-up of choice, they’ll stick with you for many years to come. Maybe for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n

At the very least, they\u2019ll retain a nostalgic fondness for your brand all the way through to their dotage.<\/p>\n

So is Slazenger trying to fix this problem?<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes, and they\u2019re taking an interesting approach here.<\/p>\n

Because they got called out online by a young fashion TikTok-er called Alexei Hamblin \u2013 who took aim at what he said was their boring, old-fashioned approach to sports-wear design.<\/p>\n

But rather than just ignore that, which is probably what Hamblin expected them to do, they got in touch with him and invited him in to fix the brand.<\/p>\n

Alexei is now essentially journalling his process on his social media channels \u2013 showing what his plans are, what kind of issues he\u2019s encountering, and asking his followers for their input on what approach he should take.<\/p>\n

He suggests that he\u2019s been given full creative control of the shift \u2013 though you would imagine Frasers Group hasn\u2019t handed over the keys entirely.<\/p>\n

That being said, giving Hamblin even a central role in the process is a smart, and relatively low-risk punt for the brand.<\/p>\n

Because the Slazenger brand was already languishing, and it probably doesn\u2019t have a customer-base that will be alienated by even a significant change in direction. And by very publicly bringing someone like Alexei in, they\u2019re signalling to a young demographic that they want their business.<\/p>\n

And by detailing the process Alexei is giving Slazenger, Sports Direct and himself lots of publicity. He\u2019s very good at making slickly-produced content, with many of the videos so far getting hundreds of thousands of views and tens of thousands of likes on TikTok alone.<\/p>\n

But most importantly, it doesn\u2019t really feel like an ad\u2026<\/p>\n

And this is very important for Gen Z\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n

\"GLASTONBURY,<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes.<\/p>\n

Marketeers are really struggling to figure out how to appeal to this generation \u2013 because, as is always the case, they\u2019re very different to what\u2019s come before.<\/p>\n

But with Gen Z the difference feels even more pronounced, not least because they\u2019re having a harder time locking down solid jobs, or getting on the housing ladder at the same point that previous generations might have.<\/p>\n

That means that their habits and priorities are very different to what\u2019s come before.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve also grown up in the age of social media \u2013 which sets a different context to what kind of things attract their interest.<\/p>\n

Gen Zers are used to being bombarded by the same traditional-type ads that we all know, but they\u2019re also used to constantly being up-sold by influencers and even the artists they admire.<\/p>\n

Everything in commoditised in their world \u2013 musicians don\u2019t sell out anymore, because it\u2019s a given that they have a perfume line, apparel brand and sponsorship deal with a soft drink that lines up perfectly with their album launch and tour.<\/p>\n

So they\u2019re pretty jaded by anything that feels like a blatant cash-grab \u2013 and that\u2019s why authenticity (or at least the appearance of authenticity) matters so much.<\/p>\n

When they\u2019re being sold something, they want it to feel like this is a product that the company or person actually believes in, or has a big of weight and meaning behind it.<\/p>\n

A really good example of this was not a brand – but Charlie XCX\u2019s Brat album in 2024.<\/p>\n

That led to the Brat Summer, which was essentially a rejection of the kind of picture-perfect Insta aesthetic that many influencers and brands had been cultivating up until that point. And that resonated with a lot of Gen Zers \u2013 even ones that weren\u2019t necessarily fans of the music.<\/p>\n

Of course the reality was that there was a major record label driving the marketing campaign behind Brat \u2013 but because you had a very honest, authentic artist as the focal point, it didn\u2019t feel manufactured.<\/p>\n

Needless to say the authenticity of Brat Summer didn\u2019t last too long, though\u2026 Charlie XCX declared it was over just three months after the album came out \u2013 in part because it had been weighed down by brands and influencers trying to jump on the bandwagon.<\/p>\n

And most of their attempts to do so fell flat \u2013 they were the marketing equivalent of trying to use the someone else\u2019s slang. But a few did manage to hit the right note \u2013 in many cases by being tongue in cheek or over the top with what they were doing, so it was clear they were in on the joke.<\/p>\n

That kind of approach has been a winning formula for many brands, hasn\u2019t it?<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes, and this also points to another interesting way that brands are trying to appeal to Gen Z. Because it\u2019s not always through a total rebrand \u2013 in many cases it\u2019s around using a different voice in different places.<\/p>\n

The American fast food chain Wendy\u2019s is a good example. Its core brand is fairly family-friendly; its TV ads are pretty much what you\u2019d expect, with a focus on the quality of their food and the deals they have available.<\/p>\n

But on X (n\u00e9e Twitter) it\u2019s developed this reputation for put downs and snide remarks \u2013 often aimed at its rivals, but also directed at regular people that interact with the account.<\/p>\n

What it posts is still relatively family friendly \u2013 it\u2019s not saying anything outrageous \u2013 but people like that it\u2019s also not sticking to the usual corporate-approved script and is having a bit of fun with its audience and branding.<\/p>\n

The language learning app Duolingo has done something similar.<\/p>\n

Years ago it became the subject of an internet meme years ago around how disappointed its owl mascot \u2013 Duo – was when you didn\u2019t do your daily lesson. That then developed into people suggesting that the owl would threaten them with violence if they didn\u2019t log on regularly.<\/p>\n

But rather than ignore or even try and quash it, Duolingo got in on the joke and started posting things like ‘It\u2019s simple, Spanish or Vanish\u2019.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s evolved, or devolved, into its TikTok account posting some really bizarre stuff that it would be impossible to actually explain… none of which has much to do with learning a new language, by the way.<\/p>\n

But it has gotten them 17 million followers nonetheless.<\/p>\n

Barbie managed to do something similar, didn\u2019t it?<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

Barbie was a toy line that still sold pretty well \u2013 but it wasn\u2019t the dominant force of old, with rivals like Bratz stealing so much of its market.<\/p>\n

And while Mattel had tried to reposition Barbie in a more modern way \u2013 assuring us she could be a scientist *and* a fashion designer \u2013 it had developed an old-fashioned and regressive image that was proving hard to shake.<\/p>\n

That was until the Margot Robbie film came out \u2013 which dealt with Barbie\u2019s un-feminist image in a very self-aware and tongue-in-cheek way. It then managed to turn that into a story that was seen as very progressive, and quite deep in the way it dealt with existentialism, capitalism, and gender roles.<\/p>\n

And that translated through to the tills, with sales of Barbie dolls jumping by 25% on the back of the movie. Mattel reckoned its success generated hundreds of millions of dollars in extra toy and merchandise sales.<\/p>\n

Trying to target Gen Z doesn\u2019t always work \u2013 does it?<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

No \u2013 because while brands will regularly try and jump onto a trend or bandwagon, doing so without really understanding what\u2019s going on can be dangerous.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s true of attempted Gen Z-friendly pivots, with some brands failing because they\u2019re afraid to veer away from their corporate-approved marketing guide, or because what they do is too much like an ad rather than something genuine.<\/p>\n

And sometimes it\u2019s because they just seem to completely miss the point altogether \u2013 with a campaign that seems to be drawn up based on what older people think younger consumers want.<\/p>\n

The car brand Jaguar is seen as one recent example of this. In late 2024 it unveiled a new brand identity as part of a plan to become all electric by the end of this year.<\/p>\n

And the initial ad featured lots of strong colours, abstract shapes, androgenous-looking models and slogans like \u2018create exuberant\u2019 and \u2018live vivid\u2019.<\/p>\n

The one notable omission from the ad was a car.<\/p>\n

They even ditched the iconic Jaguar icon and adopted a fairly generic-looking font for their brand name with some suggesting that the branding was more akin to a vape company than a luxury car maker.<\/p>\n

The timing didn\u2019t help either \u2013 Jaguar’s rebrand debuted right around the time of Donald Trump\u2019s 2024 election win, which meant it got caught up in the US culture wars and the rejection among the right of what they claimed to be \u2018corporate wokeism\u2019.<\/p>\n

It should be said, though, as things stand Jaguar have stuck with the new look. So as misguided as the reveal may have been, they still seem confident it was the right thing to do.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you were asked to describe Slazenger, you’d likely say it was a tennis brand. Or maybe you connect it with golf. But nowadays there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019d associate it with the bargain bin. Or you just wouldn\u2019t know if it at all. For a time Slazenger was a major sportswear brand \u2013 with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-news","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}