screenshot of tweet from ryanair. “ryanair coldplay. splitting up couples.”
Source
Maybe! But also, let’s be honest, maybe not.
Brands are “rushing to be a part of the conversation because obviously there's a pressure of relevancy to maintain on social,” Powell tells me.
“But that‘s where brands need to remember that you don’t actually need to be a part of every moment. It’s okay to take a step back and just be an observer — learn from the conversation rather than being a part of it.”
“brands need to remember that you don't actually need to be a part of every moment. it’s okay to take a step back and just be an observer — learn from the conversation rather than being a part of it.” —jayde powell, creatorpreneur and founder and head of creative, the em dash co
It’s not that you should actively avoid whatever’s floating through the zeitgeist this week. “You want to move at the speed morocco telemarketing database of culture,” Powell acknowledges. She recommends finding a balance of “figuring out where and when to engage, and how.” (Pro tip: It’s probably not at a Coldplay concert.)
Lesson 3: Don’t be cringe.
You may well associate slang like “cringe” and “delulu” with Gen Z. But, Powell reminds me, “Gen Z is our most multicultural generation yet,” so “Gen Z” isn’t just shorthand for “the youth.”
“how do you do, fellow kids?” meme.
A lot of Gen Z lingo is born from that multiculturalism, often originating in queer and Black culture. So if your century-old legacy brand suddenly starts claiming you’ve “left no crumbs,” you might think you’re reaching a younger audience — but you might not realize that the term originated in Black and Latino queer culture.
“Brands start adopting [slang] because they want to flex their tone and voice and be a little bit more relatable to Gen Z. But in the effort to be relatable, there's something that kind of gets lost in the process,” Powell says.
“brands start adopting [slang] because they want to flex their tone and voice and be a little bit more relatable to gen z. but in the effort to be relatable, there's something that kind of gets lost in the process.” —jayde powell, creatorpreneur and founder and head of creative, the em dash co
A good rule of thumb? If it’s not part of your brand voice already, best to skip it. If you want to expand your market share into new communities, consider working with multicultural agencies that can help you keep your foot out of your mouth.
If that’s not in the budget, Powell also suggests “utilizing the research that’s [already] available, like Pew Research or Statista,” which put out “a lot of reports around multicultural audiences.”
And instead of zeroing in on a specific phrase or iconography you want to use, reframe your approach: Use the existing research to examine “what are the best ways to actually speak to [Gen Z] and how you should be marketing to them.”
The Anti-Cringe Marketing Checklist
Keep one on hand or share it with your team, and learn how to market authentically without the cringe.
Learn which trends matters for your organization
Avoid cultural appropriation mistakes
Save your brand from going viral for all the wrong reasons
Learn moreDownload our free anti-cringe marketing checklist
This Week’s Question
You’ve built an incredible reputation for understanding Gen Z behavior and creating authentic, community-first content. In a world that’s constantly chasing virality, how do you balance consistency with creativity, and what advice would you give to brands trying to build genuine relationships over time, not JUST reach? —Sheena Hakimian, senior digital consumer marketing at Condé Nast and certified life coach.