Brands Winning Gen Z With Serious Unseriousness.

Welcome to the Hopeful Monsters Institute. A curation of the inspirational, entertaining and bizarre that will bend your noggin in a different direction. Hand-selected by Hopeful Monsters. For Hopeful Monsters in the wild.

A 2024 report shows that 95% of brands have lower trust ratings with Gen Z than they do with older adults. So that begs the question… What are the other 5% doing to win over this sought-after generation? In short, they’re keeping it seriously unserious.

In this week's newsletter, Hopeful Monster Hela Gomulwal takes a deep dive into the world of unserious marketing.

Although this sounds like the title of a parallel Harry Potter book, this is no fictitious tale. As you’re all well aware by now… he’s back. And that directly affects everything from AI and media to the very platforms brands and marketers use every day. Here’s everything you need to know.

“Ugh, please stop, it’s only November.” A real quote when one of our bold Account Managers tried to play ‘Last Christmas’ on the 1st Day of November. But ‘Christmas creep’ isn’t just a problem in the Hopeful Monsters office, brands are now having to plan earlier and earlier each year. But is it necessary to creep?

Bloody hell it’s noisy. Socials, TV, Radio, billboards, arghhhhhhhhh! Every company and their dog are battling it out to be the whackiest, funniest, biggest and brightest. If you’re a brand, you’re in a sticky situation. You can either contribute to the noise, or you can do nothing. OR you can choose secret option number three.

Can a fiercely loyal fan base create an exclusivity that leaves a brand short on growth? Cultural branding could be the answer. An inclusive approach that brings in more fans without losing the brand’s essence. Think Yeti and Le Creuset brands that grew their communities while staying authentic.

Finish these lines…If you’re from Australia… “One, three, double ‘O’…”If you’re from The UK… “Autoglass repair…”If you’re from the USA… “Break me off a piece of that…”Wherever you’re from, it’s likely you have your version of the above jingles that have been living in your head rent-free for the last 20 years. But what makes a good jingle? What makes them so annoyingly memorable? And most importantly, do they make us buy more?