Navigating the Generational Tightrope: How Brands Can Stay Authentic in a Trend-Obsessed World

I recently came across this TikTok by popular creator and brand strategist, Eugene Healy. Healy focuses on culture analyzed through the lens of brand - and how brands can participate in culture authentically. For those of us straddling the line between generational cohorts (like this 1989 “middle” millennial), staying relevant can sometimes feel like a challenge in the ever-changing online culture. I admittedly still cling to youth by observing trends through excessive social media consumption, staying interested and engaged in pop culture (which as a self-proclaimed pop culture junkie, comes more easily). Who is this for? Myself, my peers - both socially and professionally. No one really wants to feel out of touch, so people in my age group might do their best to stay in the know, burn their skinny jeans, and have a general understanding of things like “brat summer”. As someone who works at a social media agency surrounded by Gen Z colleagues who have their finger on the pulse of trends, I consider myself fairly tuned into the zeitgeist—within reason, of course. I may be able to blend in with my Gen Z coworkers, but there are limits to these efforts. My ten-year-old niece, for instance, still thinks most things I do or say are “cringe.” Just last week, she called me “sweat,” which apparently refers to someone who tries too hard. Ouch. The reality is, I will probably never be cool to the tiny human I drive to soccer games and occasionally discipline. And that’s okay—she’s not my audience.

The same goes for brands that want to stay culturally aware without losing authenticity. The key is to stay true to your brand, know your audience, and co-operate with culture—not work against it or blindly participate in it.

Gen Alpha Has Entered the Chat Healy mentions in his content that we’re at a critical turning point in marketing because Gen Alpha is now entering the audience mix. Marketers and brands are eager to uncover how this generation can be reached: What do they find entertaining? What makes them laugh?

So far, we know that their humor is “unhinged” and thrives on chaos—think of the absurdity of “Skibidi Toilet.” To older generations, it seems like nonsense, but that’s the point: we’re not supposed to understand it.

Instead of trying to decode what younger generations want to consume and making awkward attempts at content meant to entertain them, lean into acceptance. You don’t need to participate in something you don’t fully understand. Trends Are Tools, Not Goals In social media marketing, jumping on every trend can do more harm than good. The younger, hyper-connected generations are uniquely adept at identifying inauthenticity. These are generations raised on the internet; they’ve seen it all and will quickly sniff out when a brand is trying too hard (that’s so “sweat”, amiright?).

Brands should aim to observe, learn, and engage with trends thoughtfully rather than imitating them blindly. If a trend doesn’t align with your brand voice or values, it’s better to sit it out than risk alienating your audience by appearing inauthentic. So What Does This Mean for Brands on Social Media?

There are three key takeaways for brands to participate in online culture and engage their? audience:

1. Lower Budgets, Bigger Impact

One of the most effective ways for brands to engage authentically is through low-budget, relatable content. On TikTok, for example, the difference between a polished ad and a scrappy, phone-filmed video is stark. Audiences often skip the high-production ad because it screams “I’m selling something,” whereas an entertaining, creatively shot phone video feels like organic content they want to engage with.

Lean into authenticity over production value. Be entertaining, be creative, and most importantly, be real.

2. Embrace your Audience, Not Every Trend

In the fast-paced world of social media, relevance is important, but authenticity is what builds lasting connections. Remember: it’s okay to be “cringe” to those outside your target audience.?

3. Be Creative. Be Different.??

An important point that Eugene Healy drives home is that if you can create something novel that entertains people, they will engage. For example, if you simply jump on a brand persona and think making TikToks in the brand voice of Duolingo for your business will automatically garner tons of attention, you will not engage. Remember how everyone loved the casually brazen tweets by Wendy's? Then every corporation jumped on that trend and it wasn’t the same. Audiences will tire of copycats quickly. If you want to operate successfully as a brand, you need to consistently be creating novel ideas online at a regular pace.

References:

https://www.tiktok.com/@eugbrandstrat/video/7418022427071974663?_t=8rVL6U42jP5&_r=1

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/dtcpodcast/episodes/Ep-455-Harnessing-the-Awareness-Advantage-and-Building-Culturally-Relevant-Brands-with-Eugene-Healey-eugbrandstrat-e2qo434/a-abkctlp