Young People of Color's Top 20 Brands Right Now
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With half of Gen Z identifying as people of color, true inclusion can’t be an afterthought or a side project for brands. In fact, it’s key to reaching young consumers today. YPulse’s new Young POC x Brands Special Report explores how brands are truly losing out when they don’t understand this huge cohort of young consumers, who are shopping and choosing brands differently from their White / non-Hispanic counterparts. So, understanding the brands who are succeeding with young people of color is crucial to every brand’s longevity.?
Another reason to prioritize their affinity is because young people of color’s significant spending power is only growing. Despite continuing wage inequality, recent data shows that the buying power of POC continues to grow: U.S. Latino consumers’ economy alone reached $3.2 trillion in 2021. And YPulse’s research on young consumers’ finances shows that young POC in the U.S. have a spending power of over $2.3 trillion annually. Any brand not thinking uniquely about how they connect with this demographic is losing out now and will continue to if they don’t work on building a positive reputation for trustworthiness and inclusion. ?
With data from YPulse’s brand tracker, we’re able to show exactly which brands are succeeding with this demographic across industries. YPulse’s Brand Tracker monitors the brand health of over 600 brands in North America on a weekly basis, revealing 13-39-year-olds’ affinity for brands across industries. The brand data looks at 20 youth-centric diagnostics, including which brands they think are cool, reflect who they are, are talked about, reflect diversity, make the world better, get them, and more. All of these individual measures then roll up into YScore+; an overall snapshot of how your brand is performing among young consumers. ??
When we combine the scores from brand ratings by young people of color, our data shows these are the?20 brands with their highest YScore+ now:?
Young People of Color’s Top 20 Brands
1. Nike?
2. YouTube?
3. Amazon?
4. National Basketball Association (NBA)?
5. PayPal?
6. iPhone?
7. TikTok?
8. Jordan?
9. Cash App?
10. Apple?
11. LEGO?
12. Coca-Cola?
13. Savage x Fenty?
14. Dove?
15. Target?
16. Doritos?
17. Netflix?
18. Apple Pay?
19. Tide?
20. Google
Source:?YPulse Brand Tracker, Brand Ranking Dashboard | 8/2022-8/2023 | n= 64,381 people of color, 13-39-years-old in the U.S. and Canada | Minimum base n=100 per brand ?
?? Nike is the top scoring brand amongst Black, Asian, and Hispanic young people
When looking at the top performing brands among young Black, Asian, and Hispanic consumers separately, there are unique brands on each ranking—but Nike is the number one on all of them. In addition to being the top scoring brand overall, Nike also has the highest overall brand affinity in the fashion and apparel industry among young POC, scoring +9pts higher than among young White / non-Hispanics. YPulse data shows Nike consistently ranks as a top brand amongst all young people, but this shows that their connection with young people of color is especially strong thanks to their inclusion efforts, gaming activations, sports involvement, and much, much more.?
While Nike is agreed upon as the top brand throughout this large demographic, it’s also important to consider differences other than those from White / non-Hispanics. Within the POC umbrella, brands looking to target even more specific demographics should know these consumers have significant variation amongst their other top-ranking brands. For example, the second top-scoring brand for Black young consumers is the NBA, while iPhone is second for young Asian consumers, and Amazon is second for young Hispanic consumers. As YPulse has said before, young people of color are not a monolith—even if they all love a few brands that really get them on an individual level.?
?? Jordan, Amazon, and Target are also top scoring fashion and apparel brands?
Amazon has the highest overall brand affinity in the retail industry among young POC and ranks in third for fashion and apparel—clearly scoring points for its huge variety of products and prices. Similarly, Target comes in second in retail and fourth in fashion and apparel, pointing again to young consumers’ love for mass merch and big box offerings.
But Jordan, the iconic shoe from Nike, stands out—yet is regularly on YPulse’s top lists of brands that all young people see as authentic, cool, and inclusive. Amongst young people of color, Jordans are in the top eight overall brands of the moment, which makes sense as our data shows six in 10 young POC are currently interested in buying sneakers compared to just about half of White / non-Hispanic young people. ?
Young POC are the inventors of the Gen Z-loved streetwear style that Jordan thrives in. The brand itself can also be considered the “icon of marketing,” having paved the way for athlete influencers to make their mark—another quick way to young people’s affinity. Earlier this year, New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson, the anime-loving NBA star, released his own collaboration of Naruto themed Jordans, showing that from content to collabs, Jordans have struck a balance of staying true to themselves while staying relevant.??
领英推荐
?? YouTube and TikTok are their top scorers for entertainment?
Entertainment brands appear several times on the list of top scoring brands amongst young people of color—but social media comes out on top. YouTube comes in as the second top overall brand and has the highest overall brand affinity in the media, tech, and entertainment industry among young POC with its YScore+ higher than among young White/non-Hispanics. TikTok follows in seventh, while Netflix sits at 17th—clearly trailing behind the quick rush of social media content, and perhaps because of the issues of diversity young people of color still find in streaming. ?
As for TikTok, “Reflects Diversity” is one of the platform’s top diagnostics—and YPulse’s Media Consumption Monitor report shows young people of color say TikTok is a top media source they feel has inclusive and diverse content. The platform certainly benefits from the diverse range of creators that young people of color associate with the platform, but the brand itself has put in the work to earn trust from these users. After call outs that the platform didn’t do enough to support Black creators in getting recognition for trend starting, TikTok implemented their Visionary Voices series, which highlights diverse creators and content throughout the year. ?
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