Marketing to Gen Z

TD Bank is a major banking institution on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border. In the country of its founding, the Toronto-based company is one of the Big Five banks, while it ranks in the top ten in the U.S., depending on metrics. While other advertisers test their new ideas in global markets before bringing them stateside, TD Bank has a major non-U.S. market to use as its advertising playground.

That is the case in two efforts that TD Bank recently launched in Canada: an “Own It” campaign that promotes the bank’s new Partial Shares investing product and a “Visible Billboards” activation that raises the profile of one of the company’s purpose-driven initiatives. Both speak to how banking and the role of financial institutions have changed for younger, more diverse consumers. 

“How you use that physical presence today is very distinctive than how we used to, and we need to grow and be with our customers and our future customers where they are,” said Global Chief Marketing Officer Tyrrell Schmidt.

Breaking barriers

Partial Shares is an example of how investing is changing. The first such offering from one of the Big Five banks, the product allows consumers to buy and sell a fraction of stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) — giving investors access to blue chip stocks at a lower price. The product is intended for Gen Z and millennial consumers who are new to investing or think it is out of reach.

To promote Partial Shares, TD Bank teamed with Ogilvy Canada for “Own It,” a humorous 60-second spot that focuses on a quirky young investor who fully embraces the perks of partial-ownership of an airline, baseball team, space company and an entertainment corporation. In the latter case, Partial Shares takes the character to the set of a fantasy epic.

“The old concept around right product, right time, right customer through the right channel still really exists,” Schmidt said about the approach to marketing Partial Shares.

“We look at customer experience generally. What we know is simple, communication matters. Banking can be complicated, and people want to really understand what you're telling them,” the executive continued. “[“Own It”] is just a really great example of having someone come in and demonstrating in a relatively light but understandable and digestible way.”

For Ogilvy, Partial Shares provided an opportunity to create advertising around a true differentiating product, which is not always the case in Canadian banks. The agency wrote a script that focused on a fish-out-of-water character who oversteps her boundaries because she's so excited to break through a barrier. The tone is playful but not slapstick.

“We have something called ‘grounded optimism’ with TD, where we like to exaggerate and be a little bit hyperbolic, but never in a way that goes so absurdist or so far out of reality that the everyday Canadian can't see themselves in it,” said Francesco Grandi, chief creative officer of Ogilvy Canada.

Purposeful innovation

While Partial Shares and the “Own It” campaign look to the make banking more accessible to younger consumers, a different TD Bank effort looks to make it more accessible to a smaller subset of consumers: the visually impaired, and specifically, colorblind consumers.

“Visible Billboards” launched in Toronto’s Distillery District on Sept. 6, Color Blind Awareness Day. The out-of-home ads are made with the colored dot-style used in tests for color blindness, but in a twist, the message — “If you can see this, it's because we see you” — is only visible to color blind viewers.

The billboard effort was inspired by the TD Accessibility Adapter, an online tool that enables users with disabilities to make the internet more accessible and responsive to their preferences. Originally developed as an internal tool, TD Bank has made it widely available as a Chrome extension.

“We think about purposeful innovation always. That's always been who we are as a brand: being able to really empathize and show the human side of banking by understanding the person behind it,” Schmidt said.

TD Bank has a heritage of being open and accessible to different consumers. The bank helped turn Toronto Pride into one of the biggest pride events in the world, and it has supported Indigenous banking and women in leadership. Despite doing 30 to 40 initiatives a year, advertising is rarely part of the strategy, Ogilvy’s Grandi said.

“They almost do so much of it that they don't know where to shine the spotlight on,” the executive said. “Being their agency partners, we're always trying to tell them, ‘This is a really good story you should tell.’”

A North American brand

While color blindness lends itself to a creative out-of-home activation, future ads around the TD Accessibility Adapter could be focused on other conditions, such as dyslexia or epilepsy. And while it launched first in Canada, it could work in the U.S., perhaps as a Times Square takeover in New York, Grandi said.

Such decisions, like which campaigns will run in the U.S. or Canada, makes Schmidt’s job different from that of most brand marketers. However, TD Bank does have a “North America brand at its core,” she said, that seeks to enrich the lives of customers, colleagues and communities — no matter where.

“Our brand promise to bring a human, empathetic approach to banking, that is consistent. Having those things that sit at the top of the house really matters, especially when you share only one border,” the executive said.

However, the U.S. and Canada have different cultures, regulatory environments and competitive landscapes, preventing TD Bank from having a “one-size fits all” approach to marketing.

“There's a lot that we do, especially in areas around how we think about citizenship and community that we actually do bring to life on both sides of the border,” Schmidt explained. “Where possible, we prefer to be able to find those things, but I do think it's important that at the top of the house there's alignment.”

American Eagle is taking a page from its past for the launch of a new brand platform, giving fresh energy to a 20-year-old “Live Your Life” slogan to promote self-expression, inclusion and acceptance. The platform, which debuted July 25, coincides with the rollout of the brand’s back-to-school campaign.

“Live Your Life” — a phrase trademarked by American Eagle for over a decade —  made an appearance in the retailer’s back-to-school marketing in 2012. Today, the slogan is being modernized for Gen Z and will be ingrained in a fall campaign that includes a partnership with 2023 U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff. College football appearances, 3D billboards and a collaboration with Life on Film to capture disposable camera footage round out the effort.

“Our intent is that ‘Live Your Life’ will be with us for many, many years to come, so our team really views this as a jumping off point,” said American Eagle CMO Craig Brommers. “Back-to-school really is our Super Bowl and we’re spending a lot of money around talent and surprise activations and content creation to cut through initially.”

The revival of “Live Your Life” was inspired by consumer research across Gen Alpha, millennials and the retailer’s target Gen Z audience that sought to uncover how the generations regard American Eagle and what they look for in a clothing brand. Among the findings was the sentiment that the retailer is loyal to values like self-expression. Respondents more broadly also indicated a hunger for human connection and real experiences.

American Eagle is leaning into these insights with “Live Your Life,” Brommers said, noting his belief that “iconic brands run toward who they are.”

“Just like ‘Just Do It’ for Nike or ‘My Calvin’s’ from Calvin Klein or even ‘Aerie Real,’ there’s just some things that make sense,” said Brommers.

New energy, same denim

American Eagle’s fall campaign is headlined by tennis star Gauff along with Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and actors Kristine Froseth and Nikki Rodriguez, who star in Gen Z-focused series “The Buccaneers” and “My Life with the Walter Boys,” respectively. Through its tie-up with Gauff, the retailer unveiled a Coco Gauff x American Eagle collaboration on Aug. 15 that includes a nod to the athlete’s iconic U.S. Open quote, “Thank you to the people who didn’t believe in me.”

Talent featured in the retailer’s campaign, who will appear in digital, in-store, social and out-of-home ads, were selected to better target the “Live Your Life” mantra at Gen Z. Brommers described the group as the “hustle generation.”

“These are multi-hyphenated individuals who really encapsulate Gen Z,” the exec said. “They’re athletes, they’re activists, they’re communicators, they’re business people.”

The ambassadors also satisfy what the marketer describes as American Eagle’s “passion pillars,” or the key interests of Gen Z, which include categories like gaming, social media, sports and community impact. The retailer regularly leverages a customer panel consisting of around 2,000 people aged 15-25 to gather insights that drive culturally relevant marketing. A number of marketing efforts have been inspired by the panel, like the 2023 tie-up with Amazon Prime Series “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”

 

American Eagle’s latest move comes at a high point for the retailer, which reported record first quarter revenue of $1.1 billion. The back-to-school season is a major opportunity for the brand to keep momentum rolling, though spending for the period is expected to fall slightly from $31.9 billion last year to $31.3 billion in 2024, according to Deloitte. Other forecasts yield a sunnier outlook — JLL expects spending to surge nearly 22% — providing Brommers with a sense of hopefulness.

“One thing that has been resilient over the years is that parents will, in fact, help their kids and put them first, so I think we’re optimistic about this back-to-school season,” the exec said.

Other elements of the back-to-school push include pop-ups at college football games to tap into Gen Z’s sports fixation. American Eagle’s partnership with Lawrence represents the first time the brand has had an NFL star fronting one of its campaigns.

Emotional, not just rational

To engage Gen Z’s appreciation for self-expression and authenticity — a tactic adopted by other marketers — American Eagle has teamed with Life on Film and over 200 people, including actors AnnaSophia Robb, Chris Briney and Jonathan Daviss, to capture disposable camera footage showcasing how they live their lives. The footage will be edited into a video montage that will be shared across both the talent and the brand’s social media channels, representing a more candid form of content than the brand usually puts forward in its back-to-school marketing , Brommers explained.

“I think that’s why I’m so excited by this campaign and how it differs from things we’ve done in the past,” Brommers said. “If you fast forward 30 days, if you fast forward 60 days, I’m not sure where we will be with this campaign because we really want our customers to explore what ‘Live Your Life’ means to them, and we’re going to follow them where they help take this campaign.”

Additional guerrilla-style marketing, like custom videos projected on American Eagle stores, invites customers to “be a part of the campaign.” Three-dimensional billboards in markets like New York will complement a slate of outdoor activations that are intended to blow last year’s back-to-school efforts — described at the time as the brand’s largest outdoor push since the pandemic — out of the water.

“We’ve got some really crazy innovative things coming up in the outdoor space,” Brommers said. “I think we’re in the entertainment business as much as we’re in the retail business, so we should be challenging ourselves to be as entertaining as possible.”

The array of channels American Eagle is activating symbolizes the diverse interests of Gen Z, Brommers explained, while the nods to self-expression and inclusion are meant to strengthen its connection with consumers on an emotional level. That focus has helped the retailer stay in business for nearly five decades.

“We have the best damn jeans out there and all the market share data would showcase that, but I don’t think you can be competing at the level we’re competing at just on the rational,” Brommers said. “I think you actually do have to compete on the emotional as well.”

Sprite this year revived its iconic "Obey Your Thirst" tagline with a campaign that pays homage to the original 1994 effort that established the brand's ethos. The Coca-Cola brand's 2024 campaign enlists NBA player Anthony Edwards and sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson — the brand's first woman athlete partner — and spans TV spots, packaging, sports partnerships and a digital experience.

In the lead spot, Minnesota Timberwolves star Edwards is seen drinking Sprite and making a dunk. When an onlooker — shocked at Edwards' beverage choice — sips Sprite and tries to make the same dunk, he clangs it into the rim and falls dramatically to the court.

“You want to hoop like Anthony Edwards? Practice. You want a refreshing drink? Obey your thirst,” NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill says in voiceover. 

The new spot directly references the original 1994 campaign, which starred Hill in the same role as Edwards. Three decades on, calling back to the first "Obey Your Thirst" spot — part of a platform that was supplanted by the "Thirst for Yours" campaign in 2019 — is the latest step in Sprite's "journey" to reach a new generation of young consumers, according to Brian Rogers, senior director of brand marketing for Sprite.

“Strategically, the audience that we have been after since 1994 has been experiencing more and more pressures,” the executive said. “You think about the youth of today, and the amount of pressure that they're under — cultural pressure, pressure to be like everyone else — we felt like 'Obey Your Thirst' and what it means was right for this moment for that consumer.”

The campaign comes as Sprite looks to maintain its position in a crowded soft drink market, which has seen increased marketing activity from PepsiCo’s lemon-lime Starry beverage and better-for-you entrants like Olipop. Starry, which replaced Sierra Mist in the PepsiCo lineup in 2023, has made a significant ad push, including a Super Bowl commercial this year, around both hip-hop and basketball — two areas that have historically been central to Sprite's "Obey Your Thirst" marketing.

“There will always be competitors to enter this space,” Rogers said of the market. “I think we have a long heritage of speaking to this specific audience with what it means to be Sprite. ‘Obey your Thirst' means a lot of things to millennials, and we have an opportunity to reintroduce it to a new generation of Sprite drinkers.”

In a separate 30-second spot, world’s-fastest-woman Richardson says "Nah" to obeying hot takes, images and pressure, but says yes to obeying her mama, her big mama and her thirst.

Along with the ads, the campaign included a presenting sponsorship for the Timberwolves’ first two playoff rounds and limited-edition packaging that includes a QR code-powered digital experience, "Obey Days," that rounds out the multichannel effort. 

“'Obey Days’ is all about encouraging consumers to ‘Obey Your Thirst,’” Rogers explained. “So if you scan the QR code, you get the opportunity to register and every Thursday you'll be able to log in and see the message from A.E. or from someone associated with Sprite about how to … be yourself, be authentic in your life in every way.”

While the public has largely returned to normal activities following the COVID-19 pandemic, many consumers are still looking to make up for lost time, including when it comes to travel. With 65% of Gen Z and 72% of millennials expected to spend more on leisure travel in 2024 compared to 2023, marketers should know how to tap into this demographic. A recent report from PMG looked at how post-pandemic travel differs, and what consumers value as they make travel plans.

“It's 2024, but there is still a sense of time lost. People are making up for adventures that they postponed, people they haven't seen. The pandemic is ‘over’ but the catch-up is not,” said Shelina Taki, executive strategy director of PMG.

For its “Travel in 2024: The New Traveler” report, PMG surveyed 1,800 internet users 18 years and older, with fieldwork occurring from March 1 to March 13. Respondents were located in the U.S., the U.K., India, Germany and China. The report evaluated methods of travel, travel frequency, loyalty programs, booking sources and other travel-related information.

The new traveler has arrived

Pre-pandemic, meticulously planning every aspect of a vacation was the norm, per the report. However, travel plans are becoming looser. In fact, 42% of travelers choose to embrace spontaneity. Forty-four percent of travelers only begin planning their leisure travel one-to-three months prior, the most common range to start planning. The second most common was four-to-six months prior, while the third most common was just one month before.

Travel values have also seen a transformation in recent years. Different generations value travel for different reasons, per the report. For example, boomers prioritize travel for spending time with friends and family, while Gen Z, Gen X and millennials use travel as a means of relaxation.

For younger travelers, culture is becoming more important. Being able to immerse themselves in a local culture is a top motivator for 50% of Gen Z travelers. Western Europe is the most popular planned leisure destination, with 43% of surveyed travelers stating they plan on traveling there this year. North America serves as the second most popular destination (39%) followed by Southeast Asia (25%).

“Expectations are higher across the board…I will just say that a more intentional way of living has shown people they want more out of life at every step. So whether they are taking a budget road trip or a leisure vacation, they want it to feel seamless from start to finish, any interruptions along the way are not acceptable,” said Taki.

Free spirits and brand loyalty

Despite the desire for spontaneity, the need for personalization remains. This is where brands have an opportunity to engage with the new traveler, especially as the popularity of loyalty programs grows. With 84% of travel companies planning to introduce new travel benefits and rewards in 2024, up from 63% in 2021, brands need to work hard to stand out from the pack.

A robust loyalty program is especially important to younger travelers, with 58% of Gen Z consumers reporting they use such programs when booking activities or accommodations, compared to 49.9% of travelers overall.

However, loyalty must be earned through brand trust. Only 9% of consumers list brand trust as a slightly important factor or not a factor at all when signing up for a loyalty program, compared to the 71% who list it as a very important or extremely important factor. Twenty percent of consumers list brand trust as a moderately important factor when choosing to enroll in a loyalty program.

Loyalty points can also determine when and how consumers travel. Forty-five percent of consumers say loyalty points occasionally determine travel plans, while 25% frequently plan around points. Only 19% of consumers say travel points rarely determine their plan. Travelers also plan to redeem frequently, with 39% looking to redeem two-to-three times a year, 35% once a year and 15% four-to-six times a year.

But as loyalty programs become more prevalent there’s likely to be an increase in competition. Brands, therefore, need to try to stand out to win consumer favor.

“I think [consumers are] going to be more discerning where they exert their time,” said Taki. “Where am I really going to get return for my dollar and my time? If I'm loyal to a brand, am I really going to be rewarded? And I think that is the difference.”

As parents and their children prepare for the 2024 back-to-school season, Carter’s launched a campaign with creative focused on the youngest kids that it outfits. “More Than Just Cute,” the first work from the apparel brand’s partnership with agency Mischief, looks beyond “cute” to spotlight the fits and functions preferred by young parents in the millennial and Gen Z age range (the oldest members of the latter cohort are in their late 20s, after all).

A 30-second hero spot, “All I Am,” includes voiceover stating that “cute is too superficial” to describe an infant. The narrator goes on to dryly list “accomplishments” like crawling in the mud and playing with apple sauce.

“Don’t settle for just cute,” the narrator adds. “You’re more than that.”

“All I Am” and a handful of 6-second videos that key in on specific kid actions — like pushing a glass of red wine onto the carpet — are running across broadcast and social platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. For 160-year-old Carter’s, which bills itself as the largest North American baby and children’s apparel company, the campaign that debuted on Aug. 1 represents an attempt to reach a new generation of parents.

“How do we create this campaign that really redefines us as a brand, that leans on all the things that we’re known for — our durability, our quality, our comfort — and showcases the product and a brand through a new lens, but still leans into the history of the company?” CMO Jeff Jenkins said of the needs of the campaign.

Jenkins spoke with Marketing Dive about “More Than Just Cute,” key insights about Gen Z consumers, how Carter’s approaches loyalty and more.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

MARKETING DIVE: What drove the creation of the “More Than Just Cute” campaign?

JEFF JENKINS: It really started with data and insights about how the consumer is changing, what those expectations are and then finding a partner that was right for us as we shifted directions. Mischief came on board and I think the challenge that we gave them was: The consumer is changing — more Gen Z is becoming parents and they have a different expectation of a brand — and the baby clothes category is changing. 

Kids clothes used to be all about being cute. Now it’s about being stylish and “mini mes” and [representing] yourself on social media as a parent. The challenge that we threw to Mischief was, we want to make sure that we’re pushing the envelope forward in our category, that we’re not thinking about how the category behaves, but how the consumer behaves. We want to make sure that we push the brand in places that are uncomfortable, but not unnatural. Gen Z and millennials, we scroll all day, and so a traditional ad gets scrolled right by — how do we create thumb-stopping content in that context? 

A generational shift has gone from “cute” to “style,” and we’re more than [cute], we’re a brand there for every moment, not just the what I would call the Olan Mills or Lifetouch Photography moments of the ‘80s and ‘90s. We’re the brand that understands that for every post you do on Instagram, there are 99 outtakes on your phone that didn’t make it. 

I think everyone saw little bits of themselves [in the campaign]. This is how consumers talk and behave, and it just resonated with every single insight that we handed over. 

“Uncomfortable but not unnatural” makes me think of the campaign’s 6-second spot that shows a kid riding a bike right into a basketball post, and the voiceover about “durable fabrics [being] the only thing standing between kids’ butts and the world’s foot.” What was your approach on presenting familiar moments like that?

JENKINS: We’ve all taken those videos, which as soon as you realize the kid is okay, then it becomes funny. That’s the type of content you’re seeing on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. So much media has shifted to the creator space. It’s not the polished work of an ad agency.

Mischief has done a brilliant job of blending this traditional advertising model with this creator content-type of model, and then we pull it through into creator content that is being created on behalf of the brand, as well as all of our store experiences and billboards.

What are all those things that the next generation, whether it’s Gen Z, Gen Alpha or millennials,  grew up with that is now informing their parenthood choices?

Speaking of short-form video, how did you approach the channel mix on this campaign?

JENKINS: We have a great partner in Assembly as our media agency. We were already heavily [invested] in a lot of the platforms that are part of the campaign, but how do we go deeper? How do we build out creator content that supports this in a new media economy? How do we be part of these are huge communities, whether you think about it as “MomTok” or “ParentingTok?” That’s where consumers are getting their information around brands, tips and tricks and hacks of surviving parenthood, so we need to be there and be part of that. 

There’s still a place, though, in the media mix for these traditional channels. This has a huge billboard, out-of-home component to it. We’ve seen Gen Z and millennials to some degree have really gone back to the malls post-pandemic. Seventy percent of our sales go through stores, so what’s the experience when it comes to life in malls, where consumers are really shopping, particularly in our category where you touch and feel baby clothes when you’re a first time parent? 

Carter’s revamped its loyalty program in 2024. How does that feed into the brand’s marketing?

JENKINS: It all ties together. Particularly in our category, we’re really lucky that if you buy a three-month-old bodysuit that has fire trucks on it, I can guarantee you’re probably going to be buying a six-month one in three months. We can get to this personalization journey in ways that others can’t. At Best Buy, you may buy a record player one month and a washing machine three years from now. We know this cadence.

Almost 90% of our sales go through our loyalty program. Compared to some of the industry averages from the key loyalty players in the space, like Starbucks, we’re at the top of the game, which gives us great insight to consumer behaviors and what they want.

The 2024 back-to-school season is shaping up to hit marketers with yet another dose of turbulence, requiring fresh energy to capture what is expected to be more limited consumer spending. A focus on engaging younger generations could be what makes the difference between sink or swim. 

Spending for the season is expected to fall slightly versus 2023 levels, and brands accordingly have pulled out all the stops in hopes of coming out on top during a critical sales period. For marketers like Amazon and JCPenney, that has meant doubling down on value. For others, including American Eagle and Urban Outfitters, it has meant marketing to Gen Z and other young cohorts to deliver a sense of relatability and inclusive advertising.

“What we’ve seen with Gen Z, Gen Alpha is that the strong influence at the very start of the journey leads to twice as many parents considering a brand,” said Krithika Rosenthal, group director of strategy for GroupM’s Wavemaker U.S. agency. “That’s why it’s important not just to influence the parents, it’s also important to think about how we connect with the kids.” 

Among parent back-to-school shoppers, 61% agree that their children influence them to spend more, according to Deloitte’s 2024 survey. Keeping the whole family in mind may be what allows marketers to thrive amid another tough season, which is forecast to see spending decline from $31.9 billion in 2023 to $31.3 billion. While the drop is smaller than last season’s, financial concerns endure, with low and middle-income families expected to spend 4% and 9% less, respectively. 

“That low- and middle-income group is really being squeezed by the cost of living prices that are going on,” said Lupine Skelly, retail research leader for Deloitte. “Those families are saying that they’re having to spend more on their groceries and childcare, so when it comes to back to school they’re forced to have to make some cuts in other areas to even spend at this level.” 

This back-to-school season carries with it challenges beyond engaging the younger generation, whether it’s striking the right balance of value and emotion in messaging or reaching consumers across a wider swath of channels being shopped. Still, it’s not all doom and gloom — the period is also packed with opportunity, including a prime chance to grow loyalty. 

‘The new normal’

Parents for the 2024 season expect to spend $586 per child on back-to-school items, down $11 from 2023 averages, per Deloitte. Spending on clothing and school supplies are expected to remain flat while tech spending is expected to fall 11%, mirroring broader trends. As a focus on economizing endures, value will remain key for marketers to thrive in a season marked by “cautious and careful spending,” Skelly said. At this point, consumers may expect nothing less.

“I think ‘the new normal’ is a great term for these sorts of big shopping events,” Skelly said. “These retailers have pretty much trained consumers to look for deals and these promotional events and people are really loading up their carts and waiting for those discounts to show up before they make purchases.” 

In the search for deals, back-to-school buying has started earlier, with 59% of shoppers believing that the best deals occur at the start of the season. Roughly two-thirds of parents’ planned budgets were forecast to be spent by the end of July, up from 59% in 2023 and 14 percentage points from two years ago, Skelly said. Sales extravaganzas like Amazon Prime Day have also grown in favor, with 48% of shoppers shopping the e-commerce giant’s summer sales event for back-to-school items, a nearly 10% increase from the year prior.  

Amazon has cemented its focus on value beyond its July Prime Day event, which saw record-breaking sales, with the launch of its back-to-school campaign. The effort centers on a 30-second ad starring actress Michelle Buteau, who encourages parents to “spend less on your little freeloaders” with Amazon’s Back to School shopping guide. The comedic messaging is similar to that of its past back-to-school campaigns that featured actors like Randall Park and Kathryn Hahn.

“In recent years, we’ve seen customers continuing to feel financial pressures and looking for comedic relief amid the relentless news cycle, which is why our campaign focus has stayed consistent,” said Jo Shoesmith, Amazon’s global chief creative officer, in emailed comments. 

Striking a chord

Deeper emotional appeals have been at the heart of marketing strategies for other brands this season. Among them is Instacart, which launched its back-to-school campaign with two ads meant to remind parents that moments with their children are what matters most amid the hectic back-to-school shuffle. 

A focus on both value and emotion could be critical to marketers for driving an authentic connection, particularly with multicultural audiences, explained Wavemaker’s Rosenthal. Notably, co-viewing has grown prominent between younger cohorts and their parents. Accordingly, marketing to Gen Z and younger generations — who are also known for prioritizing diversity — and their parents through a multicultural lens is key. 

“We know that [Gen Alpha is] the most diverse generation ever, so the parents are also diverse in that sense,” Rosenthal said. “Yes, emotions are important, but also tailoring to those different multicultural audiences becomes even more important because kids are influencing their parents a lot more now in terms of shopping.”

For instance, Hispanic parents value nostalgia and word-of-mouth, while Asian parents are driven by the notion of reputation, per Wavemaker research conducted in March 2024. A focus on more immersive experiences could also help attract the younger demographic, Rosenthal added. 

Urban Outfitters, in its efforts to strike a chord with the younger generation, unveiled a “Shift Happens” campaign that nods to the changes the younger generation experiences around events like going back to school. The effort has a presence across multiple channels, including a partnership with Pinterest and several influencers, each of whom created their own boards that were brought to life at an in-person event.

A similar approach is at the core of American Eagle’s “Live Your Life” brand platform and fall campaign. “Live Your Life,” a 20-year-old slogan for the retailer, is meant to promote self-expression and acceptance. The accompanying campaign includes a slew of activations meant to connect with the brand’s target Gen Z audience, including a tie-up with Life on Film and over 200 people to capture disposable camera footage showcasing how they live their lives. 

Elements like the Life on Film partnership are more candid than what American Eagle typically puts forward in its back-to-school marketing, CMO Craig Brommers explained to Marketing Dive in a July interview. This approach could help it stand out during the make-or-break sales period, and while reports like Deloitte’s present a less optimistic spending forecast, other forecasts have painted a sunnier outlook.

“One thing that has been resilient over the years is that parents will, in fact, help their kids and put them first, so I think we’re optimistic for this back-to-school season,” said Brommers.

Finding bright spots

Advertiser behavior could mirror that of consumers this season, said Juice Media Chief Strategy Officer Stanlei Bellan, who expects spending to be “flat and down” from 2023. While overall spending may trend lower, two major events — the Olympics and November election — could lead to bursts of activity as marketers try to avoid broader cultural noise.

“This is where there’s a window of opportunity to do something before the craziness at the end of the year that will affect markets,” Bellan said of the back-to-school period. 

The election could heighten concerns about the economy and lead to more cautious spending, explained Devon Schorr, a strategy director for agency Movers+Shakers, in emailed comments. Accordingly, marketers who emphasize value and discounts in their marketing over what is trending will “likely see more success this season,” the exec said. 

Marketing around the 2024 season is not without bright spots. Parents are prioritizing value over loyalty, with 67% reporting that they will shift brands if their preferred brand is expensive, per Deloitte. Accordingly, the season could present an opportunity for marketers to grow their loyalty programs, so long as they offer valuable incentives, Skelly said. Loyal back-to-school shoppers spend 35% more, according to separate Deloitte research.

Loyalty has been a key focus by marketers like JCPenney and Target, which are both using members-only experiences around value as a way to attract and retain interest. 

Meeting where they are

Beyond messaging, marketers must also juggle meeting consumers in the right place. Shoppers this season have indicated that they plan to shop more retail formats to find the best deals this season, per Deloitte, while 70% are multichannel shoppers. In an effort to better understand target consumers’ behaviors, Wavemaker’s Rosenthal expects retail media to see a boost in investment, mirroring broader trends around the channel’s growth. 

“[Marketers] need to not keep focusing the spend only on retailer promotions but rather use retailers as a way to drive other media more effectively,” Rosenthal said. 

Among channels consumers will shop, 33% plan to leverage social media, up from 21% in 2023. Twelve percent plan to use social to purchase while shopping for back-to-school products, up from 6% the year prior. The top destinations for consumers to shop are mass merchants (77%) and online retailers (65%), formats appealing for both their price and convenience. 

Seventy percent of consumers plan to shop both in-store and online, up 4% from 2023. While in-store experiences were neglected during the pandemic, Skelly sees this season as an opportunity for retailers to boost such experiences. Consumers also report that they are more loyal to retailers when they have consistent experiences online and in-store, Skelly said.

Pacsun is among those prioritizing in-store. The retailer in August launched its “Better in Baggy” fall campaign through a Pinterest partnership that included QR codes on store windows to encourage consumers to shop its seasonal Pinterest board. American Eagle’s fall campaign also features a major in-person push, including custom videos projected on its stores that will invite customers to “be a part of the campaign.” 

While messaging, tone and media mix are all vital parts of marketing strategies this season, having the right mentality could be the secret to success. Uncertainty will be a throughline this season and beyond, and has taught American Eagle’s Brommers to be willing to adjust to ensure the retailer navigates unexpected moments effectively.

“The one thing that I have learned is that we have to be flexible and nimble and ready to react to the tone of the time,” Brommers said. “And we will be over the course of the next couple of months.”

Hinge has spent the last several years marketing itself as the “dating app designed to be deleted.” The campaign that launched that phrase in 2019 put a furry app mascot, Hingie, through the paces with an ad that boasted, “Hinge wants you to meet someone great, even if it kills us.” A refreshed campaign earlier in 2024 took the next logical step, sending several Hingies to the afterlife, where they were greeted by The Oracle (“I Think You Should Leave” actress-comedian Patti Harrison).

Despite a through line of dark humor, 2024’s effort marked a change of pace for Hinge, as the ads, for the first time, featured stories inspired by real couples who had used the app. A commitment to advertising actual success stories continues with the dating platform’s latest marketing push. 

“No Ordinary Love” revolves around an anthology of love stories written by contemporary literary figures — Roxane Gay, John Paul Brammer, R. O. Kwon, Isle McElroy, Oisín McKenna and Brontez Purnell — that are inspired by six real-life couples who met on Hinge. The anthology went live with a dedicated website and will exist as an 80-page print zine available in New York and London. The campaign was produced and creatively directed by Dazed Studio, the in-house creative agency of lifestyle magazine Dazed.

“The authenticity of our work is what helps us encourage young adults to try Hinge,” said Hinge CMO Jackie Jantos. “I think doing that in a way that leans into content formats they’re curious about is another way for them to be exposed to some of those stories.”

Jantos joined Hinge as chief marketer in 2021 after stints at Dashlane, Spotify and Coca-Cola. The executive spoke with Marketing Dive about what inspired the campaign, the brand’s approach to marketing to Gen Z and more.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

MARKETING DIVE: How does “No Ordinary Love” fit into the “Designed to be Deleted” platform?

JACKIE JANTOS: Everything that we do at Hinge is built to help daters get off our app and into great dates. That’s really what “Designed to be Deleted” stands for externally as a piece of communication. Internally, it’s a guiding force for how we design our product experience. We are always trying to celebrate the interesting ways that people meet on Hinge, and we love telling stories that are real and honest about how couples met.

We recently covered a different campaign built around a zine. What drew you to that format for “No Ordinary Love?”

Meeting looks different for different kinds of couples. We wanted to show the imperfect ways that people can meet in a format that allowed for that level of honesty. We are also really fascinated by the rise in romance lit. If you’re following #BookTok [TikTok’s influential community for discussing books], there are really dynamic conversations happening around literature and romance literature, specifically. The long-format storytelling approach of a zine was really interesting to us, and we wanted to lean into trying to work with creators in a new way.

App marketing is closely related to digital and social media. What does this type of content marketing do that other advertising doesn’t?

We have a really rich history, at least over the past three years, of experimenting in the types of work we do and the types of formats we create. We’ve created physical objects before. We do a lot of interesting work with creators. This was our first time working with longer-format authors. 

It’s an interesting way to keep the story fresh, show people that there are lots of opportunities for meeting on Hinge and show people that we are a brand that is in service of Gen Z and young daters. In many ways, we’re always innovating in how we reach this audience, how we engage with them and how we’re useful to them.

What is the measure of marketing success for a campaign that’s pushing users to delete its app?

We’re always trying to drive curiosity and encourage people to date. Whether it’s the product experience and trying to focus a dater’s conversation and get them into a date, or whether it’s celebrating the different ways people can meet. That’s what this work is doing. 

One of my favorite stories in the anthology is a piece written by John Paul Brammer that tells the love connection story of John and Maura, a couple who matched on Hinge, did not end up on a date, and about a year later, matched again on Hinge. We wanted to celebrate the diversity of different ways people meet on Hinge and just be really honest and authentic.