Generation Z: Understanding The Youngest Generation & Their Power To Resurrect Brands

Fila

Gen Z consumers are more likely to support and share a brand, product or company if they see another friend sharing it as well.

Chunky sneakers were all the rave in the ‘90s, but went out of style into the early aughts, as low-rise, flared jeans and platform sandals became popular. After a 20 year hiatus, it seems like the trend is back and flourishing among Gen Z—scroll through Instagram today and you’ll see multitudes of budding fashionistas sporting a pair of chunky “dad” sneakers in every color.

Fila has been making sportswear since the beginning of the 20th century, long before chunky shoes became fashionable. As a brand, they’re frontrunners in crafting the mix of athleisure and street style that is explosively popular among Gen Z. But it wasn’t just ‘90s nostalgia that allowed Fila to reclaim its status as a top brand in the late 2010s—it was intentional and strategic marketing, made for the digital age.

Fila’s team leveraged the power of influencer marketing to create a sense of FOMO that truly rang in Gen Z’s ears. As a teen, being fashionable and cool is important. As a Gen Z teen, being fashionable and cool in your own way is important. So when Fila activated hundreds of different influencers to create hundreds of different looks with their shoes, they spoke to the generation that values individuality, diversity, peer recommendations, and social media when making buying decisions. And it worked.

Crocs

While Fila was in hibernation, Crocs was on the up-and-up. Crocs was a huge hit in the early 2000s, selling 50 million pairs of shoes a year by 2007 13 . But in just one year, the brand lost its attractiveness to consumers and saw a staggering $200 million loss in 2008 13 .

To regain popularity, they implemented a clever marketing strategy that showed self-awareness of their own brand perception and also full understanding of what would grab the younger generation’s attention.

Crocs began building a robust influencer marketing strategy to show how their product could once again fit into consumers’ lives. With each new release of platform clogs, slides, or sneakers, they leveraged influencers to create the looks that went with the shoes. They relentlessly reminded consumers of their existence and that the shoes they made were evolving.

In addition to micro-influencers, the brand collaborated with Balenciaga, a high-end brand known for its ironic take on fashion, and Post Malone, whose personality has become a meme among Gen Zers, to capitalize on what people thought about Crocs: that they were bulky, uncool and too chunky. They took ownership of this perception and turned it into a fashion statement: chunky shoes are in, and everyone’s wearing them.

As of 2019, Crocs has reclaimed its place as a market leader, being ranked the 13th favorite brand among teens and is continuing on an upward trajectory 14 .