WGSN:Zennials: TheIn-BetweenGenerationWe revisit two consumer groups brandsknow well, Millennials and Gen Z,spotlighting their similarities anddifferences, while uncovering the micro-generation sandwiched between. Meetthe Zennials

Cassandra Napoli | 05.22.209 minutes

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AnalysisCracking the code to youth marketing has become a universal struggle acrossthe globe and across categories. Digitisation has transformed the world andconsumers are growing up quicker as a result, pushing brands to rethink howthey segment consumers and how they speak to them.

Demographics have traditionally de�ned groups of people across a 15-year timespan who boasted similar attitudes and behaviours. But in a period of tech-celleration and rapid innovation, 15-year spans may no longer be adequate when itcomes down to accurate labelling.

Micro-generations (also known as "fringe" or "cusp" groups) offer brands the abilityto better understand consumer attitudes (and how they change within 15 years andwhere they intersect), which can transform the way brands market their products.Cusp groups such as Zennials straddle two demographics and typically embodycharacteristics of both generations. While Millennials and Gen Z are two groupswith distinct identities and expectations around messaging, Zennials represent acluster of consumers with blended expectations. Brands can either choose to goafter one segment or opt for more general messaging that taps into the Zennialpsyche, ultimately catering to both groups who have a combined spending powerof nearly $3tn.

In this report, we uncover the complexity of generational groupings, highlighting thedifferences between Western Millennials and Gen Z, and articulating Zennials, themicro-generation, operating between the two. This report is based off �ndings in aquantitative survey of 1,395 Zennials via Instagram polls and a focus group of 100Zennials. The results will help brands better understand two consumers theyalready know well, but don’t necessarily understand the differences between. It mayalso help create more targeted consumer personas that straddle both groups.Some names of survey participants have been changed.

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Decoding demographic labelsWith the fast-moving nature of the world, it's hardto justify that someone born at the start and tailend of that generation would share the samebehaviours and attitudes. How could a Millennialborn in 1980 embody the same rituals andoutlook on the world as someone born in 1994,when the circumstances of the world they grew upin and their experiences with technology are sodifferent?

In this era of rapid digital acceleration, thedifferences within a 15-year span are even morepronounced as the world shifts quicker than everbefore, creating new consumer paradigms atrecord speed.

Generational labels: WGSN Insight closely tracks�ve generations: Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, GenZ and Alphas, but it doesn’t stop there. Micro-generations are also closely monitored, existing atthe tail ends of each cohort. These are typicallysmaller groups born in bursts of time that extendonly six years, versus the 15 years a generationtypically stretches on for.

It's understood that the truest de�nition of ageneration is found in those born within themiddle of a generation's 15-year span, but thesecusp cohorts (operating on the fringes) helpbrands understand the disparity within a groupand the link between two generations.

Micro-generations: transitional generations arenot a new concept, but in a time of rapid changethat dramatically transforms the way societyshops, connects and communicates,understanding these groups can help marketersbetter serve wider audiences, and consumersseem to agree.

In a recent survey conducted by WGSN, 60% of100 individuals aged 22 to 28 said they feelgenerations should be shorter periods of time asthey don't feel adequately represented by beingbucketed into either Millennial or Gen Z labels.

Consumers actually want brands to put in thework to get to know who they are, beyond asimple grouping based on birth year. WhenBrianne of New York City was asked if she likesbeing associated with Gen Z given that she is a22-year-old, she said: "Not at all! I just downloadedTikTok this week, I'm not up-to-date on memeculture, my skin cringes at the sight of VSCO girls,[and] if I were to get a text from a 15-year-old, Idon't think I'd have the slightest clue what theywere saying."

Xennials and Zennials: up until this point, themost famous micro-generation had been theXennials, the small but mighty group straddlingGen X and Millennials, born between 1976 and1982. Despite being perched between the Xers(known as the "forgotten generation" �lled withcynics) and Millennials (who are time-poor, debt-

born too late to be impacted by the economichardship of the late 1980s and despite being tooold to be deemed a digital-�rst group, they quicklycaught up with technology and also share thatsame optimism common to Millennials, provingjust how unique this group is compared to thedemographics they're sitting between. Zennials,nestled between Millennials and Gen Z and bornbetween 1992 and 1998, represent the nextiteration of a cusp cohort under spotlight.

Rebranding youth: in the recent past, marketershave made the mistake of grouping Millennialsand Gen Z under a unifying youth moniker withoutrecognising the nuances of both parties andwhere their behaviours and attitudes intersect.Brands must get to know Zennials and their link toboth Millennials and Gen Z in order to delivermore effective marketing.

Also consider tapping into the collective youthfulspirit by exploring mindset marketing, combiningpsychographics with demographics. Uncover theshared emotional states and attitudes ofMillennials and Gen Z (think anxiety orskepticism) in order to create messaging andexperiences that resonate across the board.

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Brands can better understand customer segmentsbased on when they were born, what tech wasavailable at the time they came of age and howthis in�uenced their perception of money,community and connection later in life.

ridden and overworked), Xennials are consideredto be one of the luckiest cohorts. They were

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Generational recapMillennials and Gen Z are often lumped together despite being two differentcohorts de�ned by their own unique cultural perspectives and technologicalhabits. While both groups are socially savvy, they have their own relationshipswith platforms and were raised by members of different generations(Boomers raised Millennials, while Gen X raised Gen Z), which had an impacton shaping their outlook on life.

Who are Millennials? Born between 1980 and 1994, this group have clearmemories of a pre-digital world, spending their childhoods engaging inanalogue activities (visiting video stores to rent movies and libraries to borrowbooks) before embracing digital experiences as adults.

They were not born into a digital society, but quickly adapted as tweens andteens, which set the tone for the rest of their lives. "Millennials aged inside theinternet," said one WGSN survey participant.

The eldest Millennial graduated college just before or during the global�nancial crisis, which likely slowed their career progression.They entered alacklustre job market upon graduation, working in roles they wereoverquali�ed for just to pay back loans for the degree they weren't utilising.

Millennials bounced between jobs, giving rise to the gig economy and feedinghustle culture. Less well-off than their Boomer parents were at the same ageand earning less over their lifetimes, Millennials may have had to move in withtheir parents to save money and delay or even opt-out of marriage, childrenand home ownership.

Over the last 15 years, Millennial cliches have become a part of the popculture lexicon, accelerating with the rise of memes. They were called lazy,entitled and industry killers, but in reality, many were scrappy, resilient andcreative, rewriting the rules of work, connection and community.

They launched industries that gave birth to the experience economy andcatapulted conversations around the environment, body image and mentalhealth into the mainstream.

Who are Gen Z? born between 1995 and 2010, Gen Z is ushering in a'population tsunami'. This group is comprised of digital natives that turn tosocial media for everything. They're self-taught, pragmatic, resourceful and�uid in their identities and beliefs. Online almost constantly, they're laserfocused on curating their social feeds and personal brand, which areextensions of their IRL identities.

Like Millennials, who have their own set of contradictions (see MillennialExtremes), Gen Z comprises two sub-groups which represent two uniqueidentities under the Gen Z umbrella, as called out in our The Gen ZEquation report. There's Gen Me, the dominant force currently being marketedto, driven by status, style, success and hype. On the other end of spectrum isGen We, the small but mighty group of consumers forcing brands to rethinktheir strategies. This group is made up of change-makers unafraid to use theirvoice to advocate for causes they deem important, such as sustainability,equality and mental health.

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Millenials Zennials Gen Z

Tech and social savvy

Meme lords

Entrepreneurial

Eco-conscious

Skeptics

Socially and emotionally intelligent

Nostalgic

Digital native

Overworked and underpaid

Idealistic

Self-aware

Experience-drivenAdaptable

Resilient

Digital first

PragmaticIconoclastic

ResourcefulRealistic

Fluid (identities and beliefs)

Self-taught

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Meet the ZennialsThere is a difference between having knowledge of a major event and havingthat event directly impact your livelihood and safety. For example, when asked tode�ne a cultural or societal moment that shaped their outlook on life, mostZennials pointed to the global �nancial crisis of 2008.

The eldest Zennial was just 16 (the youngest aged 10), so most could notcomprehend how the crisis would impact their futures. They may have seen iteffect their parents or siblings, but Zennials were too young to have it alter theirown �nances or job prospects. What this crisis did do is instil fear in Zennials,which we know is an emotion that is a demographic uni�er. They came of agebaring witness to the impact the crisis had on older counterparts. While theeconomy recovered by the time they left school, Zennials knew it could happenagain.

As the world again braces for another recession, Zennials fear the impact will leavethem disadvantaged for years. When asked what she is most concerned with forthe future, Marta, 23 of London, said: "I fear that the situation and the recession willhave a long lasting impact on my career.”

Wars, violence and crisis such as Covid-19 were also named as de�ning momentsfor Zennials. They were just kids during 9/11 (some were even toddlers). While theeldest might have some memory of life before, Zennials were the �rst group togrow up in a post-9/11 world.

They endured the fear of gun violence in schools and racism and bigotry online.Political chaos (Brexit and the 2016 US election) de�ned their early adulthood, (theeldest were 24 and the youngest were voting for the �rst time at age 18).

Social media activism de�nes both Millennials and Gen Z, with many advocatingfor hashtag campaigns (think #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo ). As young adults,Zennials witnessed �rst hand how social silence became an act of compliance inthese hyper-sensitive times.

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Youth stigmaThe youth have historically gotten a bad wrap over time, leading to a certainstigma around being young. Millennials were cast as lazy and entitled, and nowGen Z are dubbed as self-centred fame chasers.

The generational pendulum is a �uid space for Zennials, who are sandwichedbetween two generations and in�uenced by both sides. Zennials are veryopinionated about where they stand on this spectrum and have showed strongpreferences.

Many feel too old to be Gen Z and assume they're Millennials by default. "[I] prefer[Millennial] to Gen Z because I don't relate to the TikTok or Emma Chamberlain-esque in�uencer vibes," said Jessie, 22 of Melbourne, Australia. In a global surveyof 1,395 Zennials, 70% admitted they feel more aligned with Millennial sentiments,while 30% said the same of Gen Z.

As each new crop of young people are cast off as inexperienced and blissfullyunaware of the workings of the world, ageism becomes an issue. "It used to beannoying because Millennials had such a bad reputation and got bad press all thetime. I think people understand us better now," said Carla, 27 of Switzerland. SomeZennials have fear that being branded as either Gen Z or Millennial can actuallytarnish their status and input in the workplace.

One London-based 24-year-old says she prefers to be seen as a Millennial so thather peers take her more seriously. "Within the context of my professional career[and] my seniority, I prefer to be grouped up", while 24-year-old Melissa, in Lincoln,UK, feels disposable, saying she's "too young to make a difference in the team, but[too] old to be considered [trendy] and fresh."

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