{"id":98495,"date":"2020-01-16T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/?p=98495"},"modified":"2025-05-14T13:34:52","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T18:34:52","slug":"turtlenecks-tenacity-and-the-truth-what-i-learned-speaking-to-gen-z-on-three-continents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/turtlenecks-tenacity-and-the-truth-what-i-learned-speaking-to-gen-z-on-three-continents\/","title":{"rendered":"Turtlenecks, Tenacity, and the Truth: What I Learned Speaking to Gen Z on Three Continents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s hard to start out a panel discussion with a fashion faux pas, but that\u2019s exactly what happened to me during one of the panels we hosted at our 2019 global summits<\/a>, in which we pressure tested our annual Gen Z research<\/a> with real live members of this generation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was wearing my favorite turtleneck when one of the panelists, a 20-year-old college student, quite matter of factly said she wouldn\u2019t be caught dead wearing one. Ego-bruising aside, her comment made me reflect: How aligned with or distant from this generation am I? Is it just fashion or are there other areas where Gen Z has surprising ideas about the way things should be? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After wrapping up all the panels<\/a> in 2019, I thought about it some more, and it became clear that Gen Z is indeed bringing new ways of thinking to the table. More importantly, they have a refreshing desire for truth and authenticity that\u2019s poised to reshape the future for all of us.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we enter 2020 and a new decade, I\u2019ve rebounded from the turtleneck slight, and based on the Gen Zers I spoke to across three continents, I\u2019m excited and optimistic about how this generation is going to push marketing and technology to the next level.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across all three of our panels, it was apparent that trust is an exceedingly important factor for this generation. Gen Z wants and expects highly personalized digital experiences, but in order to provide them, brands have to be faithful stewards of consumer data and make good on the types of digital experiences they\u2019ve promised.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, all of our panelists overwhelmingly agreed that they would provide personal data to a website if it meant they\u2019d receive a more personalized experience in exchange. But if that trust was breached, and the experience they receive is not what they expected, they would also quickly take their business elsewhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are so many other options out there,\u201d one panelist in the UK said. \u201cIf we\u2019re not getting what we want from a digital experience, it\u2019s easy to find the same thing somewhere else.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Displaying good faith and trustworthiness is something Gen Z expects, far more than their predecessors. They see engagement with a website as a two-way street\u2014a digital exchange\u2014and if that exchange feels one-sided, it will send them elsewhere in a heartbeat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By being upfront and honest, brands will attract a loyal Gen Z customer base that\u2019s more likely to keep coming back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/
Gen Z respondents at our summit in Australia discussed the types of digital experiences that resonate most with their generation <\/em>  <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I was also impressed by the tenacity shown by each and every panelist\u2014none of them were waiting for things to come to them, they were actively pursuing their goals. Most were still in college but had already launched some sort of career, which is a departure from previous generations who often \u201cwaited their turn\u201d before diving into entrepreneurship.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen Z is not waiting for a conventional career path to unfold; they are taking matters into their own hands. Here, this generation\u2019s familiarity with the digital world makes them natural entrepreneurs. Unlike prior generations, in a short period of time, they\u2019ve accumulated expertise in branding, honed by years of seeing what works on social media. Further, because of social media, podcasts, YouTube, and more, they\u2019re more comfortable reaching out to mentors in their field. With the majority (64%) of new U.S. businesses expected to start online (across all generations) Gen Z has an inherent advantage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was true for all of our panelists\u2014those going into traditional lines of business and those who were starting their own. For example, in the UK, one of our panelists, a medical student, said he was looking forward to applying new technology and advances in the digital world to medicine.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another respondent, who wanted to start a cleaning business, said she planned on doing so by launching an app (think ride-sharing for house cleaners). This spirit of digital entrepreneurship is just a part of Gen Z\u2019s being. Companies can\u2019t think of Gen Z as simply consumers, collaboration and partnership will be key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whereas \u201cuser-generated content\u201d was the buzzword of the past decade, this generation is going to want user-generated product innovation. The sooner we embrace this concept, the better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/
Gen Z panelists in the U.S. talked about the value of authenticity when trying to reach their generation  <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Authenticity is also a major value for Gen Z\u2014they expect it from their peers and they demand it from the brands they engage with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Australia, this was evidenced by one panelist\u2019s response about a recent LinkedIn ad campaign, In It Together<\/a>, and how effective that campaign\u2014which followed real-life job-seekers\u2019 in their job hunts\u2014had been in reaching her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy the end of the campaign, I felt like I knew the job-seekers,\u201d she said. \u201cI still remember their names. I think it was a fantastic campaign because I could personally identify with their struggles.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, she added, a social media post that came out around the same time featuring fashion model Gigi Hadid eating McDonald\u2019s fries felt inauthentic\u2014off-brand for both McDonald\u2019s and the model.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy friends and I saw that and said, \u2018she doesn\u2019t eat McDonald\u2019s, she\u2019s a Victoria’s Secret model!\u2019 I think Linkedin did a much better job of getting their message across.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This burning desire for authenticity was a consistent theme across all of our panels. Because Gen Z recognizes the value of their own brand, they are less tolerant of hyperbole, which, as a marketer, is a hard pill to swallow. Nonetheless, based on my discussions with this generation, brands will have to find new ways of toeing the line and positioning themselves if they don\u2019t want to alienate Gen Z.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of that, I believe this generation will make us better marketers as we will have to pressure test against every value proposition we put out there, forcing us to become more creative, authentic storytellers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/
n the UK, Gen Z panelists explained why they prefer personalized experiences and why they would offer personal information in exchange for them<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With all of the panels behind me and time to think about all of the positive traits this generation exudes, I actually believe Gen Z is going to guide us to a more open and honest future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m entering the new year and the new decade super impressed with Gen Z and excited for what they\u2019ll accomplish. This is a generation we should lean in to, and extend them a helping hand, even if it means ditching my turtleneck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, stay tuned\u2014we\u2019ll be publishing our next round of Gen Z research<\/a> in the spring, and I can\u2019t wait to see the new results.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s hard to start out a panel discussion with a fashion faux pas, but that\u2019s exactly what happened to me during one of the panels we hosted at our 2019 global summits, in which we pressure tested our annual Gen Z research with real live members of this generation.\u00a0 I was wearing my favorite turtleneck…<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":98497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nTurtlenecks, Tenacity, and the Truth: What I Learned Speaking to Gen Z on Three Continents<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Based on the conversations I had with Gen Zers this past year, I\u2019m excited about how they're going to push marketing and technology to the next level.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Turtlenecks, Tenacity, and the Truth: What I Learned Speaking to Gen Z on Three Continents\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Based on the conversations I had with Gen Zers this past year, I\u2019m excited about how they're going to push marketing and technology to the next level.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/turtlenecks-tenacity-and-the-truth-what-i-learned-speaking-to-gen-z-on-three-continents\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"WP Engine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wpengine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-01-16T14:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-14T18:34:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/GenZ_2020.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mary Ellen Dugan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@wpengine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@wpengine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mary Ellen Dugan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/turtlenecks-tenacity-and-the-truth-what-i-learned-speaking-to-gen-z-on-three-continents\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/turtlenecks-tenacity-and-the-truth-what-i-learned-speaking-to-gen-z-on-three-continents\/\",\"name\":\"Turtlenecks, Tenacity, and the Truth: What I Learned Speaking to Gen Z on Three Continents\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-01-16T14:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-14T18:34:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/c9af30f8465119d904708d4163ef7dcf\"},\"description\":\"Based on the conversations I had with Gen Zers this past year, I\u2019m excited about how they're going to push marketing and technology to the next level.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/turtlenecks-tenacity-and-the-truth-what-i-learned-speaking-to-gen-z-on-three-continents\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/turtlenecks-tenacity-and-the-truth-what-i-learned-speaking-to-gen-z-on-three-continents\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/turtlenecks-tenacity-and-the-truth-what-i-learned-speaking-to-gen-z-on-three-continents\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Turtlenecks, Tenacity, and the Truth: What I Learned Speaking to Gen Z on Three Continents\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/\",\"name\":\"WP Engine\",\"description\":\"Managed Hosting for WordPress\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/c9af30f8465119d904708d4163ef7dcf\",\"name\":\"Mary Ellen Dugan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e6efeb19554e38e1cb441bdf453d669627ae05f3dcdc2d0e1f2f8294c9c8ad10?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e6efeb19554e38e1cb441bdf453d669627ae05f3dcdc2d0e1f2f8294c9c8ad10?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mary Ellen Dugan\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Turtlenecks, Tenacity, and the Truth: What I Learned Speaking to Gen Z on Three Continents","description":"Based on the conversations I had with Gen Zers this past year, I\u2019m excited about how they're going to push marketing and technology to the next level.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Turtlenecks, Tenacity, and the Truth: What I Learned Speaking to Gen Z on Three Continents","og_description":"Based on the conversations I had with Gen Zers this past year, I\u2019m excited about how they're going to push marketing and technology to the next level.","og_url":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/turtlenecks-tenacity-and-the-truth-what-i-learned-speaking-to-gen-z-on-three-continents\/","og_site_name":"WP Engine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wpengine","article_published_time":"2020-01-16T14:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-05-14T18:34:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/GenZ_2020.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mary Ellen Dugan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@wpengine","twitter_site":"@wpengine","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mary Ellen Dugan","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/turtlenecks-tenacity-and-the-truth-what-i-learned-speaking-to-gen-z-on-three-continents\/","url":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/turtlenecks-tenacity-and-the-truth-what-i-learned-speaking-to-gen-z-on-three-continents\/","name":"Turtlenecks, Tenacity, and the Truth: What I Learned Speaking to Gen Z on Three Continents","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-01-16T14:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-14T18:34:52+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/c9af30f8465119d904708d4163ef7dcf"},"description":"Based on the conversations I had with Gen Zers this past year, I\u2019m excited about how they're going to push marketing and technology to the next level.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/turtlenecks-tenacity-and-the-truth-what-i-learned-speaking-to-gen-z-on-three-continents\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/turtlenecks-tenacity-and-the-truth-what-i-learned-speaking-to-gen-z-on-three-continents\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/turtlenecks-tenacity-and-the-truth-what-i-learned-speaking-to-gen-z-on-three-continents\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Turtlenecks, Tenacity, and the Truth: What I Learned Speaking to Gen Z on Three Continents"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/#website","url":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/","name":"WP Engine","description":"Managed Hosting for WordPress","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/c9af30f8465119d904708d4163ef7dcf","name":"Mary Ellen Dugan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e6efeb19554e38e1cb441bdf453d669627ae05f3dcdc2d0e1f2f8294c9c8ad10?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e6efeb19554e38e1cb441bdf453d669627ae05f3dcdc2d0e1f2f8294c9c8ad10?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mary Ellen Dugan"}}]}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98495\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}