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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsBrands can connect with Gen Z by being recognizable in what they offer and how they behave, while leaving consumers room to decide what those things mean to them. That means inviting participation, treating product design as a form of expression in its own right, and testing identity-related language with the specific audience and category. “Fluid generation” is a useful framing for this challenge—not a proven description of every Gen Z consumer.
What “fluid identity” means for a brand
Identity-related branding has a tension built into it: a brand can make people feel seen, but it can also sound as if it is telling them who they are. The distinction matters. A campaign can reference a community, interest, or way of expressing oneself without claiming that the brand gets to define the consumer’s identity or what it should mean.
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The evidence does not establish one universal Gen Z identity pattern. It spans different years, countries, research methods, and product contexts. The more useful lesson for marketers is to treat identity as something consumers may express in different ways—not as a segment label that predicts the same response from everyone.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteWhat the evidence says—and what it does not
| Evidence | What it found | What a brand can reasonably take from it |
|---|---|---|
| National Retail Federation and IBM Institute of Business Value, 2017 global study | The study page reports a survey of 15,600 respondents aged 13–21 and interviews with 20 senior executives. Among surveyed Gen Z respondents, 59 percent said they trusted brands they grew up with, while 44 percent said they would like the opportunity to submit product-design ideas. | Trust and appetite for participation are separate measures. These 2017 results are not a current estimate of all Gen Z consumers, and they do not show that participation itself causes trust. |
| Bhattacharjee, Berger, and Menon, Journal of Consumer Research, 2014 | Across five studies, messages that explicitly defined identity expression could reduce perceived agency and purchase likelihood compared with messages that referenced identity without explicitly defining it. | Reference identity without claiming authority over it. The finding concerns the tested messages and outcomes; it is not proof that every identity-focused campaign will backfire. |
| It is not always about brand: Design-driven consumers and their self-expression, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2018 | The study reports that design-dominant consumers may use product design to express uniqueness and social identity. Strong design dominance was associated with less reliance on brands as social-identity signals and weaker brand loyalty. | A product can carry expressive value without the brand being the main identity symbol. The association is a study finding, not a prediction about every consumer. |
| Unraveling gender labels: identity and brand love in Gen Z fashion consumption, Journal of Product & Brand Management, 2026 | Three experiments with US Gen Z participants examined “men’s,” “women’s,” “unisex,” and unlabeled clothing categories. Responses varied and were moderated by identity and self-esteem measures. | Test category language with the relevant audience and product. The experiments do not establish a blanket rule for all clothing, categories, or markets. |
| Conspicuous value as a pathway between self-presentation motives and brand loyalty: a generational analysis, Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 2025 | The study surveyed 583 users sharing Labubu collectible images on Chinese platforms. It reports relationships between self-expression, social-approval and identity-building motives, perceived conspicuous value, and loyalty; similar paths were reported across Gen Z and Gen Y. | This is evidence about collectible-image sharing in China, not a general measure of Gen Z’s relationship with brands. |
How to connect without prescribing identity
Make a reference, not a definition
Use identity-related language to open a door rather than assign a role. A brand can acknowledge that people use a product in different ways, or that an audience contains different perspectives, without presenting one approved way to belong. This follows the distinction tested by Bhattacharjee, Berger, and Menon: referencing identity is not the same as explicitly defining its expression.
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In practice, review campaign copy for statements that tell consumers what a product says about them, what people “like them” should want, or which identity category they belong in. Replace those claims with descriptions of the product, the choices available, or the people and uses represented—then check whether the revised language still sounds specific rather than generic.
Let participation be real and bounded
Participation is more credible when people can see what they are being invited to influence. A brand might ask for input on a design choice, a feature, or a future variation, then explain how that input will be considered. Do not imply that submitting an idea guarantees it will be adopted.
The 2017 NRF/IBM study’s finding that 44 percent of surveyed respondents aged 13–21 wanted an opportunity to submit product-design ideas supports considering such invitations; it does not show that every audience wants the same role or that crowdsourcing will improve a product. Offer participation where it is feasible, clarify its limits, and keep it distinct from a claim about trust.
Give the product room to speak
Design can carry meaning independently of brand symbolism. The 2018 design-dominance study suggests some consumers may use product design to express uniqueness or social identity while relying less on brands as identity signals. That is a reason to assess the product itself—its appearance, options, and usefulness—instead of assuming that a logo or campaign can supply all of its expressive value.
This also changes how a brand should interpret weaker loyalty. A consumer choosing a product for its design rather than for its brand may not be rejecting self-expression; the brand may simply not be the primary vehicle for it. The study does not establish that design-led consumers as a group behave identically, so use this as a possibility to investigate, not a customer label.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Test identity language against the actual audience
Labels that appear inclusive in the abstract can land differently depending on the person, product, and market. The 2026 US clothing-label experiments found varied responses to “men’s,” “women’s,” “unisex,” and unlabeled categories, with identity and self-esteem measures moderating responses. That supports testing options rather than declaring one label universally best.
- Define the decision. Identify the exact wording or design choice at issue, such as a clothing-category label, campaign line, or product-navigation term.
- Recruit the relevant audience. Match the people, country, and product category to the decision. Do not treat a result from one US fashion context as a rule for other markets or categories.
- Compare plausible alternatives. Test the current wording against options that reference identity, explicitly categorize the product, or avoid a label. Ask what people understand, whether they feel represented or constrained, and whether they can find the product.
- Measure distinct outcomes separately. Record comprehension, perceived agency, purchase likelihood, trust, participation, or loyalty as separate measures rather than collapsing them into a single “Gen Z response.”
- Use the result within its bounds. Apply what you learn to the tested audience and decision. Recheck when the product, market, or audience changes.
Do not confuse trust, purchase intent, and loyalty
Brand strategy often treats “connection” as if it were one outcome. The evidence here measures different things: the 2017 study reports trust and interest in submitting product ideas; the 2014 paper examines perceived agency and purchase likelihood; the 2018 study discusses brand reliance and loyalty; and the 2025 Labubu research models perceived conspicuous value and loyalty. One measure cannot stand in for another.
For a campaign or product decision, choose the outcome that matches the business question. If the aim is to learn whether people feel a message leaves them agency, measure that directly. If the question is whether an invitation earns useful participation, count and assess the contributions. If the question concerns repeat choice, evaluate loyalty separately. This makes it less likely that a positive result on one measure will be overstated as proof of broad affinity.
Use audience research for a defined question
When internal knowledge is limited, a specialist research resource can be one input. Dazed Studio describes its 2026 Gen Z and Gen Alpha report as combining original survey research, cultural analysis, expert interviews, social listening, and editorial insight, and advertises bespoke workshops. That establishes the scope of the offering, not that it is suitable for every brand, category, or market. Any external research should be checked for the audience sampled, geography, method, and the decision it can actually inform.
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