Nick Cowling, CEO of Citizen Relations, unpacks a new report that challenges Gen Z stereotypes and offers brands a roadmap for authentic engagement.
Gen Z remains marketing’s most desired, and misunderstood, audience. Too often reduced to stereotypes, this generation defies easy definition. To truly connect, brands must look beyond clichés and uncover the real motivations driving Gen Z’s choices and behaviours.
That’s where PR agency Citizen Relations steps in. Its new report, The Gen Z Collective, uses audience intelligence to go deeper, identifying five distinct personas that challenge conventional thinking and open new pathways for authentic engagement.
Nick Cowling, CEO of Citizen Relations, reveals how the report’s insights will help brands to build meaningful connections with this influential cohort.
What are you trying to achieve with report and the creation of the five personas?
The reality is, Gen Z is incredibly nuanced, complex, and fast-moving. This complexity is precisely why so many marketers struggle to connect, and why so many campaigns fall flat.
Now, let me preface this: the five personas we’ve identified aren’t set in stone. They are a snapshot of Gen Z as they are today, not a fixed or unchanging label.
We wanted to get far beyond surface-level stereotypes. We dug into the foundational factors that actually drive their behavior at every stage of the customer journey – from their career ambitions and purchasing habits to financial decisions and aversion to risk.
We uncovered how they see the economy, where they find community, and what they truly value. From these core insights, five distinct personas took shape. But there is still so much depth to explore.
And to what extent does the report address misconceptions brands/marketers may have about Gen Z?
I wouldn’t call them misconceptions as much as critical oversimplifications. A perfect example is the common assumption that all Gen Zers are “digital natives” who want to live their entire lives online. That idea just doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.
Sure, it might ring true for one of our personas, the “Beta Testers,” but it completely misses the mark for others. Our “Anxious Avoiders,” for instance, are deeply concerned about data privacy and their digital footprint. Meanwhile, the “Risk Junkies” actively prioritize finding community offline, away from the digital landscape. You see this spectrum of digital engagement across all five groups. The crux of it is that Gen Z, like any generation, is just far more complex and contradictory than the lazy labels we often stick on them.
What are the common themes/behaviours that marketers should look to embrace when targeting Gen Z?
The entire purpose of our research is to show marketers that falling into the trap of a “one-size-fits-all” strategy with Gen Z just doesn’t work. That said, if there is one universal truth, it’s this: Gen Z is incredibly discerning and just as skeptical. They have the most sensitive “BS detector” of any generation, and they can spot disingenuity from a mile away.
And, unlike other consumers, they will absolutely call you out on it. Take a look at the fire American Eagle faced with its Sydney Sweeney campaign, or e.l.f. Cosmetics with Matt Rife. Gen Z felt the disconnect, and they didn’t hold back. Marketers have to be certain that their core message genuinely aligns with the specific persona they’re trying to connect with.
Which of the personas would you say is the most unexpected, and will surprise marketers the most?
It has to be the “Risk Junkies.” They are a true paradox, which is why they’re so unexpected. For example, they are incredibly tech-savvy, true digital natives, but they are almost completely immune to digital advertising. They just don’t care about it. They’re ambitious, they love to take risks, but they also deeply crave community and a sense of belonging. They’re the quirky, unpredictable ones in the cohort, and frankly, they’re the hardest for any brand to pin down.
But there’s a second, broader surprise here that marketers keep missing, and it’s about age. We all tend to forget that Gen Z isn’t just a synonym for teenager. The oldest are pushing 30. They’re established in their careers, they’re buying homes, they’re getting married, and they’re having kids. This is where our “Value Vigilantes” persona really shines a light. While no single persona is just “older Gen Z,” the “Value Vigilantes” strongly represent this life stage. They’re the ones moving towards settling down, putting down roots, and thinking long-term.
You mention at the top of the report that Gen Z moves at “warp speed” How does this show up and influence their behaviours towards brands?
This is the first generation to grow up where constant, rapid change isn’t an event, it’s the baseline. A new iPhone every year, a new social platform dominating the conversation, trends that ignite and burn out in weeks – they’re not just used to that pace, they’re adapted to it.
This means they live in a world of constant stimulation, and as a result, it takes a lot to earn a slice of their attention.
And what can marketers do about this – how can they create moments and longer forms of engagement in the busy lives of Gen Z?
You have to go beyond the surface and ask: Where do they actually live in culture? What are they consuming? What are the real, day-to-day issues they’re navigating? Understanding how they live and breathe is the only way a brand can earn the right to connect.
So how does a brand cut through? You don’t market to them. You create moments of cultural conversation with them. You equip them with the information and access they crave, and they will naturally bring you into their orbit. It’s about swapping the megaphone for a scalpel. It’s about precision – finding the right approach for the right person.
One theme that emerges is the existence of fatigue and anxiety among some in Gen Z. What tips can you offer to marketers about how to appeal to these people?
This isn’t happening in a vacuum. Let’s be real: as a society, we’re all running on fumes. You just have to look at the world around us to see why. That said, Gen Z really wasn’t set up for success. This is a generation whose most formative, social years were stolen by a pandemic, forcing them into isolation. Our data clearly shows that all the personas are dealing with anxiety; they just cope with it in different ways.
This is the “why” behind trends like “kidulting” or ‘”little treats.” The tip isn’t just to be sensitive, it’s to first understand how this anxiety shapes their persona’s worldview and what they’re already doing to cope. Once you see that, you can connect authentically. Because, across the board, Gen Z is just looking for comfort, community, and belonging. It simply looks different for each one.
Finally, can you talk us through the process of how you work with brands to ensure they move beyond a singular view of Gen Z?
It always, always begins with data. Our Intelligence & Insights team has developed custom, AI-powered tools to go deep, monitoring our client’s brand and their entire ecosystem. From that foundation, our team builds out the personas. This is the critical step. The five in this report are a powerful starting point, but for our clients, we build custom personas that are specific to their audience and their unique challenges.
But here’s the part that really makes it work: those insights don’t just live in a presentation deck. They become the central strategy. From there, it’s a seamless integration where our strategy, PR, experiential, digital, and creative teams all come together. When we work with brands, we’re building a partnership. And that entire process is built on a huge level of trust. Having the right data/information helps, but the results are the real proof point.
