We wrote this text out of a very practical pain.

Generational labels (“Gen Z,” “Millennials”) and the talk about “Gen Z brands” have become a convenient substitute for real analysis: they can explain almost anything — and just as easily lead teams in the wrong direction. As a result, companies start building products, communication, and tone of voice on stereotypes, and lose sight of how people actually behave in the category.

At FANATIC, we’re a strategic agency that treats brand as a management system. We study markets and human behavior, develop brand ideologies, and help companies systematically implement the principles of brand-oriented organizations — so they can run their businesses more effectively. And we decided to challenge the most comfortable myth in marketing: that a “generation” label can replace a real understanding of the audience.

You can (and should) download the full research document as a PDF here.