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Ranked: Gen Z’s Favorite Brands, Compared with Older Generations

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Gen Z’s Favorite Brands, Compared with Older Generations

Generation Z’s favorite brands, in absolute terms, aren’t wildly different from preferences of other generations, with Walmart, Google, and Netflix ranking high. But when it comes to the brands that do the best with Gen Z compared to their elders, the list shakes up dramatically.

This ranking uses consumer preference data from Morning Consult to show which brands are favored considerably more by Gen Z when compared to the general public. A brand’s rank is determined by the difference in favorability between Gen Z’s survey responses and the average of all U.S. adult respondents.

Note: Gen Z is the generation born between 1997-2012. Favorability in this ranking is measured using the share of a generation who said they have a “very” or “somewhat” favorable opinion of said brand.

Brands Preferred by Gen Z

Compared to Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers, who may not care as much for these 20 brands, Gen Z—currently between 9-25 years old—loves them. Let’s dive in:

RankBrandFavorability Difference U.S. Adult FavorabilityGen Z Favorability
#1TikTok+3039%69%
#2Discord+2921%50%
#3Snapchat+2935%64%
#4Instagram+2548%73%
#5Cash App+2541%66%
#6Spotify+2347%70%
#7Shein+2222%44%
#8Trolli+2124%45%
#9Twitch+2121%42%
#10Apple Pay+2039%59%
#11DoorDash+18.746.7%65.5%
#12Fenty Beauty+18.617.1%35.7%
#13Reddit+17.833.0%50.7%
#14Twitter+17.333.7%50.9%
#15Epic Games+17.124.9%42.0%
#16Roblox+16.822.0%38.7%
#17Vans+16.551.7%68.2%
#18Xbox+16.448.4%64.8%
#19Capri Sun+16.260.4%76.6%
#20PlayStation+15.956.4%72.2%

Note: Differences may not add up exactly due to rounding.

Unsurprisingly, TikTok takes the top spot. The app that is frequently used to poke fun at older generations and that in many ways is a reflection of Gen Z culture, is 30 points more favorable with the young generation than others.

Members of Gen Z are the first true “digital natives”—meaning they were raised in the age of digital technology. As a result, many of their favorite brands are either some kind of social media platform and/or digital service, like Apple Pay, Snapchat, or Spotify. In fact, eight of Gen Z’s top 10 favorites on the above list are digital brands.

Another distinguishing feature of consumers in this generation is that they’re more likely to care about brand ethics and sustainable consumption than other generations.

However, one brand among their top 20 that defies that sentiment is the Chinese clothing company, Shein. This fast fashion company’s model promotes a culture of mass clothing hauls and thus, clothing waste—making it far from environmentally conscious. Shein has also come under fire recently for violating labor laws in its Chinese production facilities. And yet 44% of Gen Zs have a good impression of the brand, and it particularly does well with Gen Z women.

Interestingly, members of Gen Z in the U.S. are also the first cohort to have strong awareness of Chinese brands more generally.

Gen Z vs. Millennials

Two generations that are often lumped together, Gen Z and Millennials have some considerable differences when it comes to their favorite brands. Here’s a brief look at some of the brands that do better with Gen Z compared to Millennials specifically, using favorability difference:

  • TikTok: 14.2
  • Crocs: 13.4
  • Pixar: 8.1
  • Morphe: 6.1

Compared to their generational neighbors, one interesting standout is Crocs—the utilitarian, but highly-customizable foam clogs—which almost 60% of Gen Zs see as favorable compared to only 46% of Millennials.

Gen Z’s Favorite Brands Overall

While Gen Z differentiates itself from the older generations in many ways, a lot of the overall favorites still align with everyone else’s.

RankBrandFavorability
#1YouTube86.2%
#2Google83.9%
#3Netflix82.2%
#4Amazon80.3%
#5M&Ms79.8%
#6Walmart79.8%
#7Target79.7%
#8Doritos79.3%
#9Kit Kat79.0%
#10Oreo78.6%
#11Gatorade78.5%
#12Nike78.4%
#13Cheetos77.5%
#14Dollar Tree77.4%
#15Sprite77.4%
#16Pringles76.7%
#17Capri Sun 76.6%
#18Pixar76.6%
#19Skittles76.3%
#20Apple75.9%

Removing the favorability difference score reveals that many of the most popular brands overall still win out, such as Netflix, Google, and Amazon.

Gen Z Trends

Overall, the report found that it’s hard for brands to win with Gen Z. Across all brands that were scored, 33% of the general American public rated them as favorable, but for Gen Z respondents the number dropped to 27%.

In general, Gen Z tends to value conscious consumption and subsequently, brands that can meet those expectations. Digital services and products also do well with this generation that has never known a world without internet.

As more and more Gen Zers enter the labor market and grow their consumer power, they will be an important generation to watch.

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Markets

Ranked: Top 10 Most Valuable Airline Brands Since 2013

Airline brands have seen big up and down swings in valuation as of late. See how the 10 largest brand have changed from 2013 to 2022.

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Shareable Top 10 Airlines

Top 10 Most Valuable Airline Brands Since 2013

The global airline industry was experiencing strong growth before the pandemic wiped out years of momentum.

Global travel went from 1.9 billion scheduled passengers per year in 2004 to 4.7 billion in 2019, before dropping back down to 1.8 billion in 2020. And while the recovery story has begun, the values of the top airline brands have been significantly impacted.

This graphic from Julie R. Peasley shows the most valuable airline brands from 2013 to 2022, using data from Brand Finance. Each airline brand is also categorized by home continent.

Most Valuable Airlines From 2013‒2022

After two back-to-back years of suffered declines, brand values for the top airlines changed course and rose in 2022.

American companies have long dominated the airline space when categorized by brand value. American Airlines, Delta, United, and Southwest have represented four of the top five since 2017, with their brands worth a collective value of $24.1 billion in 2022.

CompanyBrand Value ($B)Region
Delta$7.3North America
American Airlines$6.3North America
United Airlines$5.5North America
Emirates$5.0Middle East
Southwest Airlines$5.0North America
Air Canada$2.5North America
Air China$2.4Asia
Lufthansa$2.3Europe
China southern$2.3Asia
ANA$2.3Asia

First-place Delta in particular has remained in either the top spot or second place since 2014. On the other hand, second-place American Airlines was not even in the top 10 in 2013, but rapidly climbed past companies like United, Lufthansa, and British Airways.

Emirates is also a serious competitor and has won numerous awards for customer service. The UAE-based airliner even held the most valuable title for four consecutive years from 2013 to 2016.

Will Airline Brands Recover?

While views amongst some airline executives are a lot more optimistic now, it’s fair to say the pandemic resulted in some considerable industry turmoil.

After all, in 2020 industry revenues declined by 54% from $838 billion in 2019.

As a result, you’ll notice each brand is below their historic high values. But as travel is projected to make a full comeback, recovery and higher brand values might be on the horizon.

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