2024年2月，26岁的莉亚·马库斯与27岁的亚萨曼·巴赫蒂亚尔意识到，她们推出的首款产品“辣妹泡菜”需要一个极具辨识度的外观设计。
in February 2024, Leah Marcus, 26, and Yasaman Bakhtiar, 27, knew they'd need a distinct look for their debut product, Hot Girl Pickles.
在她们看来，市面上常见的泡菜包装都千篇一律：乏味、毫无特色，还带着那种让人反感的黄绿色调。马库斯表示，两位创始人希望打造出与传统食品品牌截然相反的营销卖点及品牌形象。于是她们选用了霓虹粉与蓝绿色作为包装主色调，还在Instagram上发布了用安全套包裹莳萝泡菜的图片。这样的设计并非为了显得诱人可口，而是一种态度宣言：“我们所做的一切都是为了引发人们的反响，”马库斯说道。
Pickle aisles, to them, all looked the same. Bland. Sanitized. Chartreuse. The founders instead aimed for a marketing hook and brand look "that were completely the opposite" of what conventional food brands do, says Marcus. They went with neon pink and turquoise labels, and Instagram posts of dill pickles wrapped in condoms blunts The message wasn't supposed to look delicious. It was a statement: "Everything we do is to create a reaction," Marcus says. Young customers, online and in stores like Erewhon, are here for it.
年轻消费者们，无论是在线上还是像Erewhon这样的实体店中，都十分买账。
Gen Z consumers — those ages 14 to 29, specifically — tend to appreciate an unvarnished approach from brands, says Americus Reed, a marketing professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
宾夕法尼亚大学沃顿商学院的市场营销学教授阿梅里库斯·里德指出，14至29岁的Z世代消费者往往更欣赏品牌那种直率坦诚的沟通方式。他们乐于接受那些能清晰传达品牌价值观的营销内容——无论是时尚理念、环保理念，还是对美味且更具吸引力的泡菜的追求——这样他们就能借助这些品牌元素向朋友与粉丝传递自己看重的东西。
They engage with marketing that clearly shows what individual brands value — whether it's style, the environment or a tastier, sexier pickle — so they can use the same branding to tell their friends and followers what matters to them, Reed says.
里德称，吸引Z世代的品牌“与其说是广告牌，倒更像是一盒能拼凑出个人身份的乐高积木”。消费者购买这些产品，其实是为了借此传达某种信息：“嘿，我富有创意、独具个性、注重环保与健康、敢于反叛、包容开放且见多识广。”当然，也可能只是想表达“嘿，我懂这个梗”。如今越来越多的企业都意识到了这一点：像巴赫蒂亚尔与马库斯这样选择大胆配色与犀利文案的品牌不在少数，还有些品牌则打造了自嘲式的吉祥物或开展了巧妙的品牌联名活动。如今，似乎所有企业都在积极迎合网络潮流。
Brands that appeal to Gen Z act "less like a billboard and more like a box of identity Legos," Reed says. The products they buy attempt to "help these Gen Zers communicate something, whether it be, 'Hey, I am creative, I'm iconic, I'm environmentally aware, health conscious, rebellious, inclusive, culturally informed.' Or, you know, just simply, 'Hey, I'm in on this joke.'" More companies are catching on. Some like Bakhtiar and Marcus opt for dynamic color palettes and spicy missives, while others create self-deprecating mascots and smart brand collaborations. Everyone seems to be participating in internet trends.
但要让对安全套佩戴腌黄瓜有积极反应的客户产生兴趣，说起来容易做起来难，而且肯定没有放之四海而皆准的策略。关键在于当梗出现时要迅速行动，并且以一种符合品牌调性的方式去做，因为Z世代“能察觉到其中的不真诚”，25岁的兰德·里维拉说，他为总部位于纽约的营销公司Athletics工作，并运营着自己的同名品牌公司。
But making inroads with a customer who responds positively to condom-wearing pickles is easier said than done, and there certainly isn't a one-size-fits-all strategy. The trick is acting fast when memes strike and doing it in a way that feels authentic to the brand, because Gen Zers "can tell when there's an ingenuine-ness to it," says 25-year-old Rand Rivera, who works for New York-based marketing agency, Athletics, and runs his own eponymous branding agency.
梗准备就绪的吉祥物很少有品牌能像杜奥林戈那样掌握这种方法。这家总部位于匹兹堡的语言学习平台及其卡通猫头鹰吉祥物Duo，在TikTok上积累了超过1800万粉丝。这种兴趣主要源于该品牌随意、讽刺的语气以及积极参与网络趋势。
A meme-ready mascot Few brands have mastered the approach better than Duolingo. The Pittsburgh-based language learning platform and its cartoon owl mascot, Duo, has amassed over 18 million followers on TikTok. The interest has been driven largely by the brand's casual, sarcastic tone and active participation in online trends.
Duo曾随着病毒式音乐跳舞，装扮成名人，还在一间空荡荡、墙纸是黄色的房间里与杜奥林戈宇宙中的其他角色喝茶——这指的是启发2026年恐怖片《后室》的网络趋势。在杜奥林戈最火爆的线上活动之一中，Duo在被一辆类似特斯拉Cybertruck的车辆撞到后暂时“死亡”。
Duo has danced to viral music, dressed up like celebrities, and had tea with other characters from the Duolingo universe in an empty, yellow-wallpapered room a reference to the internet trend that inspired the 2026 horror movie "Backrooms." In one of Duolingo's most viral online campaigns, Duo temporarily died after being hit by a vehicle resembling a Tesla Cybertruck.
里维拉表示，猫头鹰的这些行为告诉年轻用户，杜奥林戈懂得他们的幽默感。他还说，Duo声音的一致性也很重要，因为许多Z世代能够从很远的地方就察觉到不真诚和明显的营销意图。
The owl's antics tell young users that Duolingo understands their sense of humor, says Rivera. The consistency of Duo's voice over time matters too, he says, because many Gen Zers can catch inauthenticity and overt marketing from a mile away.
这种持续的努力是有意识的，杜奥林戈品牌营销总监凯瑟琳·陈说。“我认为Z世代比之前任何一代人都更懂媒体，而且他们非常清楚自己正被多少营销所针对。因此，你必须顺势而为，参与已经在发生的对话，而不是试图制造自己的时刻，”陈说。
That consistent effort has been deliberate, says Katherine Chan, Duolingo's director of brand marketing. "Gen Z is more media savvy, I think, than any generation that has come before, and is very aware of how much they're being marketed to. And so you have to sort of jump into conversations that are already happening versus trying to make your own moment happen," says Chan.
“对此眨眨眼某种程度上就像是一种自我意识，我认为Z世代真的很欣赏这一点，”她补充道。
"Winking at that is sort of like a self-awareness that I think Gen Z really appreciates," she adds.
与Z世代建立联系：一些Z世代创业者具有独特优势一些Z世代创业者在试图与自己的目标受众建立联系时具有明显优势。例如，Marcus和Bakhtiar表示，他们很擅长通过语言的运用（尤其是语气和表达方式）来与在线观众建立共鸣。
Building in public Some Gen Z entrepreneurs have an advantage when trying to connect with their own demographic. Marcus and Bakhtiar, for example, say they intuitively know how to use tone to connect with an online audience.
“我们这一代人非常反感那种过于直白、生硬的广告宣传方式，”Bakhtiar说，“如今，品牌甚至无需在社交媒体上展示产品，就能吸引人们的注意。”他们更倾向于分享一些有趣的内容（比如泡菜马提尼的制作方法），或者在讲述自己二十多岁时共同创业过程中遇到的各种趣事时让镜头对准自己。
"We're a generation that really hates being advertised to in a very overt way," says Bakhtiar, adding that brands today don't even need to show their products in online posts anymore to get people's attention. The co-founders might instead post pickle martini recipes, or keep the camera on themselves as they tell stories about the mishaps that come with starting and running a business together as friends in their 20s.
Marcus和Bakhtiar认为，这种轻松、友好的交流方式让Z世代观众感觉自己像是收到了来自朋友的“酷炫建议”，而不是在观看某个品牌试图强行吸引他们注意力的内容。这种策略让观众产生一种“自己真的了解这些创业者”的感觉，从而促使他们继续关注他们的内容——长期来看，这有助于建立信任和品牌忠诚度。
Their tone, reminiscent of FaceTime calls or "get ready with me" videos, helps Gen Z viewers feel like they're getting cool recommendations from a friend, rather than witnessing a brand begging for their attention, Marcus and Bakhtiar say. The strategy makes viewers feel like they actually know the co-founders, keeping them coming back for more — and building trust and brand loyalty over time, Marcus adds.
传统营销策略的持久价值 PwC零售业务全球负责人Kelly Pedersen指出：“虽然颜色、字体和吉祥物等营销元素会随着时代变化而更新，但一些传统的营销策略仍然适用于Z世代。无论年龄如何，消费者都希望了解产品如何为自己的生活带来价值。”35岁的联合创始人兼首席执行官Lucy Dana表示，花生酱品牌One Trick Pony就是通过实践偶然发现了这一道理。
The tried-and-true approach Colors, fonts and mascots may change with evolving trends, but the core of some traditional marketing strategies can still work on Gen Z: Shoppers, no matter their age, want to know how products can add value to their lives, says Kelly Pedersen, partner and global leader of retail at PwC. They want to know as directly and visually as possible, a lesson that peanut butter company One Trick Pony learned somewhat by accident, says co-founder and CEO Lucy Dana, 35.
当这家总部位于华盛顿特区的品牌于2022年推出时，其天然花生酱最初采用标准玻璃罐包装。Dana表示，由于顾客对天然花生酱表面浮油的问题提出抱怨，公司随后推出了一款塑料容器，这种容器可以倒置放置在超市货架上。这款造型独特、色彩柔和的罐子为品牌设计提供了更多空间，因此公司也将说明文字扩大到了盖子上：“还有一个小妙招！我们专门设计的花生酱罐有助于减少天然油脂的分离。”
When the Washington, D.C.-based brand launched in 2022, it packaged its natural peanut butter in a standard glass jar. After customers complained about the oil that floats to the top of natural peanut butter, the company created a plastic container that could sit upside-down on grocery store shelves, Dana says. The uniquely shaped pastel-colored jar offered more design real estate, so the company enlarged its explanatory language to the lids: "One more trick! Our specially-designed peanut butter jar helps reduce natural oil separation."
Dana说：“我认为，正是这些罐子让我们一炮而红。”自2025年7月重新设计以来，One Trick Pony在品牌官方渠道宣布了这一变化，其社交媒体粉丝数量增长了两倍，产品也成功进驻了Target以及美国各地的其他超市货架。Dana没有透露具体的收入数据，但她表示，这家初创公司2026年迄今的销售额已与2025年相比增长四倍。
"I'd say we took off because of these jars," says Dana. Since the July 2025 redesign, which One Trick Pony announced on the brand has tripled its social followers and landed placement on retail shelves in Target and other grocery stores across the U.S. Dana declined to share specific revenue figures but says the startup's sales have quintupled so far in 2026 compared to 2025.
不过，Pedersen指出，Z世代的部分消费习惯与以往几代人有所不同：他们不再仅仅关注价格或便利性，而是希望通过使用产品来向自己的粉丝展示和塑造个人形象。他们可能会优先购买环保、积极参与政治活动或属于某种更大文化潮流的品牌产品，例如2025年的Labubu热潮。Wharton市场营销学教授Reed补充道，他们的帖子在向周围人传递自我身份，这意味着他们偏好的产品可能在定义朋友眼中自己的身份方面发挥关键作用。
Still, some of Gen Z's spending patterns are different than past generations, Pedersen notes: Instead of just caring about price or convenience, they want to use products to brand and market themselves to their own followers. They may prioritize buying from or posting about brands that are environmentally friendly, politically active or part of a larger cultural trend, like 2025's Labubu craze Their posts tell the people around them who they are, which means the products they prefer can play a key role in defining their identity among their friends, adds Reed, the Wharton marketing professor.
“我认为，Z世代追求的是完整的体验，”Pedersen说。“如果他们愿意花30美元买一个软萌玩具，他们希望融入整个软萌玩具的世界——从热衷于关注品牌的社交媒体叙事，到举办线下活动将其他粉丝聚集在一起。”
"Gen Z, I think they want the whole experience," Pedersen says. "If they're going to pay maybe $30 for a squishy toy or something, they want to [buy into] a whole squishy toy world," ranging from raptly following the brand's social media storytelling to hosting real-life events that bring other fans together.
由Z世代主导的经济对于品牌而言，在Z世代中找到忠实粉丝不仅有助于提升产品或服务的知名度，还能影响社交媒体算法的运作方式。Pedersen指出，由于Z世代高度依赖互联网，他们实际上在塑造着适用于所有年龄段的消费者的社交媒体算法：他们观看、点赞和分享某种内容的频率越高，这些内容就越有可能出现在其他用户的社交媒体信息流中。
A Gen Z-steered economy For brands, finding fans among Gen Z may have an added benefit of shifting algorithms in their favor. Because Gen Zers are so online, they contribute to and partially dictate social media algorithms for consumers of every age, Pedersen says. In other words, the more they view, like and share a certain kind of content, the more likely it is to be distributed on other people's social media feeds.
Z世代的消费能力也在不断增强。根据普华永道（PwC）对美国劳工统计局数据的分析，与同龄的千禧一代相比（并经过通胀因素调整后），Z世代的家庭收入高出25%，总体消费支出也高出16%。
Gen Z's spending power is increasingly influential, too. When compared with millennials at the same age, and adjusted for inflation, Gen Zers' household income is 25% higher and their overall spending is 16% more, according to a PwC analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
“忽视这一消费群体无疑是一种‘生存威胁’，”Pedersen强调。“这不仅仅意味着要推出针对年轻人的产品……而是一场全面的营销活动；关键在于以不同的方式与他们建立联系，让他们了解并认可你的品牌。”Good Girl Snacks公司的初步经营成果已经显示出成功的迹象。尽管两位联合创始人拒绝透露公司的收入或盈利数据，但据CNBC Make It于8月29日的报道，该公司在3月份完成300万美元的种子轮融资后，其估值已达到850万美元。
"I think it's an existential threat to be ignoring this demographic right now," Pedersen says. "It's not just about offering products that are geared toward younger people ... It's bigger messaging. It's a bigger campaign. It's about engaging with that customer in a different way to bring them in and discover your brand." At Good Girl Snacks, early returns show signs of success. The co-founders declined to share revenue or profitability figures, but the company's valuation reached $8.5 million after a $3 million seed fundraising round in March, as CNBC Make It reported on Aug. 29.
“我们的策略是从细分市场入手，明确自己的目标受众是谁，”Marcus说道。
"The whole strategy has been to start niche, to know who our audience is," Marcus says.
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