Just when you thought you had Millennials figured out, we’re on to the next generation, Generation Z.

Gen Z, or as we’re calling it, the Pivotal Generation, is a multi-ethnic, gender-fluid generation with some key traits that differentiate them from Millennials. Gen Z has grown up in an era defined by the immediacy and extreme connectedness of social media. “Pivotals” embrace diversity and expect brands to do the same.

Why “Pivotal?” This generation is balancing its forward-thinking, liberal views with backward-looking, old-school traditional values. Raised amid a recession by parents continually stressed about money, Gen Z has been given an unfiltered view of the harsh realities of the global economy thanks to the potent mixture of anxiety and vast reaching social capabilities of the digital world. As a result, we are seeing that teenagers are pivoting back towards a more traditional view of personal success, work ethic and money management that is reminiscent of the Gen X and Baby Boomer generations.

This tension between traditional responsibility and social liberalism has led us to coin Gen Z as the Pivotal Generation.

In order to better understand the motivations of this new generation, we worked with the experts, teens themselves, to learn what drives their behaviors and what they think about their generation’s progression.

What we found will change the direction of the market today. Get a preview of what makes the Pivotal Generation different in the video below. And stay tuned, we’ll have two more videos to help you understand how to develop relevant messaging for a whole new consumer.

As you’ll see on the little screen, overwhelmingly, the defining issue facing Gen Z today is social equality.

“One of the biggest issues with our society today is that we have a lack of equality,” said one of our focus group participants.

But don’t worry. The Pivotals will take care of it.

“I do believe that this generation is one that will be capable of achieving equality,” said another participant.

Teens today believe that they will change the world, and they are not afraid of working hard to achieve that goal.

Brands aiming to connect with this generation must understand the defining issues of the Pivotals. In the same way environmentalism empowered Millennials, social equality will be the motivation that fuels Gen Z’s passion. Corporate social responsibility must expand from just reducing a carbon footprint to creating an entire business model that is built on equality, inclusion and acceptance.

Brands that can accomplish that will win in the future. 

Download our latest Gen Z research now

Want more on Gen Z? Stay tuned for Jeff Fromm & Angie Read’s new book, Marketing to Gen Z, coming Spring 2018. Pre-order here!