Gen Z’s Favorite Brands

I survey my students before each semester. I ask them about where they are from, their major/specialization, and what they want to do when they graduate. I also ask them their three favorite brands. Almost every semester, Apple and Nike are the top two brands.

So I was surprised to see Nike at #12 and Apple at #20 in The Morning Consult’s survey to determine “Gen Z’s Favorite Brands 2022.” This survey asks a slightly different question: it presents brands and ask respondents their favorability toward that brand–with the ranking based on those brands with the most somewhat or very favorable opinions. I hypothesize that the brands in The Morning Consult study are favorable but don’t reflect the level of passion you learn when you ask for “favorite” brands.

I am covering “Product” (which includes branding) this week. After sharing with the students the results of my survey of their class, I will share the findings from Morning Consult. I will then ask them why they think the results differ and no matter what they say, we will likely have an interesting discussion about the five levels of brand familiarity and possibly marketing research.