
ETBWS 2025: Are Gen Z the Labubus of the modern world?
Gen Z
.
At the recently concluded
ETBrandEquity's Brand World Summit 2025
,
marketing
leaders from Swiggy Instamart, Dove (Unilever), Lay's (PepsiCo), Starbucks, and Burger King shared how each of them are listening and engaging with this generation. Here are key takeaways.
Cute, monstrous, and hopeful
Saumya Rathor, Marketing Director, Lay's India (PepsiCo), vividly characterizes Gen Z as the Labubus of the modern world — cute but monstrous. She echoed the sentiment of contradictions, noting Gen Z are 'the most judged generation but they judge the most,' and are both 'attention-starved' despite having much to do, yet also 'the most bored.' Despite these dichotomies, she expressed hope, seeing them as 'filled with positivity' even amidst their daily 'drama' and ever-evolving vocabulary.
Keeping it real all the time
Aakanksha Kumar, Global Brand Director – Dove, Unilever, emphasizes how Gen Z women are paving a way to appear effortless while often putting in significant hidden effort. Case in point, the famous 'no-makeup makeup' trend. This generation's curated online personas often hide the 'hustle' behind them, a stark contrast to older generations who often display their hard work.
Mitali Maheshwari, Head – Product and Marketing, Tata Starbucks, has similar views. She observes that Gen Z desire raw, unfiltered customization and personalization. This goes beyond simple preferences, extending to questioning traditional norms. It's a generation that values the ability to make products and experiences uniquely their own, just like a cup of masala chai with oat milk.
A chaotic generation with Canva skills
Abhishek Shetty, Head – Marketing, Swiggy Instamart, describes Gen Z as a chaotic generation with Canva skills. He notes their ability to seamlessly shift between diverse content, from conspiracy theories to mindfulness reels and capitalist memes.
A brand like Swiggy Instamart views them as a force to be reckoned with, constantly roasting, remixing content, and even starting trends. According to Shetty, the goal for brands is simply to keep up and avoid getting ratioed (where comments and shares outweigh likes, indicating negative sentiment).
Kapil Grover, Group CMO, Burger King (Restaurants Brands Asia), makes similar observations. He says while Gen Z may have constant partial attention, this isn't superficial; there's always a purpose and engagement behind while they are multitasking.
Co-creation, a cohort to stay
Rathor from Lay's India (PepsiCo) says the way to understand the pulse of Gen Z is by listening to them. For instance, Lay's as a product is used in various street food in India, from sandwiches to dosas. There are innumerable content pieces around it — all organic. According to her, brands can't simply talk at them; instead, it's like a multiplayer game. Brands make a move, then Gen Z responds, and marketers must be ready for whatever comes their way. This playful dynamic fosters engagement and drives positive responses.
Kumar of Dove (Unilever) candidly says marketers cannot be lazy anymore. The era of a single, year-long ad campaign is over. Brands have to shift to constantly generating engaging content rather than just creating content to beat the algorithm. For legacy brands like Dove, it's not about changing who they are but how they show up for Gen Z consumers, ensuring the communication aligns with Gen Z's preferred style.
Dove, as an iconic brand with a long history, navigates the competitive personal care market to connect with Gen Z. She acknowledged the challenge of maintaining uniqueness in an era where authenticity and inclusivity are widespread.
Cultural hijacking works
Shetty of Swiggy Instamart agrees that one cannot be a 'broadcast brand.' Swiggy Instamart's internal strategy is to 'culturally hijack the conversation.' Gen Z don't just want to participate in brand conversations; they want to take over.
Therefore, brands need to act like a friend who gets an inside joke to foster relatability. He shared a powerful example of a viral user-generated content (UGC) reel where a content creator organically integrated Instamart into his bulk-eating challenge. This low-cost collaboration outperformed many paid campaigns of the brand.
Grover from Burger King adds that Gen Z are remarkably genuine and authentic in their views. In their recent campaign, users even compared Burger King's Korean burger with competitors in the same reel. This willingness to openly compare and offer unfiltered opinions, whether positive or negative, highlights Gen Z's demand for authenticity and transparency from brands. Brands must be prepared to take it with a pinch of salt and appreciate the honesty, believes Grover.
The I word
Brands in several categories such as beauty and food cannot do away with influencers. Gen Z is described as light-hearted and fun, necessitating a shift in a brand like Dove's content guidelines. Traditionally, Dove's visuals were a white world in a studio-like setup. Now, the brand encourages content creators to shoot in their authentic setups, recognizing that Gen Z values genuine environments over polished ones. This subtle but significant change allows for a more relatable and engaging experience, says Kumar.
Dove aims to build longer-term relationships with influencers, viewing them as a personal army. This fosters genuine advocacy, as influencers want to be treated as 'real people' rather than mere content producers. In a recent campaign, Dove used the popular internet acronym BYOB and gave it a spin, calling it Bring Your Own Bar. At the event, influencers were encouraged to test their everyday soap against a Dove.
Maheshwari of Tata Starbucks echoed this sentiment, stressing the importance of authenticity and credibility in influencer partnerships.
Not so long ago, Tata Starbucks saw that their Gen Z customer base was increasingly drawn to single-origin and specialty coffees from around the globe. To push its blonde roast, the brand hosted an event where they invited influencers who genuinely cared about coffee. The content that came from this featured them tasting the blonde roast, and without any prompting from the brand, they started tagging others they knew would appreciate it. This organic sharing felt incredibly seamless and natural — almost like a friend recommending something they truly love, says Maheshwari.
Vibe loyal vs. brand loyal
With the problem of plenty in hand, can brands really gain loyalty from Gen Z? The answer is yes and no both. Kumar candidly says that traditional brand loyalty is a bit of a distant dream. She, Grover, and Maheshwari collectively believe Gen Z are vibe loyal.
Rathor, on the other hand, shares her framework for earning Gen Z's 'STAN' (fan) loyalty, an acronym she uses:
Storytelling: Connecting through human truthsTopicality: Staying relevant to their current livesAuthenticity: The 'buzzword' of the panelNo bull#%&*: Gen Z 'will see through lies completely'
Shetty opines, Gen Z values energy over SKU and demands consistent authenticity. 'Otherwise, a brand can be easily replaced by an indie brand from Bandra,' he concludes.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
CavinKare eyes larger pie in southern haircare market
CHENNAI: FMCG major CavinKare aims at increasing its market penetration in the hair care segment in the southern part of the country, by experimenting with digital distribution channels and bringing out products appealing to younger segments of the population. The company currently has around a 12% share in the country's estimated Rs 12,000 crore hair care segment, according to a senior executive. It predominantly operates in the south, accounting for 30% of the country's market. CavinKare, while being a market leader in Andhra Pradesh, lags in markets like Tamil Nadu and has little presence in states like Kerala. Speaking at the launch of a new product- Meera Rice Kanji Shampoo, Rajat Nanda, business head of personal care at CavinKare, said the company aims at increasing its sales in the southern market by strengthening e-commerce and quick commerce distributions along with traditional channels. CavinKare wants to attract more younger consumers to its fold as well. Explaining their new product, Nanda said, 'While ingredients like rice water have gained global popularity through Korean beauty rituals, India has always had its powerful counterpart—Rice Kanji. Meera Rice Kanji Shampoo translates traditional rituals designed for modern customers, whether it is Gen Z rediscovering heritage or modern women seeking nature-led choices,' he said. 'With this, we are aiming at expanding Meera's footprint across key urban and rural markets, increase our share in the shampoo segment, and continue our momentum as one of the fastest-growing hair care brands in the country,' he added. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now


Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
Le Travenues reports Q1 profit at Rs 19 crore, revenue at Rs 314 crore
Le Travenues Technology (ixigo) has reported revenue from operations Rs 314.5 crore in the quarter ended June up 73% year on year, while its net profit was at Rs 19 crore for the quarter under review, up 27% year on year. ADVERTISEMENT The company said its gross transaction value (GTV) is at Rs 4644.7 crore in quarter one of financial year 2026, growing by 55% year on year. The company said its flight and bus GTV led the growth with 81% increase year on year while train GTV grew 30% year on year. ixigo's EBITDA increased by 69% to Rs 32.5 crore for quarter one of financial year 2026 as compared to the same period in the previous year. Adjusted EBITDA (EBITDA plus ESOP Expenses less Other Income) increased to Rs 31.4 crore for quarter one of Financial year 2026, an increase of 54% from Rs 20.3 crore in quarter one of financial year 2025. Rajnish Kumar, group co-CEO, ixigo and Aloke Bajpai, group CEO, ixigo said the company continues to see rapid growth and has hit new 'all-time highs.' They said the growth in categories such as buses and flights stems from a customer-centric approach, ability to cross-sell and up-sell to the captive user-base, AI-driven efficiencies and enhanced brand awareness. Saurabh Devendra Singh, group CFO, ixigo said quarter one of financial year 2026 is another strong quarter, with 'record' revenue and profits across all key verticals. "The 54% increase in adjusted EBITDA and 76% growth in PBT (excluding exceptional items) demonstrate the strength of our operating model and disciplined execution. We remain committed to driving sustainable growth," he added. ADVERTISEMENT The company said it crossed 10,000 daily meal deliveries with Zoop, with over 20 lakh meals served across 200+ stations since October 2024. ixigo's bus business, AbhiBus partnered with global travel platform CheckMyBus to expand the reach of its bus inventory to international travellers. ADVERTISEMENT The company said its bus and train segments continue to gain traction, particularly in the bus and train segments. In quarter one of financial year 2026, train bookings by Gen Z travellers (aged 18-30) on ixigo rose 45% year on year, with Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, and Pune emerging as the fastest-growing markets. Bus bookings from this cohort saw even sharper growth, rising 56% year on year, led by Indore, Lucknow, and bookings by solo female travellers grew by 123% year on year for the company. ixigo said it is deepening its investment in agentic AI and automation to drive scalable, 'customer-first innovation'. ADVERTISEMENT The company said key AI led initiatives for the quarter under review include voice-led customer support, enhanced AI-based personalisation, and expanding bundled offerings like travel insurance and visa rejection protection. The company said its quarter one flash sales for flights and hotels were driven by AI-led videos and creatives, reducing production costs to just 0.1% of traditional budgets. (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
ixigo Q1 net profit rises 28% to ₹19 crore, revenue up 73% at ₹314 crore
Tech travel platform ixigo on Wednesday reported a 28 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) rise in net profit to Rs 19 crore in the first quarter of financial year 2026 (FY26), as it continues to leverage its strategy of providing travel services to the next billion users. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 14.8 crore in the same period last year. Its revenue from operations rose 73 per cent to Rs 314.4 crore from Rs 181.8 crore in the year-ago period. Meanwhile, its gross transaction value (GTV) rose 55 per cent to Rs 4,644.6 crore from the year-ago period. The company's bus and train ticketing categories gained traction with a 26 per cent and 74 per cent rise in passenger segments, respectively. The train category was the largest contributor to revenue with 41.3 per cent, while buses contributed 24.4 per cent. The flights category made a contribution of 32.8 per cent. In the March quarter, train bookings by Gen Z travellers, aged between 18 and 30, rose 45 per cent Y-o-Y on the platform, with Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, and Pune emerging as the fastest-growing markets. Meanwhile, bus bookings from this cohort saw even sharper growth, rising 56 per cent Y-o-Y, led by Indore, Lucknow, and Nagpur. 'Solo women travellers are also contributing significantly to this momentum. Train bookings by solo female travellers grew by 123 per cent Y-o-Y, while 27 per cent of solo bus bookings were made by women, highlighting a strong shift towards more empowered and independent travel choices,' the release further stated. The company is also increasingly integrating artificial intelligence (AI). Its AI agent TARA now handles more than 60 per cent of voice calls end to end with AI, without human intervention, across flights and hotels, the release added.