Marketing to Gen Z

First there was greenwashing and rainbow-washing; now there’s nostalgia-washing, which can be just as detrimental for brands. 

The art of looking to the past to emotionally engage consumers in the present has been widely embraced in the last few years, first as a balm for pandemic-related consumer anxieties and then as a respite from global strife, ecological distress and political division that culminated in the latest presidential election. But as marketers have continued to rely on the tactic, 2024 has been awash with efforts that nodded to collective memories but failed to make a meaningful connection. 

“[Nostalgia] is most interesting and effective, obviously, when it's tapping into something real and true about the brand and its history, not just latching on to a trend for the sake of it,” said Eric Tsytsylin, partner of brand strategy at Lippincott. “If you need to write an essay explaining the connection to your business and your brand, it's probably not a good sign.”

Navigating the cycle

Nostalgia has long been a powerful way for marketers to forge emotional connections with consumers. Just look to the first season finale of “Mad Men” (itself an exercise in nostalgia), in which Don Draper reached back to the pain of an old wound in a pitch for slide projectors. Or how ‘80s throwback “Stranger Things” kicked off a wave of nostalgic brand partnerships.

2023 may have represented a watermark high for nostalgia, from the craze around “Barbie” to the success of Grimace’s birthday celebration. While some of 2024's best efforts also used nostalgia, the past 12 months have also been flush with boy bands, flip phones and throwbacks to old campaigns and taglines. More often, it felt as if too many marketers were using the same brief, with only the savviest ones breaking through the noise.

Part of the problem is that, in the last few years, nostalgia marketing burned through a number of different decades instead of focusing on one, like how nostalgia for everything related to the 1980s seemed to dominate efforts around the turn of the current decade.  

“We went through every single decade in two years, whereas before, it used to take a lot more time to go through all of those different cycles,” said Amber Ledrin, senior creative strategist at Buttermilk. “Now we're reaching a point of saturation, and everything is happening at the same time.” 

Much of that everything-everywhere-all-at-once sensation is caused by the changing media landscape, social media and the proliferation of content. The compression means that brands need to be even more tuned into culture via social listening and mindful of avoiding the shiniest object on social media.

“It requires even more intentionality and prioritization, so you're not diluting the brand or spreading yourself too thin,” Tsytsylin said. “I bet in a couple of months calling something ‘demure’ will be seen as nostalgic.”

As with any cultural marketing, authenticity is the watchword, especially when marketing to Gen Z. To drive true emotional engagement with consumers, brands must use nostalgia in service of brand values and storytelling, not just as decoration, according to Manisha Mehta, senior PR and communications manager at digital asset management firm Bynder.

“Nostalgia works best when it’s data-driven and insight-led. Consumer sentiment analysis, for example, can provide rich insights into which eras or specific cultural references resonate most with target segments, allowing brands to personalise nostalgia in a way that feels relevant and meaningful,” Mehta said in emailed comments. “Ultimately, brands that approach nostalgia as a layer within an integrated storytelling strategy, rather than as the entire message, reinforce their brand story in a way that feels fresh, relatable and purpose-driven.”

In 2024, marketers including Heineken, Frito-Lay and USCellular ran campaigns centered around featureless flip phones — or “dumb phones” — that offered not just nostalgia for old technology but for a feeling of what those phones said about the state of human connection at the time.

“Nostalgia might be the creative way in, but it's actually tapping into a societal and a product truth … around unhappiness, loneliness and depression and being obsessed and addicted with our devices,” Tsytsylin said of the dumb phone campaigns. “There's this interesting overlap of positive, optimistic nostalgia with addressing real problems and issues of today.”

Playing inside baseball

Advertising nostalgia in 2024 wasn’t limited to culture touchstones of the past: Many brands looked back to their own campaigns and taglines for inspiration, as well. Sprite and Gatorade refreshed “Obey Your Thirst” and “Is It In You?,” respectively, updating iconic campaigns with modern ambassadors. Brisk brought back claymation ads, Doritos will once again crash the Super Bowl and McDonald’s — no stranger to brand nostalgia — nodded to past tie-ins.

“Sometimes those things are a little bit of inside baseball, but when there are multiple layers of meaning and authenticity, they can be really powerful,” Tsytsylin said.

Exhibit A in brand nostalgia was Beyoncé’s campaign with Levi’s that launched with a reworking of celebrated 1985 ad “Launderette.” The apparel company’s collaboration with the global star seemed destined ever since she included a song, “Levii’s Jeans,” on her country music-inspired album “Cowboy Carter” that debuted in March 2024. But experts were mixed on their assessment of the use of nostalgia in the campaign.

“The recent Levi’s ‘Launderette’ campaign with Beyoncé was a great example of a brand leaning into their marketing archives and connecting nostalgia with both a product truth and a cultural moment,” said Tanner Graham, CEO of agency General Idea. “With the recent trends around cowboy and country-western culture, it was a great time to connect all of those dots.”

The dots were less clear for ad professionals — and probably consumers — who aren’t old enough to remember seeing the original ad, which featured a male model stripping to his underwear while waiting for his jeans to wash.

“When I first saw the Beyoncé collab with Levi’s, I was like, ‘Oh, that's great, because ‘Cowboy Carter,’” said Buttermilk’s Ledrin. “Never once in my head did I think about that ad that I've probably never seen before, so I don't think they nailed that nostalgia angle for other people than themselves.”

The ad was possibly more resonant with those that remembered the ad, like Geoff Edwards, managing director for creative at Gale and the 2024 President of Cannes Lions Entertainment Jury, who started working at agencies in the early 1990s. But nostalgia is in the eye of the beholder.

“Depending on the target audience, is it more for me to have a remix moment, or is it for a Gen Zer to see it and go, ‘Oh, I love it,’ and then have the extension of that experience?,” Edwards said.

Riding the wave without getting crushed

Effectively utilizing nostalgia requires an authentic brand connection and is best when it doesn’t seem as if brands are chasing marketing trends. Such me-too marketing was evident in the obsession with boy bands that kicked off in 2023 and continued into 2024 as brands including Coke, Dunkin’ and Bumble Bee reunited members of and reworked songs by groups from the ‘90s and 2000s.

“Strategically, brands can avoid the ‘nostalgia wave’ by focusing on their unique brand voice and value proposition. An insights-led approach using predictive analytics can help forecast emerging nostalgia trends, allowing brands to stay ahead of competitors while maintaining relevance,” said Bynder’s Mehta in emailed comments.

Even amid waves of nostalgia, brands have opportunities to differentiate by being hyper-specific around the cultural moments they’re revitalizing for new audiences. For example, instead of focusing on the 1980s in general, brands can target the subculture of arcade gaming from that decade, as was the case with Chili’s best-in-class BurgerTime campaign.

“Rather than broadly referencing a decade, brands should consider more niche, culturally rich elements that have significance for their audience,” Mehta said. “This level of specificity helps build brand affinity and positions the brand as an authentic voice within the nostalgia space.”

As with any marketing tactic, brands must use data-driven insights and be honest with themselves about their brand values and identity as they key in on authenticity, the intersections between audience and cultural moments, and what truly matters to customers.

“It might be tough to find alignment, and it is, and I think it should be,” said Lippincott’s Tsytsylin. “I think it should be really intentional and infrequent, but I think when you can hit all those intersection points is when nostalgia can be really powerful.”

L’Oreal brands including Maybelline have seen success from upping their investments in Pinterest in order to reach Gen Z, according to details shared by the social media platform in October 2024.

Maybelline’s investment in Gen Z on Pinterest has grown by 90% year over year, and nearly half (48%) of its engaged audience on the platform is from the cohort. Gen Z is also the primary driver of increased search traffic on Pinterest for the term “maybelline.” 

L’Oreal and its brands, including Essie and Garnier, served as the exclusive launch partner for Pinterest’s Collages Remix feature. For the back-to-school period, Maybelline created Collages Remixes that drove significant engagement for the brand. 

As brands continue to focus on reaching the coveted Gen Z demographic, Pinterest has been positioning itself as the means to do so. Nearly all (84%) of Gen Z weekly Pinterest users report that they discover products that fit their taste and style while shopping on the platform, per details shared with Marketing Dive. Gen Z also makes up the platform’s fastest-growing audience and represents 42% of its global user base. 

In hopes of shoring up loyalty from the younger cohort, L'Oréal brands have been experimenting with Pinterest’s new advertising features. The makeup and skincare giant was the exclusive launch partner for Collages Remix, a tool announced by Pinterest in September 2024. Collages Remix allows Pinterest users to collaborate and build on existing collages — an interactive Pin, or virtual bookmark, format made up of cutouts — and encourages them to create shoppable, branded user-generated content. 

L'Oréal brands including Maybelline, Garnier, Essie and NYX Professional Makeup were among the first to market with Collages Remix. For the effort, each brand had a one-week feature in the Collage creation flow, a premium placement that was built for L'Oréal, and marketed around a different back-to-school or back-to-college trend. For Maybelline’s part, the brand created Collages Remixes that tapped into the “CorpCore” fashion aesthetic and reported an engagement rate over five-times higher than the brand and the beauty vertical’s average.

Along with Maybelline’s deeper investments in Gen Z on Pinterest, searches for “maybelline” on the platform have increased 32% year over year, with half of those searches coming from Gen Z, per release details. 

For Halloween, Maybelline partnered with Pinterest to receive an advanced look at its latest trends report for the holiday and leveraged the brand’s “Babellines” influencer network to create seasonal custom tutorials inspired by the trends. The beauty brand is also dedicating a portion of its site to spotlight Halloween trends and influencer content. 

L'Oréal’s efforts on Pinterest are a signal of how legacy beauty marketers are attempting to age down to stay relevant as those newer to the industry, like E.l.f. and Rare Beauty — the top two cosmetic brands among Gen Z — climb the ranks. Beyond Pinterest, Maybelline is also attempting to tap into Halloween hype with the younger cohort by advertising around the return of Snapchat’s “Phantom House” content series. 

Other marketers, like Pacsun and Urban Outfitters, have also leveraged Pinterest recently for their digital-focused marketing efforts. Pinterest in Q2 2024 reported revenue of $854 million, a 21% year-over-year increase.

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By TeenVoice

Today's teens aren’t abandoning the American Dream – they’re redefining what achievement looks like in response to today’s challenges. A TeenVoice 2025 survey of 504 teenagers (ages 13-19) reveals that while traditional milestones like homeownership, marriage and education still matter, their definitions of success have evolved based on financial constraints and personal priorities. More than half (62%) say their generation views success differently than older generations, and 51% feel that traditional “American Dream” advertising doesn’t resonate with them.  

1. Same Goals, Steeper Climb

Teens still aspire to traditional milestones, though they anticipate a shift in timing: higher education comes first, followed by a job, then homeownership – which many believe will come before marriage – and, finally, children. However, they believe that achieving these milestones is more challenging than it was for previous generations, largely due to rising costs and economic uncertainty. More than half expect homeownership (54%) and student loan repayment (55%) to take longer than they did for their parents.

Economic concerns top their list of obstacles – 42% worry about inflation and the economy, 35% cite the housing market and 31% point to the job market. But personal challenges also play a role, with 29% struggling with self-doubt and 28% citing a lack of knowledge or time as barriers to their goals.

Despite these challenges, half (50%) push back against the stereotype that their generation is lazy, arguing that external factors – not a lack of effort – are holding them back.

2. Rethinking Family Planning

While 80% of teens expect to become parents, economic realities are reshaping those plans. A majority of 63% believe having children is less affordable today than in the past. Among those planning for kids, 44% anticipate having one or two, though 40% would prefer three or four if money weren’t a factor. 

Yet, some teens are questioning whether parenthood is right for them at all. About 22% of females and 13% of males say they don’t want children. Regional differences also stand out – Western teens (17%) are nearly three times more likely than Southern teens (6%) to forgo parenthood. 

Meanwhile, 43% of teens would simply rather have pets.

3. Marriage Is Now Optional

While many teens value marriage, half say it isn’t a priority, and nearly as many believe it isn’t necessary for a committed relationship. Economic concerns are a major factor – more than half say marriage is less affordable than it used to be. As a result, teens expect to marry later than previous generations, and many prioritize financial independence and education over marriage. This shift also affects personal boundaries – nearly half of teens find questions about their marriage plans intrusive.

4. Education: Valued but Costly

Most teens see education as essential – 90% plan to pursue it, and nearly half (48%) believe they’ll need schooling beyond a four-year degree to reach their career goals. But financial concerns loom large. A majority (57%) say college is less affordable than it once was and 49% question whether student loans are worth the cost. 

These concerns are reshaping how teens approach higher education. More than half (58%) would rather work through school than take on debt, while 36% say they won’t attend college at all – despite wanting to – because of the expense. At the same time, many feel caught between expectations and reality: 45% feel pressured to attend a four-year college, yet 43% say college isn’t a priority for their generation. This tension reflects a growing shift toward a more pragmatic, cost-conscious view of higher education.

5. Housing: Commitment Despite Costs

Housing remains a core aspiration, with 92% planning to buy homes despite 61% saying homes are less affordable than in the past. Regional perspectives vary dramatically: 80% of Midwesterners see housing as attainable, compared to just 57% of Westerners. To reach this goal, teens are ready to adapt – 55% would work multiple jobs and 48% would relocate to somewhere less desirable, but more affordable. 

Many believe homeownership is likely to come before marriage – not as a rejection of tradition, but as a practical response to economic realities. With marriage happening later in life, teens see securing a home as a more immediate priority. This underscores their focus on financial stability.

Looking Forward

Teens’ vision of the American Dream prioritizes flexibility and financial security over rigid life paths. More than half (55%) want the media to showcase nonlinear life paths, reflecting their broader view of success. As they navigate an uncertain economy and shifting social expectations, Gen Z is proving that the American Dream isn’t disappearing – it’s evolving.

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Like many retailers chasing social media-crazed Gen Z, American Eagle pumps out a lot of marketing, to the tune of about 500 pieces of content per week, according to CMO Craig Brommers. A social media executive recently told Brommers that he should prepare for that figure to quintuple in the next few years, spurred by the fast-scrolling nature of endless feeds. 

It’s not hard to see how generative artificial intelligence (AI), often pitched around unlocking newfound levels of scale and efficiency, could be appealing to a leader like Brommers who is under growing pressure to crank up the production machine. American Eagle is still approaching the emergent technology with a degree of caution when it comes to creative. The company remains in its “dabbling” phase with AI, a potentially more common sentiment coming off a year that produced several high-profile marketing blunders in the broader industry. Coca-Cola, Toys R Us and Skechers were among some of the brands that received harsh responses to their AI-generated advertising efforts in 2024.

“What I worry about is the potential of generic creative. I think that there’ve been some very big brands — I won’t name them — that have come out with some AI creativity in their recent campaigns and gotten blasted,” said Brommers during a panel at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show in January 2025. Brommers was joined by a retail media executive from PayPal for a conversation moderated by Publicis Groupe on AI’s impact on digital advertising spend.

“Being generic, especially when we have to compete with the big boys and big girls at Amazon, Walmart, et cetera, we have to stand out brand-first, and that will be a trick,” Brommers added.

Keeping it real

Brommers’ deliberate approach to AI-generated creative is not unheard of, but stood out at a trade show where new technologies can fall subject to the hyperbole hype train. The executive emphasized that consumers value American Eagle and sister brand Aerie for their authenticity and representation, areas where AI often falls short and can even exacerbate existing human biases.  

Aerie, which positions itself around inclusivity, implemented a policy to stop retouching photos of its models nearly a decade ago while American Eagle in 2024 was named the most bipartisan brand across categories in the U.S. by YouGov. Delegating more work around these lines to automation is ultimately a “scary” prospect, according to Brommers. 

“For our brands, both American Eagle and our sister brand, Aerie, we are foundational on being real,” said Brommers. “We were voted the most bipartisan brand in the U.S., not just in retail, [but] every brand out there, more than Coca-Cola, even. That’s purposeful. We do that very hard. How does technology play into that?”

That said, Brommers, a retail veteran whose previous gigs include Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch and Calvin Klein, acknowledged that AI in a larger sense will be transformative, describing it as the third big shift in his career after the dot-com boom and monetization of social media. About 40% of American Eagle’s media business is already supported by AI, a figure the executive expects will climb higher in the near term. 

“We’re trying to find the right way in from a creative perspective, even though below the line — or in this case, media buying — we’ve been pretty darn aggressive,” Brommers said.

Unlocking precision

One prospect that did seem to excite Brommers was AI’s ability to enable a greater degree of targeting precision and personalization. American Eagle bills itself as Gen Z’s No. 1 retailer, but the CMO noted that Gen Z is a demographic that contains “hundreds and hundreds and hundreds” of different audience segments that can have varied interests.

“The opportunity for us, again, is relevancy,” said Brommers. “We have a big marketing budget at American Eagle, and while I think we’re probably one of the most inventive in our industry, there is still a ton of waste.”

Climate change is another issue that Brommers hopes microtargeting might help untangle. Fall 2024 was the warmest on record in the U.S., impacting a retailer that places a heavy focus on selling jeans. American Eagle’s comparable sales increased 3% year over year in Q3 2024 while revenue dropped 1% to $1.3 billion. The company recently raised its Q4 profit outlook and said holiday sales landed above expectations. 

AI’s full marketing potential is still yet to be realized, but Brommers argued that being willing to embrace failure and learn from mistakes is a crucial part of the process. He described the rise of the tech as “humbling,” a feeling other CMOs may share as they’re tasked with mastering a complicated piece of technology and proving it can drive business results.

“This has the ability to be a game-changing force,” said Brommers of AI. “There will be definite winners and losers when you look back at what’s going to transpire probably in the next 24 to 36 months.”

Pacsun was early to jump on TikTok, fast accruing over 2 million followers on an app that has become a crucial means for connecting with the brand’s target audience of 16-to-24-year olds. Five years since joining the platform, the mall retailer continues to make TikTok part of its marketing to Gen Z, and increasingly, a lever for sales, though the gold rush may soon be coming to an end. 

Like many businesses, Pacsun is weighing what will happen if the video-sharing app, which is owned by Chinese technology firm ByteDance, gets banned in the U.S. over national security concerns. The possibility that TikTok could go dark appears likely following a series of legal setbacks, setting the stage for a change that would shift around a significant chunk of ad spending while upending a thriving creator ecosystem. TikTok’s global ad revenue was forecast by researcher WARC to top $23 billion in 2024, but the app’s real power is as a trendsetter that can make or break products virtually overnight. 

At the National Retail Federation’s Big Show in January 2025, Pacsun leadership sounded confident that the TikTok model of reaching consumers with addictive, authentic-feeling and shoppable videos could be replicated elsewhere, but the near-term pain to creators — which the platform has called its “lifeblood” — will be sharp.

“I’m not concerned about that way of engaging with the consumer going away,” said Pacsun CEO Brieane Olson during an NRF keynote talk with CNBC reporter Melissa Repko, adding that supporting the creator community is part of the company’s values-based approach. “There is a lot of concern for those creators about the immediacy of what’s next right away should [the ban] happen.”

Keeping an open platform

Privately-held Pacsun has started to see success getting people to purchase products directly from social apps, a model that is popular in other markets like Asia but has been slow to catch on in the U.S. Pacsun advised on the development of TikTok Shop on the back end and was among the e-commerce marketplace’s earliest partners, a relationship that has paid off as the offering gains traction following its formal 2023 launch. 

TikTok Shop generated more than $100 million in single-day sales on Black Friday, tripling its take from the same day the year prior. In 18 months leading up to January, Pacsun sold nearly half a million pairs of jeans through TikTok livestreaming alone, according to Olson. 

“It’s a really significant number,” the executive said of the denim bonanza. “What’s more interesting, I think, is the halo [effect] that we’ve created in our stores, on all of our other channels and in our community of people who want to get the jeans that they saw on TikTok.”

Pacsun resonates on TikTok not only through close ties to the app itself but also through its approach to creator partnerships, Olson explained. Rather than relying on a small pool of high-profile influencers to hawk products, the retailer keeps what the CEO described as an “open platform,” letting everyday users talk up apparel like jeans. One account that recently helped drive sales for a model of baggy denim had only about 5,000 followers, a drop in the bucket compared to the upper echelons of social media stardom, where a single sponsored post can come with eye-popping price tags. 

“There’s no approval process and you can be an ambassador for the denim and tell your story in whatever way, zero controls,” said Olson. 

The ability to rely on TikTok creators for transacting could be fatally hamstrung, and many of the app’s most ardent posters don’t seem to have much in the way of a contingency plan beyond pleading for their fans to follow them elsewhere. There is no shortage of TikTok competitors to turn to — Pacsun also works with rivals like YouTube Shopping and Pinterest, the latter of which played a central role in its 2024 fall campaign — but replicating the same magic may take time as users mull where next to spend their hours scrolling algorithmically curated feeds.

Olson noted that Pacsun used to run livestreaming through its own website back in 2019 before experimenting with Meta Platforms and finally taking advantage of TikTok. Her hope was that someone in a dorm room or indeed on the nearby NRF exhibitor floor was in the process of coming up with their own take on livestreaming social video.  

“From a social commerce standpoint, that will continue to be a focus, irrespective of channel and what might happen,” said Olson. 

Staying committed

Pacsun aims to keep its finger on the cultural pulse amid these changes with a continued premium on social listening. Those capabilities have helped affirm the retailer’s larger positioning around purpose-driven marketing at a time when many other businesses are pulling back on diversity, equity and inclusion commitments.

“Our market is Gen Z and our forthcoming market is Gen Alpha, and they are a value-driven, purpose-driven generation,” said Olson. “They want us as a brand to rally around creating a better place for them in the world, and they’re going to ultimately vote for those brands when they make their purchases.”

Having a strong brand purpose could help Pacsun retain a loyal audience whether or not TikTok is banned. Olson pushed back against the perception that Gen Z is not particularly brand loyal, suggesting that marketers miss connecting with the generation on a values level and by failing to view its members as co-collaborators on marketing initiatives. 

“It’s actually a really interesting time and an interesting opportunity for brands to take a step back and really ask the question of who is in control, who has the power in the relationship?” the executive said.

Kind Snacks, which was acquired by Mars Inc. in 2020, is embracing the Gen Z self-care called bed rotting, a term that has amassed over 310 mentions on TikTok, for a marketing campaign that kicked off in January 2025, according to a press release.

The snack brand partnered with Bravo’s “Summer House” stars Ciara Miller and Amanda Batula to spotlight how the friends enjoy a self-care moment together ahead of the show’s premiere. The pair will appear in content on TikTok and Instagram.

The effort includes an opportunity to a win a hotel night stay for a day of bed rotting as well as a Bed Rotting Essential’s kit, available on TikTok Shop, featuring Kind products and a branded hoodie for two. The goal is to showcase Kind snack bars as both good and good for you, just like mindfully lying down to recharge. 

Bed rotting, which was one of Dictionary.com’s 2024 new words, is when one lays in bed during the day, often to rest, watch content, eat or simply recharge. Gen Z has embraced it as a form of self-care and, in an effort to reach the coveted audience, Kind has built a campaign around the concept.

While there is evidence that spending too much time in bed can have harmful effects, the self-indulgent nature of bed rotting also plays into consumers wanting to do things that feel good during a time of year when many choose to undertake rigorous self-improvement resolutions.

For Kind, which often positions itself as a better-for-you snack, the campaign could help it lean further into the idea of wellness and follows a brand refresh that was rolled out in 2024 as competition increased in the better-for-you snack market, which is growing and is expected to reach $78.2 billion by 2030. 

The push includes a key role for TikTok, the platform popular with younger consumers, despite ongoing uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s status in the U.S. However, Kind seems committed to the platform for now, including TikTok Shop, which has become popular with Gen Z consumers.

Pull-Ups in December announced a campaign that represents a marketing relaunch for the brand of training pants marketed by Kimberly-Clark. The effort stars two anthropomorphic characters — the careful, thoughtful Terd and the energetic, optimistic Yureen — who represent the duality and reality of the potty training journey.

“We’re moving beyond the idea of potty training as ‘fun, fast, and easy’ to address the real challenges parents face with honesty and empathy,” said Andrea Zahumensky, president of baby and child care at Kimberly-Clark, in a statement. “By stepping away from idealized portrayals, we’re connecting with parents on a deeper level, showing that Pull-Ups training pants are designed to be a tool for building a child’s confidence.”

A 30-second spot features Terd and Yureen and ends with the long-running “I’m a big kid now” jingle. The full 360-degree campaign is running across linear TV, connected TV, online video, retailer platforms and audio but places a large emphasis on social media platforms including Meta, TikTok and Pinterest. The media plan was built to meet millennials and Gen Z where they spend their time to help Pull-Ups solidify an association with potty training.

“Many of us on the team are parents and fall within this age range, and we all had vastly different experiences with potty training,” said Fallon Pyles, brand manager for Pull-Ups at Kimberly-Clark, in emailed comments. “We want to bring that firsthand experience to the campaign to help parents feel seen (and make them laugh!), while keeping our promise of building Big Kid confidence central.”

Staying genuine 

Pull-Ups’ anthropomorphized bodily functions bring some levity to the potty training process, add thumb-stopping elements to its marketing and engage with consumers beyond the “voice of the brand,” Pyles said.

The campaign, with creative led by Publicis Groupe agency Leo Burnett, also continues a trend in personal care marketing that looks to normalize formerly taboo realities. For Pull-Ups, the approach caters to overwhelmed parents trying to navigate a largely negative online conversation around potty training.

“Pull-Ups wanted to tell a more genuine and relatable story about this phase; one that doesn’t shy away from the messy realities of what you deal with when you’re potty training — literal pee and poop,” Pyles said. “But also, a story that can help parents find the inherent humor in the process and celebrate their Big Kid for learning new independent skills along the way.”

Kimberly-Clark in Q3 2024 reported net sales of $5.0 billion, down 4% year over year, with organic sales growth of 1%. The company remains on track to deliver strong operating profit and margin in 2024, CEO Mike Hsu said in a statement around the report.

JBL, the Harman-owned audio equipment marketer, is no stranger to the name, image and likeness (NIL) rights game, having first teamed in 2023 with LSU basketball star and rising hip-hop artist Flau’jae Johnson before launching its JBL Campus initiative in January 2024. And while football fans may see the brand’s ambassadors at a bowl game, JBL Campus is not limited to football, or even sports.

“It’s music, it’s lifestyle, it’s fashion, it’s dorm hacks, it’s all kinds of different things beyond just sports,” said Chris Epple, vice president of marketing for the Americas at Harman. “Sports tend to obviously get a lot more visibility, because these athletes bring something a little extra special… a local DJ on campus radio is not going to be on ESPN, but the athletes will.”

JBL Campus has allowed the brand to move beyond marketing to millennials and make inroads with Gen Z, especially college-age students, around shared interests and passions. To do so, the brand has scoured campuses for a slate of student athletes and influencers who can tell the JBL story in their own terms.

“I think it’s easy if you just use the stat line route,” Epple said. “It’s finding those athletes with those stories that are interesting and compelling that are going to give your brand a very different lens and speak to a very different audience.” 

Rather than just seeking out star players at top college football programs, as other brands have done with their NIL investments, JBL has signed Olympians, gymnasts, dancers, baseball players and basketballers. The company has also prioritized diversity, a value on which Gen Z puts a premium. Over half of the JBL Campus athletes are women, which is in line with college enrollment trends.

“One of the things that we definitely look for is their content and brand aligning with our brand ethos,” said Denise Daly, director of public relations and influencer marketing at Harman. “These people are so impressive, but… we wanted to make sure that music was very authentic to their story and is what inspires them.”

The social megaphone

JBL wants its campus program to be both a platform for the brand and one for ambassadors who are pursuing higher education while remaining connected to their community. The brand was approached by University of Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman, who wanted to donate $50,000 from his NIL money to the walk-ons at his program. To sweeten the deal, JBL gave each walk-on a package of audio gear.

JBL Campus content mostly runs on Instagram and TikTok, which are preferred by student athletes and lifestyle influencers, respectively. The content is resonating with a highly engaged audience and is “blowing away” industry benchmarks, Daly said.

In two months, JBL Campus generated more than 28 million impressions and 36,800 engagements on nearly 100 posts across the Instagram and TikTok accounts of its talent — a 14% engagement rate far above the industry average, per data shared by the brand, which has also seen high rates of traffic from the posts.

Before the pandemic, JBL’s campus activities relied heavily on in-person activations, a tactic that went by the wayside during the years affected by COVID-19. After a period in the virtual realm, 2024 saw the brand looking to find the right mix of physical and digital elements.

“Social platforms are the primary megaphone,” Epple said. “Brands still need to be present with these students. We’re trying to balance that out now.”

JBL Campus is focused on college athletes and influencers, but the reach extends beyond their social networks. When college students return home, they connect with friends and younger siblings. And when they graduate, they potentially take that brand relationship throughout stages of their life: a car with JBL speakers, a soundbar or in-wall speakers at home, junior headphones and wireless earbuds for their kids.

“With college marketing, you’re creating a lifetime of value,” Epple said. “We’re trying to really give them what we call a lifetime of maximum brand value.”