Youth Brand
Affinity Tracker

This year Apple became the world’s most valuable company, the first to be valued at $2 trillion, and they can now also celebrate being ranked as the leading tech and mobile brand among UK 16-24s. Our survey revealed that although Apple is perceived as “expensive” by this demographic, its products are considered “great quality.”

The fact that 37% had bought an Apple product in the past three months and 38% planned to do so in the next three months proves they are willing to invest in luxury items and high-value purchases when they’re confident it’ll be worth the money. Since our survey, the iPhone 12 was released, so we predict further growth in the brand engagement metric when we check back in with 16-24s next quarter.

Apple is known for rarely discounting, but it wisely makes an exception for students. Apple understands that by incentivizing young people to choose one of their devices when making their first big tech purchase, they’ll be forming a habit and a loyal relationship that will last for decades to come.

This year Apple became the world’s most valuable company, the first to be valued at $2 trillion, and they can now also celebrate being ranked as the leading tech and mobile brand among UK 16-24s. Our survey revealed that although Apple is perceived as “expensive” by this demographic, their products are considered “great quality.” The fact that 31% had bought an Apple product in the past three months and 27% planned to do so in the next three months proves they are willing to invest in luxury items and high value purchases when they’re confident it’ll be worth the money. Since our survey, the iPhone 12 was released, so we predict further growth in the purchase engagement metric when we check back in with 16-24s next quarter.

Apple is known for rarely discounting, but they wisely make an exception for students. Apple understands that by incentivising young people to choose one of their devices when making their first big tech purchase, they’ll be forming a habit and a loyal relationship that will last for decades to come. Similarly, we’re not surprised to see EE ranked in second place in our chart, as the mobile network has seen great results with the youth demographic since launching their student loyalty program with Student Beans.

Home entertainment has been a lifeline for young people throughout the pandemic, keeping them entertained, connected with friends, and distracted from the news. Many young consumers saw lockdown as an excuse to sign up for streaming services, so it’s no surprise to see them making up the entirety of our top five brands in this category.

At the top of the list is Netflix, which half of our respondents had spent money on in the past three months – and that doesn’t even account for those who use their family or roommate’s subscription. Hulu maintains high brand engagement and purchase intent, but performed poorly on the consideration metric, suggesting that those who have a subscription to multiple video-on-demand platforms may be less loyal to Hulu – it could be at risk of losing Gen Z customers if it fails to provide content they truly love.

It’s impressive to see Disney+ in the top five only one year after launch, and we’re intrigued to see what new content they’ll release to keep subscribers on board once they’ve seen all the Disney, Marvel, and 20th Century Fox classics.

Home entertainment has been a lifeline for young people throughout the pandemic, keeping them entertained, connected with friends, and distracted from the news. Many young consumers saw lockdown as an excuse to sign up for streaming services, so it’s no surprise to see them making up the majority of our top five brands in this category.

At the top of the list is Netflix, which more than half of our respondents had spent money on in the past three months – and that doesn’t even account for those who use their family or housemate’s subscription. Interestingly, those who said Netflix was the brand they’d be most likely to purchase from in this category more often cited their catalogue of films than their selection of TV shows as the reason for their choice.

It’s impressive to see Disney+ in the top five less than a year after launch, and we’re intrigued to see what new content they’ll release to keep subscribers on board once they’ve watched all the Disney, Marvel, and 20th Century Fox classics.

The majority of our top five in the restaurant and takeout category are fast food, including the top two: McDonald’s and Chick-Fil-A. Gen Z may be associated with healthy eating trends, but fast food is still a big part of their lifestyle. A 2020 survey we ran found that 44% of 16- to 24-year-old students eat at fast food restaurants at least once a week and 81% at least once a month. While they may aspire to eat more healthily or ethically, price and convenience will often overcome those desires, along with the impact of these brands’ highly engaging marketing and advertising campaigns.

McDonald’s was a winner across all metrics we surveyed – a familiar brand that is omnipresent in their lives, a source of comfort in 2020’s troubling times. However, it’s impressive to see Chick-Fil-A right behind, considering that they have less than 3000 locations, compared to McDonald’s with almost 14,000, and Starbucks with around 15,000. McDonald’s customers were more likely to cite the low prices as the reason they would choose to eat there, while Chick-Fil-A fans focused more on the taste, with common terms including “delicious” and “amazing.”

The majority of our top five in the restaurant and takeaway category are fast food, including the top two: McDonald’s and KFC. Gen Z may be associated with healthy eating trends, but fast food is still a big part of their lifestyle. A 2020 survey we ran found that 93% of 16- to 24-year-olds had bought from fast food restaurants within the past year. While they may aspire to eat more healthily or ethically, price and convenience will often overcome those desires, along with the impact of these brands’ highly engaging marketing and advertising campaigns.

McDonald’s was a winner across all metrics we surveyed – a familiar brand that is omnipresent in young people’s lives, a source of comfort in 2020’s troubling times. While second-placed KFC was close behind McDonald’s in brand visibility, they scored lower in purchase engagement, purchase intent and consideration, showing that the brand simply isn’t as embedded into youth culture and spending habits. However, McDonald’s customers were most likely to cite the low prices as the reason they would choose to eat there, while KFC fans focused more on the taste, with common terms including “tasty” and “love.”

In this category, it’s very close at the top between the world’s largest drinks brand Coca Cola, and Doritos, a snack brand owned by its biggest rivals, PepsiCo. Naturally, Coca Cola wins on the brand recognition metric, but brand engagement and purchase intent are higher for Doritos, suggesting that slightly more 16-24s are in the habit of adding their products to their shopping basket.

Doritos was praised for the variety of flavors available, especially the cheesy and spicy options, as well as its new rewards program and the fact that the chips are gluten-free. Meanwhile, Coke fans love its “classic,” “refreshing” taste, as well as the low or zero-calorie options. Several respondents also mentioned Coke’s sister brands, Sprite and Fanta.

Both Doritos and Coke are more popular with males, whereas fans of Ben & Jerry’s, Hershey’s, and Reese’s skew more female, suggesting female 16-24s have more of a sweet tooth than their male counterparts.

In this category, it’s very close at the top between the world’s largest drinks brand Coca Cola, and Cadbury’s, a British institution when it comes to snacks and treats. Naturally, Coca Cola wins on the brand visibility metric, but purchase engagement and purchase intent are higher for Cadbury’s, suggesting that slightly more 16-24s are in the habit of adding their products to their shopping basket.

Coca Cola is more popular with males, whereas fans of Cadbury’s and Ben & Jerry’s skew more female, suggesting female 16-24s have more of a sweet tooth than their male counterparts. We also found that Innocent, the healthiest option on the list, polled better both with females and with undergraduate students, in comparison to non-students.

Gen Z is often associated with the rise of veganism and health food trends, and a 2019 survey we conducted found that 81% had changed their eating habits within the past year. However, when it comes to the brands they love, there’s a special place in their hearts for comfort food, even if they know it’s not the most healthy or ethical choice.

Walmart is a resounding winner in the grocery category, coming out top in every metric we surveyed. The retailer, which has over 4700 stores across the country, is heading into the holiday season with high hopes for its new Walmart+ offering, a subscription service that is viewed as their answer to Amazon Prime. We predict that many young people will take advantage of the service’s 15-day free trial when they need last-minute gifts and supplies during the festive season, especially if they’re avoiding unnecessary shopping trips due to the pandemic. The question will be whether they stick with it long-term.

While the two superstores, Walmart and Target, were the top choices in all regions across all metrics, they polled stronger in the south and midwest than the east and west coast, where brands such as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have a loyal customer base. The latter two were praised by respondents for their fresh and healthy food, clearly appealing to the segment of Gen Z who feel strongly about ethics and wellness.

The top three in our supermarket chart is no surprise, as it’s made up of the UK’s three largest supermarket chains, Tesco, ASDA and Sainsbury’s. However, fast-growing challenger brands Aldi and Lidl are close behind, even outperforming Sainsbury’s on the consideration metric. These European supermarket chains may not offer quite the same wide range of products and brands as their competitors, but for young people living on a student loan or part-time job, they have an obvious appeal.

As the UK’s biggest supermarket by a clear margin, Tesco is of course the winner among young consumers too. Those who picked it as the grocery store they’d be most likely to buy from focused on its quality, variety and prices when explaining their choice. Lower down the top 10, we saw more regional variation. For example, Lidl outperforms Aldi in the south of England, while Aldi, Lidl and Morrison’s are more popular than Sainsbury’s in the north and midlands, and Aldi and Co-op saw a particularly strong result in Scotland.

This category brings together online marketplaces, department stores, and big box stores – the retailers that aim to be a one-stop-shop for anything a customer might need. Our research shows that, for a large majority of Gen Z, Amazon is the first place they look. Amazon won by a landslide in each of our purchase engagement, purchase intent, and consideration metrics, showing just how ingrained into their consumer habits this ecommerce giant has become.

It’s also notable that more of our respondents plan to spend on Amazon in the three months ahead compared to the previous quarter, which included Prime Day, so we can predict a highly profitable Black Friday and holiday season for Amazon this year.

We also found that, within the demographic we surveyed, Amazon was more popular with students than non-students, demonstrating the impact of the Student Prime scheme, which compounds brand loyalty at a young age by offering special Prime pricing for students.

This category brings together online marketplaces, department stores, and all those retailers that aim to be a one-stop-shop for anything a customer might need. Our research shows that, for a large majority of Gen Z, Amazon is the first place they look. Amazon won by a landslide in each of our purchase engagement, purchase intent, and consideration metrics, showing just how ingrained into their consumer habits this ecommerce giant has become.

It’s also notable that more of our respondents plan to spend on Amazon in the three months ahead compared to the previous quarter, which included Prime Day, so we can predict a highly profitable Black Friday and festive season for Amazon this year.

We also found that, within the demographic we surveyed, Amazon was more popular with students than non-students, demonstrating the impact of the Student Prime scheme, which compounds brand loyalty at a young age by offering special Prime pricing for students.

Our health and beauty top ten is led by two brands that are a household name across America, Walgreens, and CVS. Both retailers were praised by our respondents for being “convenient” and “cheap,” in addition to their comprehensive selection of products. These are the stores that young consumers know they can rely upon for their health and beauty needs. This has never been so true as during the pandemic, where pharmacies have been among the few essential stores able to remain open throughout.

As we look ahead to the next phase of the pandemic, Walgreens and CVS have already confirmed they will partner with the federal government to administer a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. For Walgreens, it’s been a tough year, with a decline in international revenue, but they are now turning a corner, reporting a growth in US sales in the period June-August 2020.

In health and beauty, we see a more distinct gender split than in our results for any other sector. While males cited Walgreens and CVS as the stores they were most likely to shop from, females were more likely to choose Bath & Body Works.

Our health and beauty top ten is led by the two biggest high street retailers in this sector, Boots and Superdrug. Based on our demographic data, Boots gained an edge over its top competitor by appealing equally to both genders, whereas Superdrug’s fans are majority female. Both of the top two brands offer a student discount, boosting their student sales and brand loyalty among this influential group.

Already viewed as a British institution, consumers relied on Boots more than ever during lockdown as it was one of a small number of retailers able to stay open throughout. They also introduced new innovations that reinvented their in-store experience for an online audience, such as the virtual beauty counter they launched in June, offering video consultations to provide advice and recommendations from their No7 cosmetics line. Boots also recently announced that they’ll be offering a 12-minute COVID-19 test, reaffirming their position as a brand that has been there for customers through every phase of the pandemic.

The top five in this category is dominated by brands that were founded within the past 15 years, demonstrating that Gen Z is open to disruption in the travel industry, especially when it makes traveling the country and the world more affordable and accessible to them. Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb are all considered part of the “sharing economy,” and Gen Z’s willingness to embrace this trend shows a high level of trust in others and the community.

Travel is, of course, one of the industries most affected by the pandemic, and we can see the impact of this on our top 10. It’s predictable that airlines would see low brand engagement and purchase intent at this time when international travel is not recommended and air travel as a whole is unappealing. We’ll be tracking how these stats change as the pandemic subsides, with optimism for a strong summer 2021.

As for the brands that topped our chart, each has been able to continue operating during the pandemic but has had to make significant adaptations. Uber has promoted mask-wearing and made it mandatory for drivers and passengers, using the simple, firm slogan “No mask. No ride.”

Travel is, of course, one of the industries most affected by the pandemic, but our research shows promise that young people will be enthusiastic about returning to their pre-COVID habits when they can. 94% of our survey respondents had spent money on at least one of the travel brands in our list in the past three months. It’s also encouraging to see purchase intent higher than purchase engagement, suggesting they expect to spend on these brands during the festive season and heading into the new year.

Topping the travel chart is Uber, and it’s particularly impressive to see this brand winning in the brand visibility metric, since it’s the youngest in the list. They also had a significant lead in the consideration metric, proving that taking an Uber has become a standard part of life for young people – a convenient and affordable transport option, especially when concerns are high about taking public transport. Uber has retained the trust of anxious young consumers by heavily promoting mask wearing, including the “no mask, no ride” campaign that made their policy firm and clear.