Gen ZEOs Podcast

Hot sauce—and truffles for that matter—are having an especially big moment right now. Thanks in part to the popularity of internet hits like Complex Media and First We Feast’s “Hot Ones,” the condiment has gained popularity in fashion, music and streetwear communities alike. Nick Ajluni and Nick Guillen, co-founders of TRUFF, took note of this and determined that the category was ripe for disruption. Having built a community surrounding the Instagram page @sauce, Ajluni and Guillen decided to launch a hot sauce as a testament to the page, that sauce was TRUFF. Today, TRUFF announces its expansion into a new category. Find out more about their approach to this new product, the story behind the brand, and what other CPG brands can learn from media companies.

Tiffany Zhong first became the "Gen Z Whisperer" in 2017 when she founded Zebra IQ, an intelligence platform focused on helping brands better understand and connect with Generation Z through real-time insights. Seeing a gap between creators and the monetization tools at their disposal, Tiffany pivoted her platform earlier this year to focus more on community, content and commerce in a way that can help creators supercharge their audience and of course, revenue. In this episode, we discuss Zebra IQ's newly-released annual State of Gen Z report that covers all things from up-and-coming platforms you may not have heard of but should get to know, how the influencer landscape has evolved and the role of fashion and sports today.

In times of crisis, Gen Z consumers are especially discerning regarding a brand’s messaging and actions in response. Maxine Marcus, founder and CEO of The Ambassadors Company, surveyed more than 100 trendsetting and thought-leading Gen Z’ers to find out what exactly they want to see from brands right now and going forward. In this episode, we cover segmenting, messaging, perceived authenticity, brand loyalty and more.

It’s certainly a strange time to be discussing the luxury market. With record unemployment, economic contractions and a worldwide pandemic on our hands, it’s hard to imagine many consumers using their disposable income on luxury products. However, Generation Z (who are predicted to be 10-15% of total luxury consumers by 2025 according to Bain and Co.) is using this time to exert their influence on what exactly it means to be a luxury brand. In this episode, I sit down with Liz Toney and Larry Milstein, co-founders of Gen Z consultancy PRZM to discuss how Gen Z is reshaping the luxury market, what it really means to be a luxury brand, and how Gen Z’s interest in luxury goods has created a booming secondhand market.