Fluent In Gen Z

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Happy Wednesday, Future Party. Here’s a pretty amazing fact: the highest-earning restaurant chain in America isn’t a burger franchise or a name-brand steakhouse — it’s the dumpling powerhouse Din Tai Fung. The Taiwanese chain, with 17 US locations (and counting), pulls in an average of $27.4 million per restaurant each year. If you’ve ever tried their xiao long bao soup dumplings, this won’t shock you one bit. Suddenly hungry? So are we.

A new wave of startups and agency divisions has one overarching goal — connecting with Gen Z’s tastes, preferences, and purchasing habits.

Why It Hits: Gen Z has become the dominant cultural force and is entering its prime consumer years, with $12.6 trillion in projected spending power by 2030. For brands, connecting with this fast-moving, fragmented generation isn’t optional — it’s survival. The real winners may be those who collect and apply Gen Z insights across branding, product design, and marketing.

Behind The Vocabulary: According to The WSJ, marketers have been chasing young-consumer insights for decades… but the speed of the internet has supercharged the search.

Final Translation: Unlike millennials or Gen X, Gen Z loves sharing opinions about brands. According to Edelman, nearly 60% feel connected to people who use the same brands they do, and 46% judge others based on brand choices. That’s why regular surveys and focus groups have become a cornerstone of Gen Z insight-gathering — Cafeteria pays a roster of over 6,000 US teens for survey responses, while NinetyEight taps a pool of young respondents it calls the “Koi Pond.”

Prediction: Given Gen Z’s love for remixing content from both friends and brands, the next great marketing campaigns may be those that invite interactivity — online and off.

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Celebrities like basketball star LeBron James and comedian Craig Robinson are turning hype-worthy announcements into surprise marketing campaigns.

The Big Picture: Cutting through the digital noise is harder than ever, so brands are devising stunt-style promotions to grab attention — even building entire agencies around the tactic. But does a bait-and-switch announcement actually lead to conversions… or just disappointment?

Behind The Stunts: On Monday, LeBron James teased on X that he’d be making a major “decision” the following day — mirroring the setup of his infamous 2010 interview, when he announced his move from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat.

Last Joke: LeBron’s original “The Decision” drew nearly 10 million viewers on ESPN fifteen years ago. His Hennessy stunt went viral too — mostly as fans scrambled to confirm he wasn’t actually retiring. It even unintentionally sparked chaos in ticket resale markets, as Lakers fans rushed to buy what they feared could be his final home game.

Interestingly, LeBron’s announcement-turned-ad wasn’t the only one of its kind this year. In July, comedian and actor Craig Robinson claimed he was quitting entertainment to start a small business, teasing a big reveal. Turns out, it was just an ad for AT&T Business.

Next Reveal: Blurring the line between celebrity life and brand promotion might be clever marketing for now, but over time, constant fake-outs could backfire — making fans skeptical of genuine news.

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90.6% of you voted No in yesterday’s poll: Would you ever watch or follow a social platform’s awards show?

“Not really interested in feeding egos with any award shows. I don’t watch any of them.”

“I don’t even go on social media anymore, and I’m much happier for it.”

“Good for them, but there are more interesting things to do than watch a show for a trophy. It’s like watching any other show on TV — I’m just not into it anymore.”

“I want to be more successful on social, so I want to see who’s the best!”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

🔇 California has passed a law to reduce the volume of streaming commercials starting next summer. Rejoice!

🎟️ Entrance into the inaugural Netflix House in Philadelphia will be free, but individual games and experiences will range from $15 to $39.

🤖 FastStream Interactive revealed a roster of AI-generated TV presenters for its interactive TV music channel, ROXi.

💰 Intercontinental Exchange Inc., parent company of the NYSE, is investing $2 billion in prediction market Polymarket.

💅 Former Unilever Prestige founder Vasiliki Petrou is launching a beauty- and wellness-focused investment firm called Viralis Group.

🚢 Luxury hotelier Aman is rolling out its first cruise ship, the world-traveling Amangati, in spring 2027.

💻 Mastodon is rolling out “Packs” to help onboard users by suggesting accounts to follow based on their interests.

📱 X is splitting its “Verified Organizations” subscription into “Premium Business” and “Premium Organizations.”

🫠 Sora has surged to the top of the app charts — get ready for a flood of AI slop.