From Bland Loyalty to Brand Loyalty

In the attention economy, brands must constantly compete to keep shoppers interested.

But attention is not only about reaching a new audience. Longtime customers are likely to fade anyway if brands don’t keep their attention and engage them. You lose the audience’s interest and risk losing their loyalty.

Nowhere is this more true than with young consumers. According to our latest survey, nearly half (46%) of Gen Z consumers have grown tired of some of their favorite brands. That’s a serious generational shift, with only 29% of older consumers abandoning brands because they grow tired of them.

When targeting Gen Z, marketers must ask themselves: how do I maintain the appeal of my brand over time?

The answer is a new approach that goes beyond traditional loyalty strategies and uses the latest technology to create more exciting and memorable experiences.

Engaging Gen Z with unforgettable experiences

Loyalty isn’t just about rewards and discounts. It’s about emotional engagement and dynamic, truly personal interactions that keep customers coming back for more.

Rather than seeing Gen Z’s changing expectations as a challenge, marketers must see them as an opportunity. Our research shows that Gen Z actively seek out brands that are creative and innovative, with 30% saying they’ve tried a new brand solely because of its creative marketing – more than any other demographic.

How does it look in practice? Consider the success stories of brands like Liquid death (bottled water with a heavy metal twist) or Asda ‘Brat Summer’ campaign. Liquid Death’s edgy branding and viral campaigns turned bottled water into a lifestyle statement, while Asda’s campaign mixed nostalgia with creativity, helping it tap into Gen Z’s desire for bold and memorable brand moments.

These companies have turned everyday products—bottled water and grocery shopping—into something far more interesting and far from boring. Such campaigns set the bar for what it means to stay on top for a younger audience.

But turning that initial spark into long-term loyalty takes more than clever ads and engaging content. It requires an ongoing commitment to understanding your audience on a deeper level and creating experiences that reflect their interests and values.

Marketing Technology News: MarTech Interview with Jon Moran, Head of Marketing MarTech Solutions @ SAS

Unlock audience insights and personalization with AI

Clearly, Gen Z doesn’t want boring, cookie-cutter marketing. This generation expects brands to deliver personalized, creative content that speaks to their values. And this is where AI proves to be so powerful.

Artificial intelligence can help marketers identify audience segments they didn’t even know existed. It sifts through a mountain of data that might otherwise escape marketers and turns it into the foundation for highly targeted campaigns—campaigns that reach potentially neglected customers through the channels that work best for them.

According to the latest data, generative AI saves marketers around 2.3 hours per campaign. That’s time better spent doing what matters most: being creative, staying relevant, and keeping up with a generation that’s always on the move.

But AI isn’t just about efficiency – although the CFO will love that part. It’s about making sure your brand doesn’t get left behind in the battle for Gen Z loyalty.

AI helps brands personalize every touchpoint, ensuring that interactions are not only timely but also contextually relevant. AI-driven customer segmentation can identify when a consumer is most likely to engage with a particular product or service, enabling brands to send customized content and offers that match their unique journey.

Don’t just use AI… embrace it

Moving into 2025, AI’s role in customer engagement will only grow. According to the latest data, two-thirds of marketers believe that AI is “essential” to increase customer engagement, while half have already seen an increase in engagement since implementing AI-based personalization.

AI is no longer a “nice to have” for marketers, it is a must. For brands that want to stand out and stay compelling, no other technology can combine the speed and accuracy needed to deliver the real-time personalization and seamless omnichannel experiences that are so important to today’s marketer.

But remember that AI alone is not a silver bullet. Real success comes from combining the capabilities of artificial intelligence with the creativity and strategic insights of marketing teams. The brands that will see the most success will be those that see AI not as a replacement for the human mind, but as a tool to enhance it.

At the same time, AI adoption is not just about keeping up. As Gen Z redefines consumer expectations for authenticity and dynamic engagement, it’s about future-proofing your brand. Brands that fully embrace the potential of AI and empower their marketers to make the most of it are best positioned to turn fleeting interest into lasting loyalty.

Marketing Technology News: Experts reveal key customer insights and shaping AI trends for 2025