Luiz Menezes (Trope): “Marketing campaigns that work for older generations won’t necessarily resonate with Gen Z and Gen Alpha”

Leaders League: Many traditional brands struggle to connect with new generation and modernize their image. What are the main mistakes they make?
Luiz Menezes: One of the biggest mistakes I see is companies thinking that speaking to Gen Z is just about demographic segmentation and breaking things down by age ‒ when in reality, that’s not enough. If it were just about demographics, things would be easy. But marketing campaigns and strategies need to be increasingly designed by and for Gen Z and Gen Alpha if we truly want to connect with these new consumers. And the reason is simple: the communication style and strategies that work for older generations won’t necessarily resonate with younger ones. Sometimes, it’s not about hiring a nationally famous celebrity for your campaign. Influence often lies in small, meaningful connections ‒ with smaller creators, in private group interactions, and within microcultures.

Brands also tend to believe that to appeal to these new generations, they need to completely overhaul their entire strategy. But that’s not always the case. The key is for brands to understand where these audiences are, how they interact, and how to build personalized and authentic communication. These efforts don’t compromise a brand’s history, identity or legacy in any way. So, it’s about much more than trying to come across as a modern, cool brand.

How can brands leverage the creator economy to strengthen their digital presence and connect more authentically with younger audiences?
I’ll share a key finding from a study Trope conducted called “Who Influences Generation Z?” It showed that what makes creator-driven advertising more relevant than traditional advertising for 57% of Gen Z is the fact that it’s more personalized, authentic and creative. In addition, influence strategies driven by the creator economy allow you to echo the same message in different ways. In other words, each creator brings their own personality to the content and the campaign, which helps spread the brand’s message further and establishes a lasting impression — so people will remember you when it’s time to make a purchase decision. 

As a particulary young entrepreneur, what age-related challenges have you faced?  
I was 16 years old when I started working in the creator economy, and I always looked younger than I actually was. It was the time when YouTubers were on the rise. I had to handle hiring professionals for events and negotiations with agents, managers and talent agency staff, who were usually much older than me. Being young, I often heard things like: “You’ve been alive as long as I’ve been in the market.” This kind of subtle ageism in people’s comments tried to discredit my experience in the creator economy ‒ and more than that, it was dismissive of the skills we had as a company capable of helping brands connect with new generations through content in this new era of influence.

The creator economy is a direct line to the consumer and a way to create genuine connections

At events, people would sometimes come up to me asking for Luiz, and when I introduced myself, most of them were shocked because they thought I would be older. So I had to work even harder to prove that I could “sit at the adults’ table” because I was, in fact, an adult too. Many people still think of Gen Z as kids, but in reality, the oldest Gen Zers are about to turn 30.

In 2019, I was closing a pretty significant contract, both in terms of value and relevance for someone my age. It was a tough negotiation, with a tense back-and-forth, until I decided to visit the brand’s booth at CCXP, Brazil’s answer to Comic Con, to speak with the client in person ‒ a day before the campaign was set to launch. What was surprising was how the client’s behavior completely changed the moment she saw me. What had been a difficult conversation took on a new tone. Despite my young age, she sensed I was serious and professional about the deal. The contract got signed, everything worked out, and the campaign turned out great. That story really marked the beginning of my career.

How can companies get the most out of their Gen Z talent?
Generation Z doesn’t view jobs solely through the lens of salary and benefits. What’s more, Gen Z sees their personal and professional lives as one and the same. There’s no clear separation between career and personal life like previous generations used to have. They believe the work they do is part of their overall life experience. That’s why they treat it as a whole — so naturally, a personal issue can affect their work, and vice versa.

On the other hand, companies face their own challenges: learning to view things this way and understanding that Gen Z enters the workforce with different expectations. It’s much less about technical skills or theoretical training, and much more about knowledge transfer, because this is a generation that craves hands-on experience. And that desire is strong — especially when compared to more traditional companies or economies in the context of talent retention. Organizations that ignore this aspect are unlikely to become desirable employers or truly attractive brands in the eyes of this new generation. Furthermore, if a company can’t combine the experience and knowledge of older generations with the younger generation’s deep understanding of digital content, internet culture and hyper-consumption, it will be very hard to succeed as a business and in building a future-oriented vision.