Why your online fashion ads won’t work with gen Z: a look at campus culture

There’s no scientific formula as to what makes students tick, but university peers certainly play a role. Gen Z consumes TikTok and Instagram hungrily, but the influence of peers, in person, is not to be underestimated.

University campuses

University is one of the most unique social environments: those who go will never again be surrounded by so many people, in such proximity, of our own age. Equally incredible are the subtle differences between friends – and between friendship groups, teams and societies – that result in the diversity, individuality and personality that drenches student fashion.

The days of teenage uniformity, a drowning desire to blend in, to fit the high-street mannequin style, are replaced by an urge to add personality. But where does this inspiration come from?

So indie it’s mainstream

Being at university exposes students to a diverse range of backgrounds, cultures and fashion, allowing students to express themselves in a way never deemed possible in their hometowns. Being thrown into this petri-dish of styles, surely no student can say their fashion hasn’t altered, grown or developed since joining university.

A sneak peek at some trainers here, a glance at a label there, even peeking over shoulders in lectures at online shopping orders. We are engulfed and reactive to student fashion for three years, in all of its wonderful shapes, sizes and shades.

Being exposed to so much freedom of expression, with no uniform and often a student loan, sways the happy medium of our previously blending-in clothing to a fantastically diverse range. This reactive range would be slowed or stopped altogether if consumers weren’t absorbing these trends in person, constantly. This unique exposure cannot be replicated online, and in seeking individuality, students propel trends to mutate, digress and expand.

Social media and expression

While individual expression in real life plays a huge role in student fashion, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any credit to be given to social media’s influence on this culture of individuality.

The relationship between the online and in-person fashion realm is complex. Fashion and individuality are expressed through social media presence, Depop shops and social engagements – but do online algorithms define and shape our individual style, or are we defining and shaping it ourselves?

There’s scope for this expression online, but despite the widely held assumption of a screen-obsessed generation, I believe there’s more strength in fashion leaders in person on campus, that can be corroborated online, than the reverse.

While online influencers or models absolutely affect the styles and pieces we notice, the catwalk of university life truly shapes this distinct student individuality. A perfectly-lit, well-manicured model can encourage us to consider an item, but is no match for constant exposure to styles and trends while we study, shop and go out. These repeat interactions gently shape tastes, styles and wearability, in my opinion, distinctly more than anything seen online.

Game plan

Should brands focus on one-off pieces, cast off their social media strategies, and focus on style leaders on campus? Not at all. Social media and the online fashion realm can have real, meaningful impacts on styles and trends. But to drive positive associations from gen Z, campaigns need to be organic, authentic and individual. Students can see through ingenuine, one-off online ads, and instead respond to authentic relationships between the clothes they see online with the fashion they see around them.

Fashion and style are all about being able to see yourself wearing something and looking amazing in it. If we can’t relate to the people we see wearing particular clothes and trends, we’re less likely to engage with those clothes.

There's no scientific formula, but that’s the beauty of style.

The way for brands to harness the student audience will be through expressive pieces, aligning with student values and being fashion leaders where students can see it: in person.