The combined power of Generation Z and Millennials to alter the course of the economy, and even history, is unparalleled. The two generations are both outfitted with technology that would have been unthinkable just a few generations ago – if only because of the unpredictable way in which the internet and telephones fused to become the absolute mainstream of information and commerce. The current and long-term effects of their bold identities as consumers-in-motion is fundamentally unique from their predecessors, however, they are also substantially distinctive from each other.
Multiple studies show that Millennials and members of the subsequent Gen Z are markedly different in how they shop and interact with brands. While Millennials were raised during an economic boom where they experienced the transition from analog to digital, Gen Z grew up during a recession while in an age of rapid innovation. As a result, Gen Z’ers tend to be more interested in saving money than Millennials were at that age so they are attracted to high-quality purchases that maximize the value of every dollar, whereas Millennials are more interested in the entire experience of buying a product and are willing to pay more for it.
Comparably’s inaugural lists of the Best Brands According to Gen Z and Best Brands According to Millennials are derived from consumers 18-24 years old (Gen Z) and 25-40 years-old (Millennials) who anonymously rated companies on Comparably.com over the past year in six key areas, including: 1) quality of the product or service; 2) customer service; 3) ROI; 4) overall satisfaction with the company; 5) loyalty; and 6) how likely they are to recommend the brand to a friend (Net Promoter Score/NPS). More detailed methodology can be found below the rankings.
A total of 26 brands made both lists and while it is noteworthy to see where each group ranked them, it is in the outliers that major interest lies in distinguishing the habits of these two generations:
- Tech giants Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Netflix are highly favored by both Gen Z and Millennials. Zoom Video, Spotify, and Sony Playstation also made the cut, proving the strength of these platforms in the wake of the pandemic. Legacy brands such as Disney, Lego, Coca-Cola, Red Bull, and Nike, along with retail giants Target, Costco, and Starbucks, have all managed to stay relevant for multiple decades.
- Gen Z gravitates toward addictive mobile-era content consumption platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. The same is true for new cutting-edge tech platforms like Discord and gaming companies such as Valve, nVIDIA, ROBLOX, Razer, and Riot Games. Luxury fashion brands LVMH and Gucci – and lifestyle brands targeted specifically to younger consumers such as Hot Topic, American Eagle Outfitters, and Vans – also find loyal customers in this age demo.
- Millennials are perched on cutting edge lifestyle technology, favoring interactive fitness platform Peloton, electric vehicles like Tesla and ridesharing/meal delivery service app Uber, as well as professional apps LinkedIn and Slack. Airlines like Delta and Southwest both rate highly with this group, despite the industry-challenged year, proving that companies who remain focused on customer-service and safety reign supreme.
Top 50 Best Brands of 2021, According to Gen Z
1 Google
2 Apple
3 Amazon
4 Netflix
5 Chick-fil-A
6 Vans
7 Discord
8 Sony PlayStation
9 Spotify
10 Nike
11 ROBLOX
12 Bath & Body Works
13 Trader Joe’s
14 Uniqlo
15 Microsoft
16 Target
17 Costco
18 American Eagle Outfitters
19 Ulta Beauty
20 CHANEL
21 Valve
22 Glossier
23 nvidia
24 The Walt Disney Company
25 Lego Group
26 adidas
27 Nintendo
28 YouTube
29 Red Bull
30 Starbucks
31 Dunkin’
32 The Coca-Cola Company
33 Gucci
34 IKEA
35 Airbnb
36 LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennesy)
37 Twitter
38 TikTok
39 KFC
40 Zoom Video Communications
41 SEPHORA
42 McDonald’s
43 Instagram
44 Riot Games
45 Samsung
46 Razer
47 Hot Topic
48 7-Eleven
49 GOAT Group
50 Crocs
Top 50 Best Brands of 2021, According to Millennials
1 Peloton
2 Amazon
3 Google
4 Netflix
5 Apple
6 Chick-fil-A
7 Costco
8 REI
9 Delta Air Lines
10 Uber
11 Zoom Video Communications
12 Nike
13 Spotify
14 Lego Group
15 Southwest Airlines
16 In-N-Out Burger
17 Target
18 Microsoft
19 Airbnb
20 CHANEL
21 adidas
22 Sony Playstation
23 Starbucks
24 Coinbase
25 LinkedIn
26 Twitter
27 Shopify
28 iFIT
29 Chewy
30 Zillow
31 Headspace
32 Trader Joe’s
33 Slack
34 T-Mobile
35 Hulu
36 The Coca-Cola Company
37 Marriott
38 The Walt Disney Company
39 Uniqlo
40 The Home Depot
41 Stripe
42 Red Bull
43 MAC Cosmetics
44 PepsiCo
45 Square
46 Tesla Motors
47 McDonald’s
48 SEPHORA
49 IKEA
50 Torrid
Methodology
- Comparably’s Best Brands According to Gen Z list is based on Gen Z consumers (18-24 years old) who anonymously rated companies on Comparably.com over a 12-month period (Nov. 1, 2020 – Nov. 1, 2021).
- Comparably’s Best Brands According to Millennials list is based on Millennial consumers (25-40 years old) who anonymously rated companies on Comparably.com over a 12-month period (Nov. 1, 2020 – Nov. 1, 2021).
- Consumers were asked to rate brands in six key areas, including quality of the product or service, customer service, ROI, overall satisfaction with the company, loyalty, and how likely they are to recommend the company to a friend (NPS/Net Promoter Score).*NPS is a score that measures detractors and promoters, so it is calculated from -100 to 100.
- The final data set was compiled from approximately 200,000 ratings on thousands of the world’s biggest brands.
- There were no fees or costs associated, nor was nomination required.
About Comparably
Comparably (www.comparably.com) is a leading workplace culture and corporate brand reputation platform with over 15 million anonymous employee ratings on 70,000 companies. With the most comprehensive data on large and SMB organizations in nearly 20 different workplace categories – based on gender, ethnicity, age, experience, industry, location, education – it is one of the most used SaaS platforms for employer branding and a trusted third party site for workplace culture and compensation data. For more information on Comparably’s studies and annual Best Places to Work Awards, visit www.comparably.com/news.