Gen Z Think Tank: Insights on slang in advertising
Gen Z reflects on evolutions in the social lexicon, culturally informed slang, and how brands are staying in the conversation
Adolescent gets our info straight from the source. Our community of Youthtellers spans the globe, and our research scales finite moments into larger demographic behavior. Regular think tanks, surveys, and polls tell us what Gen Z cares about; we’ll then distill down what that means for you from an actionable perspective. After all, the best way to stay in the conversation of current culture is to engage the people making it.
TL;DR
A fun-sized summary of this article
Gen Z wants you to use slang - *smartly
Our cultural language is interlaced with complexities informed by identity and pop culture
Even campaigns that check all the boxes can be so-so on slang due to the medium it’s translated to
Language, culture, and slang are changing all the time! But tapping in means keeping up.
Gen Z reflects on: The social lexicon
The intersection of social media and pop culture has launched a new chapter in language evolution—and there are a lot of rules. For marketers, that means identifying and integrating slang into campaigns can be a hit-or-miss endeavor—and the misses are not received graciously. The internet loves to laugh with a brand but loves even more to laugh at one.
Marketing Insight: Incorporating slang into your creative can effectively position brands as culturally attuned and demonstrate an ability to speak the language of consumers. However, being strategic means knowing when to adopt new terms and when to retire others. Brands have to constantly refresh their messaging to reflect current cultural nuances, or else you’ll likely just butt into a conversation we’ve already finished.
Tips:
Differentiate between slang meant for the streets and slang meant for tweets. Some terms don’t translate to IRL—and some absolutely do!
The meaning of our slang evolves even as it exits our mouths (or thumbs, whatever). Something said on TikTok last week can mean a completely different thing in the week that follows. There are no static definitions—it’s all in context.
Don: My friend group and I always come up with different sayings… So it was interesting to think of certain terms or sayings that we used and thought we came up with, and then we would hear somebody else say them. I was like, oh, I thought that was an Ohio thing.
Maya: I definitely get slang from the media I consume, whether TikTok or podcasts. I feel like I almost adopt their humor, too. But then I think that idea also translates into real life. It's like if my friend that I'm always around is saying certain things, I will also adopt that.
Gen Z reflects on: Four letter words, AAVE, and other blurred lines in language
So there’s this word that starts with a C and ends with a T. I’m not going to write it here - but Gen Z loves saying it on social media, to the horror of older generations. To them, c***t is something you’re called; to us, it’s something you serve.
But that begs the question: who is saying the word? Well, if you were to peruse your social feed, it would inform you that who in question is an overlapping Venn diagram of queer people, black people, and women. I.E., C**t is getting the PG-13 treatment for Gen Z, but not all of Gen Z are a part of deciding its new terms of use.
Now, this is not the first time a once derogatory word has been reintroduced into the social lexicon, but de-stigmatization starts with the people the word degraded. It gets its new definition from reclamation, and you can't reclaim something you weren't called. Thus, the intersection between slang, identity, and social media is complicated. And yeah, now it’s time to talk about AAVE.
The influence of AAVE on pop culture isn’t new, but the way it’s translated to social media is. From flagrant misuse of certain words to the misattribution of others, AAVE has made social media a much funnier place to be, but also a much more appropriate one. Contentions with that aside, in a larger sense, this can be observed as a result of social media compressing the world - language is communal, and online, everyone is kind of from the same neighborhood. To a degree, our culture and language are homogenized there.
Marketing Insight: The line between pop culture language and AAVE is super blurred, but it’s always a good bet to contextualize whatever word or phrase your brand uses with the community who originated its use.
Tip:
Let’s use C**t as a case study on this phenomenon. Is your brand queer or extremely queer-aligned? Then this is probably fine for you to retweet. Is your brand… not that? Then the jury says to stay away from this one.
Lajeeth: [On the difference between slang and AAAVE] I would say that they're about the same. It really just depends on where you come from.
Maya: I would say there is kind of a blurred line there. I don't think I could even distinguish what originated from where and what didn't. In the past, the slang that you use was condensed into your community, but now, with social media, we spread how we talk with the rest of the world. And then that will catch on that way.
Gen Z reflects on: Slang in advertising
The difference between invoking the power of slang correctly and eliciting cringe lies in how well you get your audience; in this case, cultivating an understanding of Gen Z culture from a linguistic perspective. Language is cultural currency, and it can buy your way in with us. But don’t cram your character count with buzzwords. Nailing slang is all in knowing context and misunderstanding that devolves your copy into an expensive word salad.
Marketing Insight: Ever heard of Papa John's hit feat. Big Boi? Better Get You Some is laced with AAVE and Gen Z-aligned aesthetics, clearly meant to target our quirky, irreverent humor. Our reactions? Mixed. Gen Z loves seeing brands be creative with their messaging - and, even better, have fun - but when slang feels forced, it risks alienating rather than engaging younger consumers. Fighting that awkwardness is a battle of subjectivity, but you can better your odds by understanding your audience deeply before incorporating slang and colloquial language into campaigns. Success hinges on the genuine alignment between your brand identity and those cultural nuances.
Lajeeth: For me, it's more about the execution. It can sometimes be seen as cringy. Like, what are they doing? But I feel like it's hard because a lot of these ads are made by older people. They're doing their best to try to connect with the younger mind. So, I think for me, I have more of an open mind to it.
Maya: There's definitely a time and a place where a brand could successfully use slang. I don't think it ever like delivers well in big productions like commercials or TV shows because of how fast slang comes and goes. Like when you're filming it might be super relevant, but then by the time it airs, it's old news. But if a brand keeps it on TikTok and is commenting funny slang terms on people's posts I can get behind that. You almost feel like the person running that TikTok account is your age, and they get it versus a big production with big executives… If slang is so populated on social media, I think keep it on social media. I don't think we should bring it to physical advertisements.
Gen Z Pocket Dictionary
Cheugy
adjective
1. something your brand should avoid.
See: cringe
Gyat
noun
1. 😮💨🍑💦
Cap:
noun
1. liar liar pants on fire
Serve:
verb
1. what you do with c**t
An overview on participants:
Maya, 24
Tired of the phrase: Girl Math.
Thinks: Brands should utilize slang, but not in productions - stick to social instead.
Papa John's Take: a unique ad.
Lajeeth, 22
Tired of the phrase: Cap.
Thinks: Executing slang right means not coming across as desperate (*translation: old).
Papa John's Take: Fine, but a bit try-hard.
Don, 27
Tired of the phrase: Bae.
Thinks: The target demographic should fit the specific slang used by brands.
Papa John's Take: Into the creativity of the video, but it was kind of long.