Slow to Spend: Why Gen Z Shops More Than They Buy

BY Willow Pawlisch | July 10, 2025

Gen Z might have a reputation for being impulse buyers, but they’re actually meticulous researchers. They’ll scroll for hours, not to buy, but to compare prices, read reviews, and hunt for the best value before ever hitting “add to cart.” They’re experts at finding one perfect product at a low price, much to the frustration of retailers who try to box them into impulse-buy trends that appeal more to older generations.

Financially, that’s a good choice for them to save money as they grow into a cost-of-living crisis and increasing student loan debt, but it’s also a hurdle for retailers struggling to convert young people from shoppers into buyers.

Gen Z’s purchasing power is set to reach $12 trillion by 2030, but their spending power isn’t translating into more sales in general. As younger people grow into the major consumer market, Gen Z saves and budgets more than previous generations. A study conducted found that Gen Z on average put away into savings higher percentages of their monthly wages than any other age group. They also had the highest percentage of participants who put away all of their disposable income into their savings accounts. 

This new mentality around spending was also reflected in a TikTok trend last year, where Gen Z creators talked with friends about choosing not to spend money. The trend was a rejection of consumer culture by proudly declaring,“I don’t want to spend.” These behaviors point to a larger moment of Gen Z choosing to save money more often than they spend. 

Secondhand Is Everyone’s Competition

In 2022, 1.4 billion secondhand apparel items were purchased in the U.S., according to statistics compiled by Capital One. That’s up 40% from 2021, and the secondhand market is expected to hit a value of $64 billion in 2026. Sustainability is top of mind for many young people, and combining the affordability of secondhand shopping with eco-focused messaging resonates strongly with Gen Z consumers.

ThredUp educates its consumers on the global fashion waste crisis (photo via ThredUp)

According to online clothing re-sale company ThredUp, Gen Z accounts for almost two-thirds of their consumer base, and their latest sales report says Gen Z plans to spend 42% of their clothing budget on second-hand items. 

One of the major appeals of thrift and consignment shopping is affordability. If second-hand is cheaper, the buyer has the chance to be budget-conscious, but the retailers face the cost of no longer making that sale.  

This tradeoff between price and profit becomes even more complex when considering how meticulously younger shoppers evaluate their purchases. A study found that 75% of Gen Z generally reads comments, 74% visit the brand’s website, and 72% check product reviews before making a purchase. This suggests that Gen Z spends significantly more time evaluating their options than previous generations could. Younger generations use their access to unlimited data to parse the market for their desired product. 

Brands may prioritize instant, impulse-driven purchases through social media storefronts, but Gen Z primarily uses these platforms to research products, not to buy them.

In-Person vs. Online Buying

Even though they are the first generation to grow up with technology, trends show that teens and young adults prefer to shop in person at the same rates as Baby Boomers. This suggests that despite their digital fluency, the tactile experience of shopping remains important to them.

Making everything available for purchase online performs well overall, but it doesn’t generate sales like a physical storefront opening does. Conversely, opening a physical storefront can boost online sales.

Members of Gen Z prefer to spend their money in person rather than through social media storefronts or online retailers that can be used to research the purchase. They plan visits to physical stores to purchase their desired products.

A Changing Sales Funnel

Gen Z’s lengthy shopping process has led many marketing analysts to conclude that this generation has disrupted the traditional marketing funnel. Their habits have effectively added a new step: extensive research drawn from sources beyond company advertising. The traditional sales funnel follows the following steps:

  1. Awareness
  2.  Interest
  3. Desire
  4. Action

Each company tends to tailor this funnel differently to appeal to its target audience, but creating a Gen Z sales funnel looks a lot different than the linear path. Between social media, physical media, and everyday life, brands can create a web of touchpoints to explore instead of creating advertisements and information touch points that only exist in a serial, one-note campaign style.

Learning how to navigate the new sales funnel can also provide more opportunities to grow a brand’s credibility with Gen Z. Moving beyond the goal of just a sale, building a reputation in the research phase can encourage engaging with the consumer post-purchase. This can help consumers recommend your product to others and build a community of Gen Z customers that keeps coming back. 

By understanding the processes Gen Z takes in shopping, researching, and ultimately buying products, brands can better cater to the growing buying power that the younger generation seems to be keeping on a tight leash in the current economy. 

Willow Pawlisch is From Day One’s summer fellowship reporter. She's a student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, double majoring in Journalism and Latin American Studies/Language. 

(Featured photo by RyanJLane/iStock)

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Authentic Marketing That Actually Resonates With Gen Z

Sol de Janeiro’s skin and haircare products might not be in everyone’s house yet, but ask Gen Z and you’ll quickly learn it’s the gold standard for brand authenticity.At its core, authenticity means transparency, communication, and a deep understanding of the consumer base. Interaction with customers is essential for any brand claiming to be “real,” and AdAge has dubbed Sol de Janeiro the darling of Gen Z for passing this authenticity test.Long considered a buzzword, authenticity has proven its worth: it helps build loyal customer bases who return and recommend products to others. In fact, 86% of consumers say authenticity matters when deciding which brands to support. Gen Z especially values authenticity, and brands that don’t adapt risk losing their trust. However, the difference between succeeding and failing at authenticity marketing might be simpler to navigate than it first appears.A Case-Study in Authentic Marketing: Sol de JaneiroSol de Janeiro threw its hat in the fragrance and body care ring just about a decade ago with bright colors to appeal to younger audiences, body-positive messaging, and a diverse, disruptive stance on the industry. It has since become a household name for Gen Z, with a focus on quality and viral skin routines fitting into their desire for an authentic consumer experience.“Our brand ethos stems from the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, where we accept, embrace, hug and celebrate everybody, every curve, every fold and every truth,” founder Heela Yang said to the Moodie Davitt Report. “Treating our skin every day comes as naturally as showering or brushing our teeth. It is more than a daily habit, but an exciting and invigorating part of our day.”Advertisement of Cheirosa 59 highlighting the meaning behind its name and its signature scent notes (photo via Sol de Janiero)They used the full breadth of their authentic marketing when they launched their new scent Cheirosa 59 and its accompanying product line in early 2024. The product sold out in store-fronts and online during its launch week.The brand appeals to authenticity by paying homage to its Brazilian roots, featuring diverse body types and skin tones in its imagery, naming most products in Brazil’s native language, Portuguese, and using bright color-coding by scent to make its wide selection easy to navigate for new consumers. The brand goes beyond imagery to build a consistent and recognizable persona.With Cheirosa 59, the brand kept things consistent with naming their scent after a significant year in Brazilian culture, and introducing the new scent through influencer and pop-up events encouraging the testing of the scent's perfume, body butter, and shower oil.The secret to Sol de Janiero’s success in Gen Z with each scent launch is meeting customer expectations, a grassroots approach to social media, and alternating emphasis on body positivity or experiential campaigns. They also offer refills for products at a fraction of the cost to conserve plastic in manufacturing. It appeals to a desire for sustainability and affordability: important qualities in Gen Z audiences.So while they might not be recognized by all generations, for Gen Z they hit a perfect storm of experiential marketing, social-awareness, and trend-setting.Common Mistakes in Authentic MarketingTrying and failing at authenticity can backfire, especially when a company gets called out. It results in bad reputations, losing customers, and being written off as a brand entirely. A poll found that 20% of people have unfollowed brands on social media when they felt they were inauthentic. So how can brands avoid the pitfalls of inauthentic authenticity?At a time when purchases have increasing political implications, Gen Z seeks reassurance that the brands they choose are morally aligned. However, when taking a moral stance is not true to a brand’s persona, it can drive consumers away.A survey of 800 Gen Zers found 47% of respondents agreed that a brand that advertises around an unrelated cause is engaged in no more than a sales ploy. The balancing act of authenticity is a desirable goal, but the real goal is finding a brand-aligned moral stance and sticking to it.The main culprit is a lack of commitment to brand morals. Target serves as a prime example. The company has long touted its support for the LGBTQ+ community through its annual Pride collection, launched in 2013, along with advertisements celebrating Black History Month. This past year, it took a step back from their previously established moral stance, rolling back their DEI and LGBTQ+ support initiatives. This was done out of fear of federal backlash, leading to a similarly negative backlash: boycott campaigns, lawsuits, and a drop in stock price by as much as $27.27 per share. It seems the only thing worse than not taking a moral stance is taking one and eventually backing out. Another common mishap in authentic marketing is passively partaking in trends. “There’s nothing worse than companies jumping on every Twitter trend for likes while ignoring their own actions,” Lynn Rosenthal, CEO and founder of Periscape VR said to Rolling Stone. “Companies need to stop acting like teenagers and realize they have a social, ecological, and ethical obligation to the world. Focus on your customers and workers. That will deliver lasting returns, both financially and socially,” she said.A clear example of Gen Z’s aversion to fake branding morals was their reaction to numerous corporate Twitter accounts posting for International Women’s Day. In response, a bot program flooded the comment sections with reminders about each company’s gender wage gap.Companies often lean on moral stances and trends to prove their authenticity to Gen Z, but low-effort attempts in these areas risk backfiring over time.How to Authentically Market to Gen ZThe most common way a brand will appeal to Gen Z’s authenticity is by giving their brands a face through influencers. However, influencer-based marketing can lead to more problems than revenue. Between over-saturation of sponsored content and managing the reputation of the influencer, there are a lot of ways to go wrong when making a social media personality the face of your brand.Some studies have found that sponsored influencer posts actually drive down brand engagement while unsponsored influencer posts seem to perform exceedingly well in building brand reputation. The difference is a very fine line.The way to create unsponsored influencer content is through focusing on electronic word-of-mouth. By encouraging content creation, exposure, and quality of content surrounding the brand, brands can cater to increases of organic, user-generated content.An example of this done effectively is Cotopaxi, an outdoor gear brand focused on sustainability and accessibility. Most of their branded content focuses on outdoor lifestyles and how their products are made using recycled fabrics. Their sponsored influencer content is posted directly onto their corporate account to avoid claims of  “selling out” while they respond consistently to feedback from consumers in the comment section about product design. Another brand doing this well, especially for Gen Z is athletic clothing company, Gym Shark. Gymshark’s philosophy is to sponsor influencers who create fitness content wearing their clothing, rather than content that deliberately advertises the product. They also focus on long-term partnerships with influencers instead of paying for one-off videos.“It’s all about being authentic,” Gymshark’s Head of PR Stephanie O’Neill said. “The vast majority of Gymshark ambassadors were once fans and consumers of the brand. Who better to represent the brand than those who actually love Gymshark?”It’s no mystery that brands with a two-pronged approach to social media content tend to fare better in terms of building rapport with Gen Z. They have tailored corporate promotions and unique influencer campaigns to make a web of content that creates a feedback loop of normal people making content around the product too. The Case for AuthenticityGen Z, ages 13 to 28, continues to grow as a consumer base. For marketers, the biggest challenge is delivering an authentic, unique experience to each individual within this group.By leveraging transparency in marketing strategies, understanding the consumer base, and having clear communication with returning customers, brands can achieve a more authentic brand experience, but misusing those marketing tactics can always backfire if the brand doesn’t commit fully to using authenticity strategies. Authentic marketing is just one approach to engaging Gen Z and their preferences. It’s important to assess whether authenticity marketing fits your brand or if other strategies might better resonate with this audience.Either way, it’s clear that individuality, consistency, transparency, and communication are the true markers of authenticity that Gen Z values.Willow Pawlisch is From Day One’s summer fellowship reporter. She's a student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, double majoring in Journalism and Latin American Studies/Language. (Featured photo by Makidotvn/iStock)

Willow Pawlisch June 05, 2025

Thriving Through Change: Career Lessons From a Maven of Marketing

Todd Haskell had mastered the marketing playbook—until he hadn’t. For a time, in the heyday of magazine marketing, the formula for success was simple. Then the rise of digital media, changing consumer expectations, and a host of other factors disrupted everything. As the SVP and chief marketing officer of Hearst Magazines, Haskell has been at the forefront of the changing landscape, and how he responded is an instructive story of modern marketing. With a background in sales, advertising, and marketing at the New York Times and Meredith Corp., Haskell has for the last decade led the corporate marketing functions, content services team, and industry marketing for Hearst, overseeing creative development across print, digital, social, and video for 25 magazine brands, reaching 146 million readers each month.Haskell began his publishing career while studying at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. With the support of a fellow St. Lawrence alum, he secured an internship at the New York Times Magazine Group and went on to land a full-time role after graduation. “The publishing business was very different from what it is today. But a lot of the same things that make working in publishing interesting remain, which is the fact that you’re creating and marketing a product that plays a significant role in people’s lives. Whether it’s informing, entertaining, or empowering them to take control of their lives and shape a better future for their families, that work has always been interesting and rewarding to me. It’s what has kept me in the business for 35 years,” he said.At the end of last month, Haskell announced his departure from his position at Hearst. His next endeavor is volunteering on the board of directors for the Highlands Current, a nonprofit print and digital news outlet in New York’s Hudson Valley. He feels it’s an important cause: “Local journalism is a pillar of a functioning democracy, and is more important now than ever.” In the midst of this transition, Haskell spoke with From Day One about lessons learned in the industry, the profound changes in recent years, and the future of marketing. Excerpts:Q: What has been the most rewarding and successful marketing campaign you’ve worked on—perhaps one where consumers were deeply connected with the message in a positive way?A: It’s some of the work that we do that speaks to the organization’s values. For example, when the pandemic first hit, Hearst, with brands that touch a broad cross-section of the American population, from families in the Midwest to wealthy individuals in major markets, asked “what can we do to shine a light on the reality that so many of the communities we serve are dealing with, and how can we do that through the unique lens of each of our brands?” We recognized that food insecurity was such a crisis, particularly in those first six or nine months of the pandemic. We organized all 25 of our editorial brands to create content as part of an overarching campaign focused on shining a light on food insecurity through the lens of each brand.Hearst Magazines publishes 25 different brands, from Good Housekeeping to Cosmopolitan So for a brand like Esquire, a men’s brand, but probably best known as a fashion brand, there is a deep heritage in the restaurant business, which was hugely impacted. We explored food insecurity by highlighting how the restaurant community was coming together to support their employees who were suddenly displaced. In Good Housekeeping, we covered food insecurity through the lens of community organizations that were rapidly forming to support local communities. This was a campaign that was driven by content that our editors created, but it also was all about raising awareness of this, and sending people to Feeding America, to then take action, volunteer, and donate money. What was so special about it was the fact that it was genuine and it felt credible, because each brand looked at the topic through something that was really unique and specific to them. But all of the brands had this sort of universal truth, which was this issue around food insecurity.Q: And thinking more on staying connected to values, on a broader level, how do you keep marketing efforts meaningful and rooted in values, even as the industry evolves?A: The most important thing is to ensure the creative people within the organization feel that they have the liberty to advocate for those types of things, and that they’re going to feel supported. We make sure that we’re communicating the values that we as an organization hold, to make sure that we’re articulating them to our own population, so they then feel empowered to recommend work to our clients that reflect some of those values and truths.Q: In thinking about the industry changes as of late, how has technology reshaped the way marketing strategies are developed and executed? How has media disruption changed the game?A: How hasn’t it? First of all, I think one of the big things is how distribution has changed everything. When magazines were primarily print, for example, you had a rate base, delivered magazines with messages in them, they hit the mailbox and your job was done. That doesn’t work anymore. Now, with the audiences for these brands being primarily digital, you need to earn the attention of the reader every minute of every day. Now you have to work for that constantly, whereas it used to be that your circulation department worked to get an audience and you created content creatively to deliver to them. Now, everybody needs to be thinking about earning attention all the time. That’s really driven by the technology changes in the media landscape.The other thing is that now, through things like media-mix modeling and attribution, advertisers have an infinitely better sense of what their campaigns are delivering, and are able to compare the results of different campaigns. You can create something that looks amazing, but the marketer is going to be able to tell whether or not it works, and that’s going to be proven with data that comes from third-party sources.Q: As digital marketing has evolved, what are your feelings about the potential for consumer manipulation through data-driven personalization, with hyper-targeted ads directed towards consumers who might not really understand what’s going on?A: It’s a very tricky time, and I think everyone in the marketing community, whether you’re at a brand, a publisher, or an ad-tech company, needs to be very deliberative about how we proceed over the next couple of years.I do think one of the foundational concepts is that AI can empower creativity and human creation, and there’s nothing wrong with that. For example, humans can come up with a powerful creative idea, and then use AI to develop sophisticated audience segmentation, ensuring that the right flavor of that message is delivered to you. Those types of uses are appropriate for AI—things we could never do without it.However, the idea of positioning creative as coming from humans when it’s not is really dangerous. And when I say dangerous, I also mean it’s dangerous from a brand perspective. The potential for brand damage from that type of strategy is profound, and people will need to be very careful about it.Q: In addition to new technology and use of AI, are there any emerging trends you think are going to take off soon?A: In the wake of this past election, many ideas are becoming more visible that brands and media organizations will need to address. For example, the issue of toxic masculinity is something that’s becoming more prominent. I’m not saying this purely in a partisan way, it goes both ways. But the gender divide, especially around masculinity, is growing wider. The way many young people are viewing certain issues, and the differences in perspective based on gender, is profound. This will undoubtedly impact marketing in a much bigger way.Additionally, trust in institutions is going to become more important. While there has been a lot of degradation of trust, this also presents an opportunity for organizations to position themselves as trustworthy, which is a valuable opportunity for brands to take as well.Q: When it comes to trust, do you have any advice on how to build lasting relationships with consumers?A: Lasting relationships with consumers are generally based upon the consumer feeling that the brand is supporting them and they’re getting something. Is there a differentiated benefit that I’m getting from my relationship with this brand or product as a consumer, something I can’t get anywhere else? In a world where the barriers to entry are low, like in the media world, anyone can start creating digital content, whether it’s video or written. Durable relationships are built where readers feel valued, and that’s where they’ll stay.Whether it’s about establishing relationships or messaging to existing customers, it’s crucial to ensure they understand the real value they’re getting from a relationship they can’t find elsewhere. Reinforcing these relationships over time, rather than just focusing on acquiring customers is key. It’s about consistently communicating to customers that they made the right choice in supporting us, and I think that’s going to be increasingly important.Q: Looking back on your career so far, what are some of the key decisions that have shaped your path and success?A: The key thing is having respect for really talented creators. In the world of publishing, it’s editors. Even though I’ve always sat on the business side, advocating for the people who create content every day has been a guiding principle throughout my career.Now as I’m looking forward. [having retired from Hearst in November], I’m going into the nonprofit space purely as a volunteer. I’ll be supporting a news organization where that relationship between the editorial team and the readership, even if it’s on a much smaller scale than the global brands I’ve worked with in the past, is even more important. Now I’ll be working for a brand with a much smaller audience, but the same dynamic of delivering something truly important for the reader’s life is what will result in sustainable success.Erin Behrens is an associate editor at From Day One.(Featured photo courtesy of Todd Haskell, taken at the global Harper’s BAZAAR Milan Fashion Week party)

Erin Behrens December 20, 2024

How to Succeed in Marketing? Show More Respect for the Dignity of Consumers

Not long ago, the air conditioning at this writer’s house was on the blink. That wouldn’t normally be a problem in October, but in central Virginia, daytime temperatures can still register 80 degrees when other states are getting their first overnight frosts. I called a local repair shop, the same one that had installed the heat pump two years ago. Within a few hours, I received a text message with a photo of my incoming technician, his name, and phone number. He arrived on time, called me by name, and identified the problems quickly. One of them was a dirty heating coil. I had two choices, he told me: Pay him $350 for a cleaning, or do it myself with a $3 brush from the hardware store. He’d even show me how if I wanted a lesson.This is what professor Cait Lamberton would describe as a dignified customer experience, the focus of her latest academic work. “It’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever worked on,” she told From Day One. “Businesses don’t necessarily understand how profound these experiences are for people, so they get them right sometimes by accident–but they could get them right on purpose.”In her 2024 book Marketplace Dignity: Transforming How We Engage with Customers Across Their Journey, Lamberton, a professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and her coauthors, Neela A. Saldanha and Tom Wein, argue that “treating your customers with dignity means showing every customer that you value and respect them because of who they are, regardless of what they buy from you or how you engage with their brand.”They developed a three-part, marketplace-dignity framework that applies to every part of the customer journey, from pre-consumption to post-consumption. First, representation: Customers need to feel seen by the firm. Second, agency: Customers need meaningful choices when engaging with the company. And finally, equality: Customers must feel that they’re treated as peers.Marketers will recognize already-codified elements of marketplace dignity, even if they don’t go by that name. This is the kind of thing the U.S. Federal Trade Commission concerns itself with. The CAN-SPAM Act, for example, requires businesses to allow consumers to opt-out of email messages. And last October, the FTC released the final text of its new “click-to-cancel” rule, which requires that companies make it simple for customers to cancel subscriptions, and prohibits them from making misleading statements about how those subscriptions work.Objections to–and Misconceptions of–Marketplace DignityLamberton hears resistance from the business world about implementing this framework that respects customers’ representation, agency, and equality—and she’s sensitive to those objections. Businesses seem to really snag on the idea of customer agency, she said. The first protest she hears is that providing consumer dignity must be expensive. “They assume that this has to do with integrating lots of nice perks at every step along the way or redesigning their entire customer service program so their consumers get everything they want at every step in their experience.” But in some cases, the company already uses components of the framework, but customers aren’t aware. For instance, you may already offer customers a choice they don’t know is theirs to make.“Sometimes people think that agency means lots of choices. It doesn’t. It means lots of control, which is a very different thing,” Lamberton said. She notes that agency can actually be a money-saver. “When a firm says, ‘Would you prefer us to reach out to you by phone or by text?’ Half the time, the consumer is going to choose the option that’s less costly for the firm. It’s possible that by giving the consumer more agency, you’re actually going to cut your costs and make them happier.”Others object to the notion of equality, believing that “they’re going to end up having a battle between two groups of people who both want more voice, and if we give these people more of a voice, then these people are going to be mad because they don’t have a voice.” But this isn’t a zero-sum game, she said.Some believe representation is about ticking a box, like a clothing company that uses models of all shapes and sizes, or a retailer promoting rainbow merchandise for Pride Month. Companies have long been accused of “pinkwashing” every June. That is, capitalizing on Pride while ignoring the well-being of their own LGBTQ+ employees or customers. Lamberton notes that those who fail with representation often misunderstand that marketplace dignity isn’t about “being nice.”No matter their feelings on the consumer-dignity triad, companies don’t get to opt out. Not choosing is still choosing, as the adage goes. “Every interaction you have with your customers has some level of voice, has some level of agency, has some level of felt fairness,” Lamberton explained. “You don’t have the option to say, ‘We just aren’t doing anything about this.’ It’s a matter whether you decide to do it intentionally or not intentionally.”Compare my experience with the HVAC company to another one two years ago. Shopping around for a new heat pump and a company to install it, I called a few to visit the house and offer an estimate. One firm sent three techs to do a one-person job (and charged me accordingly). While tinkering around my house, not only was their chatter among each other crude and mostly about politics and their disdain for those who don’t share their beliefs, they spoke condescendingly to me about their inspection. They presented a menu of options, but told me that only one was the “smart choice.” Of course, it also had the heaviest price tag.That, Lamberton might say, is an undignified experience.How to Practice Marketplace DignitySo, how can a business uphold marketplace dignity? It must be systematic, Lamberton said. “If this is relying on people being nice, there’s no way it sticks. It has to be something for which you can actually audit.” You can measure it like anything else. Firms already survey consumer sentiment on a regular basis, so add a question to your polls: “Do you feel that we respect you?”This isn’t quite the same as net-promoter scoring. Lamberton and her coauthors tried creating a “net dignity score,” but they were never satisfied with the design. The correlation between NPS and a measure of dignity isn’t perfect, she said.Cait Lamberton, a professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School (Photo courtesy of Penn)“In some industries, being respected is really tightly correlated with liking.” She uses Chick-fil-A as an example, where customers say they feel very respected, and they like the company. In other sectors, those scores don’t necessarily match. For example, “there are certain celebrities that are very popular, and people will forward their content on social media—eft, right, and center. Net promoter score: probably pretty high. They have no problem recommending this content to other people, but they don’t necessarily feel that these people respect them.” Banking is similar, where consumers are happy to sacrifice warmth for competence. “Customers may not feel respected by their bank, but that doesn’t mean they don’t see it as a competent business.”When it’s systematized, dignity isn’t “contingent on somebody’s mood that day or some of these other fad-based vacillations,” she said. Marketplace dignity is the remit of more than just the marketing department–it’s a cross-functional responsibility. Dignity is to be upheld at every point along the customer lifecycle: pre-consumption, evaluation, consumption, post-consumption.Discovering the Need for Customer DignityLamberton had an epiphany in 2019, while reading a book by political scientist Francis Fukuyama. In Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment, his thesis is that modern ideas of behavioral economics are as old as Plato, who segments soul into three parts: appetite, reason, and spirit. In behavioral economics, however, the first two are recognized (the things we want and the things we need), but the third, spirit, is ignored, Lamberton observed. This is where she identifies the desire for dignity. “I thought, maybe we’re missing something, and because we’re missing something, we’re trying to solve problems using the wrong tools.”Lamberton looked at current events and saw reflections of Fukuyama’s arguments. She watched the riots and outrage following George Floyd’s murder in 2020. “I’m reading one set of reports saying, ‘This is all unchecked emotion. This is irrational.’ I’m seeing other reports saying, ‘This is all a systematic attempt by a highly orchestrated group of leaders.’ I thought, ‘No way, isn’t this driven by a denial of dignity?’ I mean, isn’t that what we saw? Therefore, isn’t this perfectly rational?”She believes that’s why implicit-association training for police hasn’t solved the problems of racism and discrimination (it addresses reason) and why workplace anti-bias training hasn’t either (it addresses emotion). “The problem is actually that we need to figure out how to affirm the dignity of everyone involved.” This idea has undergirded Lamberton’s approach to teaching marketing ethics.Not all industries have a code of ethics, but the American Marketing Association does. It comprises three parts. The first two are to do no harm and to foster and maintain integrity (as Lamberton paraphrases it: “Don’t lie”). Your legal department will take care of those two, she said. As for No. 3: embrace ethical values. “If you dig into [the full text], it says to respect the dignity of the consumer. But of course, we never defined that. If that’s the only unique thing in our ethics that legal isn’t going to cover, then I think we have to talk about it.”When Lamberton picked up Fukuyama’s book, she was writing a commentary on anti-stigmatization cues in marketing. Her first instinct was to write about companies virtue signaling, but she went looking for a challenge to her own ideas. “Maybe there’s something bigger,” she said. That article was the first time she wrote about the idea of customer dignity.As people are more willing to air grievances publicly and divide among political lines, Lamberton believes her work has growing relevance. “I think people are going to continue to be very sensitive to these issues, and I think they should. The good news is that the conversation has sensitized people to concerns for dignity. I’m excited about the fact that businesses are interested because it’s a huge opportunity for them to do something affirmative rather than simply playing defense.”Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the Economist, the BBC, The Washington Post, Quartz, Business Insider, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife.(Featured photo by TommL/iStock by Getty Images)

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza January 16, 2025