What High Schoolers Actually Think About Your Brand

What High Schoolers Actually Think About Your Brand

Gen Z has grown up with brand saturation. They’ve been targeted since elementary school, marketed to on every platform imaginable, and conditioned to spot insincerity within seconds. But here’s the twist: they’re not disengaged — they’re just selective. Especially in high school, where self-definition is in full bloom, students are forming lifelong perceptions of brands. And those perceptions? They’re blunt, fast-forming, and brutally honest.

At TAG Collective, we’ve spent years studying youth culture, and we regularly engage in roundtables with high schoolers nationwide. What they reveal about branding is invaluable — and occasionally uncomfortable. Here’s what we’ve learned about what teens really think about your brand, and how to earn — not just buy — their trust.

1. They Can Smell the Try-Hard Energy
Gen Z values authenticity, but that word has been so overused it’s lost meaning. What teens really want is effortlessness. If your brand jumps on trends too late, misuses slang, or panders to TikTok culture without participating in it genuinely, they’ll clock it immediately.

“When brands try to go viral, it’s cringe,” said one 16-year-old. “If you’re cool, you don’t have to say it.”

2. Purpose Isn’t a Bonus — It’s Baseline
Today’s teens expect brands to stand for something. Environmental responsibility, mental health advocacy, racial justice, LGBTQ+ inclusion — these aren’t extras. They’re entry points. But performative gestures are easily spotted. If your brand only changes its logo during Pride Month and does nothing else, they’ll call you out.

What matters more is consistency. Are you talking about the issues all year? Are you hiring, sourcing, and marketing with those values embedded? Teens notice the gaps.

3. Product Still Matters — But It’s Just the Start
Yes, your product has to deliver. But for high schoolers, what really matters is how owning or interacting with that product makes them feel socially. Does it help them express identity? Signal belonging? Spark conversation? Being a “good” product isn’t enough — it has to mean something in their world.

That’s why water bottle brands, skincare lines, and even snack companies have become status signals in high school halls. It’s about aesthetic, function, and what it says about you.

4. They’re Digital Natives — Not Digital Zombies
There’s a myth that teens are disengaged from the world, lost in their screens. The truth? They’re hyper-aware — of politics, pop culture, mental health, and social injustice. The algorithm didn’t dull their senses; it sharpened them.

They expect brands to be fluent in the platforms they use — not just present. That means understanding how content lands on TikTok vs. YouTube Shorts vs. IG Reels. It means using music cues correctly. And most of all, it means participating in the culture instead of commenting on it from the sidelines.

5. Humor Goes Far — If You Get It Right
Gen Z humor is absurd, ironic, often layered with inside jokes, and lightning-fast. When brands nail it, the payoff is huge. Think Duolingo’s chaotic mascot antics or Scrub Daddy’s unhinged replies. But when brands force humor, especially if it feels AI-generated or out-of-touch, the backlash is swift.

One student put it best: “If you’re funny, cool. If you’re not, don’t try. Just be honest or helpful instead.”

6. Representation Isn’t Just About Casting
Diverse faces in your campaigns are great — but teens want diversity in voice, decision-making, and leadership. They’re asking: Who’s on your board? Who wrote this script? Are you empowering or just showcasing?

They want stories that reflect lived experience, not tokenism. And they’re quick to notice when something feels engineered in a conference room rather than created from community.

Case Study: Reframing a Teen-Facing Skincare Brand
We helped a skincare client reposition for the teen market. Instead of flooding TikTok with influencer tutorials, we built a community around “skin stories” — teens sharing unfiltered journeys with acne, anxiety, and self-image. We paired those stories with gentle educational content and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the company’s ingredients and values. Sales doubled — but more importantly, so did teen engagement and trust metrics.

7. They’ll Talk Back — And You Should Listen
Teens engage. They comment. They ask hard questions. They’ll DM you. They’ll meme you. If you’re not listening — or worse, deleting — you’re missing the most valuable feedback loop you have. Respond, adapt, credit them when they contribute ideas. You’ll be amazed at the brand loyalty that creates.

Final Thought: Gen Z Doesn’t Hate Brands — They Hate Inauthenticity
Teens aren’t anti-brand. They just expect more. More honesty. More relevance. More respect. If your brand can show up in their world with humility, creativity, and consistency — not just marketing muscle — you won’t just earn their attention. You’ll earn their advocacy. And in high school, that’s the most viral currency of all.