Marc Jacobs’ TikTok Proves That Gen Zers Are Indeed the ‘New Adults'
The luxury brand has officially won Gen Z over with its social media strategy.
Over the past few months, Marc Jacobs has found success tapping into Gen Z humor via his TikTok. At first glance, it may seem unusual for a luxury LVMH-owned brand to feature Gen-Z TikTok comedians in its content, but the reality is that Gen-Z individuals are the "new adults."
The oldest Gen-Zers, born in 1997, will be turning 27 years old this year, and those born on or before 2006 are now adults. With this young generation gaining increasing purchasing power each year, brands must adapt their marketing strategies to entertain Gen Z's interests. It's not hard to imagine why this may be difficult for brands, especially elevated luxury fashion and lifestyle brands, to adapt to. Gen-Z's humor and culture embrace the absurd and are often characterized by irony and self-deprecation.
So how did Marc Jacobs integrate this generation's odd sense of humor with the brand? The fashion house leaned into it.
The "Chick-fil-A Sauce Girl," Gina Lynn, went viral for making several animatedly astonished faces at a customer who didn't order her meal with the restaurant chain's famed Chick-fil-A sauce. The patron posted the funny moment online and soon made Lynn the meme of the moment. Another creator, Raymonte, went viral on the app for approaching unsuspecting strangers and enthusiastically complimenting their hairstyle or outfit. These creators and these moments all exist within a niche of Tiktok memes, and it's hard for anyone watching them to expect a luxury brand to tap any of these creators for a collab. But that's when Marc Jacob's and its brilliant social media strategy surprised us.
One TikTok, posted in April, features a skit of Lynn "barely working" at a Marc Jacobs store, combining an ongoing joke on Gen-Z's distaste for working with Lynn's established persona as an eccentric customer service employee. In another post, the creator, Raymonte, is seen approaching a woman and complimenting her outfit. "Excuse me, ma'am," he begins. "I'm loving your outfit!"
To which the woman responds, "This is Marc Jacobs!" as she points to each item of the chic look. The brand finds ways to stay true to the influencer's humor and personality while integrating the brand's messaging and products, which has undoubtedly gained a lot of positive reception from those in the comment section.
"Marc Jacobs, the brand you are"read one comment under one of the account's recent videos.
Another comment under a post read, "Seriously, nothing has made me wanna start buying Marc Jacobs than these sponsorships."
The brand's TikTok even uses its founder, Marc Jacobs himself, as the subject of the absurd humor. A throwback picture of Jacobs awkwardly posing in a neck brace was posted with the text 'you are now in Marc Jacobs jail,' referencing an inside joke popular on Gen-Z TikTok
To an outsider or an older gen individual who doesn't understand or participate in this style of comedic expression or content consumption, this may feel off-brand or confusing. But with the younger generation craving authenticity in a world that constantly demands perfection, Marc Jacobs has recognized that its brand must include them rather than exclude them.
