Niche is Chic

Gen Z doesn’t fall for mass marketing anymore. They don’t want brands that “kind of” resonate with everyone, they want brands that feel like they were made just for them. Hyper-specific branding is no longer risky; it’s the smartest move a brand can make.

Here’s how to get it right:

Instead of aiming for broad relevance, dial in on hyper-specific habits, aesthetics, or rituals.

TikTok micro-trends like tomato girl summer, rat girl walks, and blokecore show how quickly Gen Z rallies around niche identities. According to Nearly 53% of Gen Z say they prefer brands that cater to specific interests over those with broad, mass-market appeal. This perfectly backs your point about niche identities being the move. [SOURCE: https://www.axios.com/2024/12/19/gen-z-brands-niche-community-appeal?]

Don’t market to “everyone who loves skincare.” Instead, speak to the night-routine girlies who romanticize their 12-step ritual with candles, matcha, and silk headbands. The more specific you get, the more your audience feels like you see them.

Gen Z lives in coded language: memes, references, and in-jokes. If you’re not fluent, you’re irrelevant.

Think of Duolingo’s TikTok; chaotic, unhinged, meme-fueled. It works because it feels like it’s speaking the audience’s native tongue. Meanwhile, brands that jump on trends too late or without nuance get roasted.

A niche isn’t just what you say, it’s how your brand looks, feels, and behaves.

Look at brands like Glossier, MSCHF, or even indie coffee shops with strong visual DNA. Their branding is so cohesive that you could recognize them without a logo. Every post, product, and touchpoint feels like part of the same “playlist.”

To nail niche branding, treat your visual and tonal elements like a curated Spotify playlist. Keep it cohesive; colors, typography, photography, and copy should all serve one vibe. Less random, more intentional. That’s what makes your brand unforgettable.

The difference is subtle: when you say something in a way that feels like “IYKYK,” you’re inviting your community into a private club. That’s how niche becomes chic,it signals belonging.

Mass marketing is out. Micro-vibes are in. The brands that thrive in 2025 will be the ones that choose a lane and fully own it even if it feels “too specific.” Because in the Gen Z economy, specific is magnetic.Not sure what your brand’s niche actually is? Let’s uncover it together.