Our culture is shaped by a timeless tug of war between generations that each form their own values and priorities in life, informed by deep personal experience.

Three headstrong generations make up 75% of our population today; the post-war Boomers now in or near retirement, the Boomer’s offspring, labeled the restless Gen X and the latest cohort to reach adulthood in the 21st Century, the Millennials.

While the distinct values and attitudes of these generations are well documented, to what extent do brands succeed and fail in spanning these tribes? Are certain brands successful in speaking only to a single cohort while others are successful in spanning them all?

That’s what Principals is keen to explore with its Brand Alpha study.

For more than a decade, Principals have run Brand Alpha, a comprehensive research piece which gauges sentiment and attitude towards brands with a focus on four measures of authenticity: value, visibility, virtue, and vitality. In 2018, the research collaboration between Principals and the Marketing Association study focused on disruptors and how established brands stacked up compared to the new brands on the block.

In 2019, Brand Alpha seeks to explore the strengths and weaknesses of iconic Kiwi brands through a generational lens with the goal of identifying those special brands that transcend generations.

Over the coming weeks, thousands of people will be surveyed as to how they feel about a list of more than 50 brands as we set out to test several hypotheses including whether brands can appeal to some generations but not all and what it takes to transcend generations.

We’re curious to see how Kiwis of all ages really feel about brands, both local and international. So come along to our breakfast event with the Marketing Association on 28 May where we reveal the results.