The Story Wave 39

1: Lululemon: An Unconventional Show Of Confidence – Case Study

Gen Z likes to snag a good deal. This price-conscious group hunts for believable “dupes” or knockoffs of premium brands that are sold at a substantial discount. On TikTok, videos with the hashtag #dupe have more than 3.5 billion views. 

• In May 2023, Lululemon met Gen Z’s enthusiasm for dupes head on. At a two-day “Dupe Swap” in Los Angeles, Lululemon offered attendees a free pair of their black 25” Align leggings if they turned in a knockoff. 
• Consumer response to Lululemon’s Dupe Swap was overwhelmingly positive. Altogether, Lululemon handed out approximately $98K worth of Align leggings.
• Data from QuestBrand by The Harris Poll shows that the percent of Gen Zers who reported having tried Lululemon products increased after the Dupe Swap and throughout the second half of 2023 (see below).
• On May 6, 2023, Lululemon’s “trial score” among Gen Z adults stood at 38.2. By the end of the year, Gen Z’s “trial” score reached 45.1. 

Download the case study for the full story.

2: Nonprofits: An Industry Snapshot

Our recent report on the state of the nonprofit space explores consumers’ thoughts about donating to the college they attended, and what factors inspire charitable giving. A few key takeaways include:

• Support your alma mater: Half (51%) of prior students agree that they would donate every year to a college they attended if they were able to.
• Schools have our trust: the majority (62%) of adults who have attended college would trust that any donations they made to their college would be used responsibly.
• Tuition bills still loom large after graduation: Almost three-quarters (71%) of US adults who have not financially donated to their college agree that they did not do so because they have already given the college money through their attendance.
• Donation fatigue: Six-in-10 Americans (64%) agree that they feel overwhelmed by the number of social and environmental causes they have been asked to donate to.
• Don’t guilt trip donors: The majority (65%) of Americans agree that in general, charitable organizations rely too much on guilt as a tool to receive donations.

Over-Index Report: This month’s over-index report uses data from QuestBrand to list 20 brands that over-index with charitable donors. Check out a few brands that made the list:

3: Pinterest Is Not Just For The Millennials, Gen Z Is Moving In – Brand Story

You may have thought that Pinterest was for Millennials, TikTok was for Gen Z, but the times they are a-changin’. Gen Z’s interest in Pinterest significantly grew throughout 2023, and they are currently Pinterest’s fastest growing user demographic. 

• Using QuestBrand data, we see young adults’ interest in Pinterest grow over the past two years. The graph below tracks the percentage of young adults (ages 18-30) who say that they would “absolutely consider” using the Pinterest app from January 2022 through the beginning of March 2024.

• In addition to changing usage habits, Gen Z has shifted the way they think about Pinterest. Late 2023/early 2024, Gen Zers more often described Pinterest as “bold” (+16.9), “visionary” (+8.2), “classy” (+8.9), and “hip” (+8.6) than they did in late 2022/early 2023.

Read the full brand story to discover what Pinterest is doing that resonates with Gen Zers.