Brand Activism and GenZ

The interview protocol aims to gauge their perceptions and responses toward brand activism, with a focus on their interactions with brands endorsing social issues. Within this dataset, interviewees unpack their perspective on Gen Z attributes and evaluate their resonance with prevalent depictions. Central to the interview is the participants' feedback on prominent brand campaigns such as Nike's "JUST DO IT," Gillette's "We Believe," and Libresse/Bodyform's "Viva la Vulva," to name a few. Their analyses unveil perceptions of brand genuineness, the synergy between a brand's image and its advocated social concerns, and the overarching ramifications of brand activism on consumer purchasing decisions. In addition, the dataset broaches essential themes like social credibility, the influence of brand spokespeople, geographical variances in brand activism, and the prospective outcomes for customer fidelity and product pricing. This collection offers an in-depth glimpse into the intricate dynamics between Gen Z and brands during this period of intensified social and political awareness. This dataset comprises qualitative data obtained from interviews with 37 individuals from the Gen Z demographic, predominantly aged between 20-25 years. Of these participants, 53.3% identified as male (n=20), 40% as female (n=15), and 6.7% opted not to specify their gender (n=2). The participants for these interviews were strategically sourced using the snowballing technique between 2021 and 2022. Among them, 33 are international young adults who, at some point within the last 1-2 years, were studying or employed in the Netherlands. It is noteworthy that between October 2021 and February 2022, the Netherlands observed a stringent lockdown, mandating remote work. Consequently, some interviewees, despite affiliations with Dutch organizations, were in their home countries during their respective interviews. The distribution of participants based on their continents of origin, namely North America, Europe, and Asia, and taking into account their place of residence in instances of dual citizenship, is detailed as follows: 1) Europe has the predominant representation with a sum of 20 participants; 2) North America consists of 7 participants, all originating from the USA; 3) Asia comprises 6 participants spread across four countries: Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea. Additionally, 4) South America is denoted by one participant from Bolivia and another participant holding dual citizenship from Argentina but currently residing in the US.