How Will Corporations Respond to Gen Z Men Moving to the Right?

Nike, ESPN and others face a challenge

From Subscriber JB:

I had an advertising agency that we sold in 2014 so I got out just as all the insanity took over. You're more right that you could possibly know but a critical piece of the vibe shift back then married the progressive politics of the advertising world (both agency and client) with the desperation to win awards. 

The Cannes Lions used to be primarily an advertising festival (prior to becoming whatever it is now) and the best way to win the big awards was not to drive sales or traffic or build brand affinity or launch new products - it was to create the messaging lampooned perfectly by SNL. 

One of the reasons the tenure of CMOs can be measured in months is that they either don't care about growing their businesses or they can't be bothered to swim against the tide - they'd rather do important work. I'm not sure what the new Nike work previews but is most definitely a flashing indicator along with Gen Z males skewing conservative. 

JB is referring to my post about Nike’s “Winning Isn’t For Everyone,” campaign, which I see as a charismatic departure from the company’s cringe “inclusive” marketing. I’m glad that he referenced the political shift among Gen Z males because I regard that as a highly underrated culture story, as discussed with Kat Rosenfield.

Why do I say “culture story” instead of “political story”? Because I’m just not sure how much this change is immediately relevant electorally. Older people vote in greater numbers and Gen Z women counterbalance by tending to vote Democrat. So, while I believe the ideological shift among young men has massive societal implications, I think it’s too early to read specific near term political outcomes into what’s happening. That said, a burgeoning political change, especially among young people, is going to find a way to matter, even if it’s not at the polls.

The Wall Street Journal has been on this phenomenon, most recently with a research laden article titled, “America’s New Political War Pits Young Men Against Young Women.” The takeaways are difficult for my millennial mind to fathom, given that I came of age during the young male-approved Barack Obama phenomenon, at a time when conservatism was simply synonymous with “old people.”

Some bullet points from the article and associated research: