The Key to Brands Reaching New Generations? Taking Risks

In today’s ever-evolving marketing landscape, one of the biggest challenges brands face is juggling different marketing strategies for multiple generations. 

While more brands are appealing to Gen Z and Gen Alpha, others still have a core audience of older consumers to cater to.

Teton Ridge chief executive officer (CEO), Deirdre Lester, and Gamefam’s chief business officer (CBO), Ricardo Briceno, came together at ADWEEK’s Brandweek conference in Phoenix, Ariz. to discuss how generational differences define brand strategies. 

Both execs work with brands to cultivate events and experiences for a wide range of audiences. Teton Ridge is a Western-lifestyle sports, media, and entertainment company that has partnered with Wrangler and Fox, while Gamefam is a metaverse developer that has used Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft to develop video games and content for brands. 

Sponsored by Teton Ridge, the execs shared their insights in a session titled “Profiling the Generational Dynamics of the 2025 Consumer.” 

Taking risks

Lester believes that brands that lack the knowledge of its intended audience, like what they love and care about, is one factor that leads to being “unsafe.”

“Your brand is not safe if you’re playing it safe,” said Lester. “If you want to reach that next generation and not be relegated into not being relevant, then you have to take risks. There’s a profile of risk. High risk, high reward, just like a financial portfolio.”

While the exec was referring to the creative experimentation type of risk-taking, the advertising industry has also been grappling with brand safety since the disbanding of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) in August. GARM provided guidelines on low to high-risk media placements for advertisers.

Tapping into the creator economy can also facilitate risk-taking as “creators will take your brand and will make something of it,” Briceno said. He added that brands should figure out how they can harness communities through tailored messaging.

Different approaches for different demographics

As an example of tailoring approaches for different demographics, Lester pointed to the uptick in Western-themed trends over the past year, which she said predates its place in today’s cultural zeitgeist. She observed that while Western brands like Wrangler, Stetson, and Coors Banquet are present at rodeos and other events, non-Western brands have been mainly absent – but that is slowly changing.

Lester sees the Western sports world as a wide-open canvas for brands due to the size of its consumer base.

Teton Ridge helps brands reach older demographics through on-site events and activations, but if a brand’s target audience is younger, the company leans into content creation with influencers and Western sports athletes.

For Gamefam, its clientele is wide-ranging from toy brands and entertainment companies to sports leagues and restaurant chains. Briceno said he prioritizes value over traditional ad placements in video game experiences to not disrupt the user.

“[For example], it’s not an ad for Chipotle but maybe there’s an experience where you’re making burritos,” he said. “Rather than advertising something, it’s figuring out how your product aligns with experience and then you offer value to the player rather than interrupting the gameplay.”

Briceno also pointed out that younger audiences are accustomed to newer platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, meaning brands must figure out the “right way to show up where you engage the audience that delivers scale and impact.”