making the future human #1 - january 2024
January 2024 at dcdx
Hi - I’m Andrew, the founder of dcdx. making the future human is a new initiative from us to give you a look inside the happenings of dcdx. One of our goals this year - and one of mine personally - is to be more transparent and reflective about our journey.
Over the last 3+ years since our inception, dcdx has grown into the firm it is today because of the support and encouragement from people like you. What at one point was a covid college kid with an idea, has now become a full-fledged team of Gen Z’ers across the world working with the world’s top brands to help them attract Gen Z.
I believe deeply in the work we are doing - and in the people that make it happen. As we continue to work toward our mission of making the future human, I invite you to join us; to grow, to learn, and to continue building what we have built here, together.
-AR
One month into the new year, and lots of exciting things to share from the end of December through today, including the launch of 1MH, speaking at YMS, previewing Gen Z Wrapped, a sneak peek at some client work, and features in Fast Co, NRN & more. Here is a look at what’s been happening recently!
Client news:
Hinge launches One More Hour, helping Gen Z connect IRL
Super proud of this one. Starting this month, One More Hour is providing “grants in amounts up to $25,000 to select social groups in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York City that provide Gen Z with fresh, affordable, and recurring in-person opportunities to connect with others.”
We’ve been incredibly fortunate to partner with Josh Penny, the Director of Social Impact at Hinge, on a lot of the work he’s been leading over the past year+, and seeing this come to life has been one of the most meaningful topics we’ve had the chance to support.
What to watch for:
LOW BATTERY: GEN Z AND THE STATE OF HUMAN CONNECTION
I’ll be speaking at the Youth Marketing Summit in NYC with Josh Penny (see above!) to talk about how the most digitally connected generation ever is also the loneliest, what that means for marketers, and how can brands in today’s society use connectivity to drive connection. We have a few more tickets available, lmk if you’re interested in attending and I can lock them down!
Things we’re working on:
Our third annual Gen Z Wrapped report, looking at Gen Z’s Top Artists, Songs, Rising Artists, and more from 2023 - including new this year a look at some music discovery habits shaping the future of music streaming! Coming out in mid-February.
Super Bowl 2024 - Gen Z’s Most Memorable Ads and more
We’ll be putting out a snapshot of Gen Z’s Super Bowl experience this year, including the most memorable ads and a comparison to their behaviors from last year.
Digital Captives Part Two
(spring 2024)
Some client work…
Wrapping up a few rounds of creative testing with one of our agency partners, supporting a global rebranding process through Gen Z group chats, investigating potential collabs for a disruptive brand, and more coming soon!
dcdx in the news:
The definitive ranking of 2023’s best and worst branding (Fast Company)
I was asked to rank 10 rebrands of 2023 from best to worst, alongside other branding experts (nice!) - a fun little chance to share a design POV based on Gen Z expertise. Here’s a quote of mine: Driven by fear or a vision for the future, some brands struggled to find the line between bold and hasty, leaving clear winners and losers in this year’s rebranding rankings. My #1 may surprise you … it surprised me!
McDonald’s won over Gen Z by bringing back Grimace (Nation’s Restaurant News)
So pleased to see the way our Brand Magnetism work and Gen Z rankings are being embraced by folks from major outlets to credentialed CMOs. This was a fun one to wake up to - had quite a bit of interest from restaurant brands after this one!
As Gen Z Ups Screen Time, Their Sadness Stats Rise (MediaPost)
We had quite a few features for our screen time report this year, with many folks sharing and re-sharing on LinkedIn as well. And still more coming! Here’s a quote from this coverage: “We hoped to see a decline -- or perhaps a plateau as more young people went to school, joined the workforce, and emerged from the post-COVID isolations into a more connected world, but as the data came in, we saw that this was not the case.”
Gen Z Pivots from Accounting, Pursues Creative Freedom and Entrepreneurship (CFO)
One of our futurehuman ambassadors was featured in this article on the CFOs of Tomorrow, including some of my thoughts as well on the future of work. Here’s a little excerpt: “Now more than ever Gen Z workers, particularly in careers where automation and [artificial intelligence] are having significant impacts, are choosing and prioritizing meaning and connection,” Roth continued. “Young people today want to work where they not only have an impact on the work but where their work has an impact.”
Reflections on January 2024
January kicked off with an intense load of new business convos; the NRN coverage in particular sparked quite a few chats. Press has been a big part of our recent traction, and no sign of a press slowdown for what we’re seeing in January.
One big focus this month has been increasing clarity on our services - a bit of a continuous massage. What’s clear to me is not always clear to others, so articulating - and showing - that through case studies and frameworks is a constant reflective exercise. And much needed!
We’re currently wrapping up a hiring process as well for a few new roles (looking for a Strategist if ya know someone, hit me up!), which has also made Jan a pretty intense month. Crossing soon into double digits for our full-time team, exciting times!!
Feb should be a fun one full of public work and speaking opps, in addition to the ever-changing nature of surprises that come our way.
Onwards to February - thanks for reading!! And feel free to reply if you liked this or if you think I should never do this again…any feedback will be helpful :)