YouTube has claimed the throne of Gen Z’s favourite brand in YouthInsight’s Australia’s Top 100 Youth Brands Report 2025 as cost-of-living pressures shake up the top rankings. In total, 90 per cent of Australian Gen Zs surveyed said they like or love YouTube, making it the most popular brand with their generation.
“YouTube remains Gen Z’s most loved brand with nine in ten saying they like or love it especially for its deep roots in youth culture and offering high quality content. Overall, much of the brand love reflects the times we’re in. Economic pressures have made affordability a higher priority for many young people and because of that brands like KFC and Aldi have overtaken their main rivals by helping young people through these difficult high cost-of-living times,” said Student Edge co-founder Damien Langley.
“Australian success stories include Kmart which has emerged as the favourite Australian brand of Gen Zs as it helps them get new clothes and furnish their rentals without breaking the bank. Canva too is another local brand which is up there in favourability above many of the biggest names in global tech as it helps young people unleash their creativity in a fun and easy way.”
Following YouTube in the report’s top 10 list are Spotify (84 per cent), Kmart (83 per cent), Google (82 per cent), Netflix (81 per cent), Officeworks (80 per cent), Instagram (80 per cent), JB HI-FI (80 per cent) and Aldi (79 per cent).
YouthInsight, the research arm of Student Edge which was this month acquired by Year13, has released its fourth edition of the report which surveyed more than 1,000 Australians aged 14 to 24 nationally.
Gen Z’s top 10 brands feature seven global brands and three Australian brands, showing how overseas names carry more clout with young Australians than homegrown.
Overall, the top 10 Australian brands to make the top 100 list are Kmart (83 per cent), Officeworks (80 per cent), JB HI-FI (80 per cent), Chemist Warehouse (78 per cent), Woolworths (77 per cent), Coles (74 per cent), Big W (74 per cent), Bunnings Warehouse (72 per cent), Canva (70 per cent) and Boost Juice (69 per cent).
Financial pressure is shaping a more cost-conscious mindset and driving love for brands which can meet these needs, as seen by Aldi (79 per cent) overtaking Woolworths (77 per cent) and Coles (74 per cent) as the favourite supermarket of young Australians.
Woolworths has also lost its title as Gen Z’s favourite retail brand, dropping to sixth place as Kmart replaces it at the top due to its affordability and trendiness.
In the food category the colonel has beaten the clown as KFC (73 per cent) has taken over McDonald’s (70 per cent) as the most popular brand, with young deal seekers rating it for its good value, as the former number one fell to fifth spot this year.
Meanwhile, Japanese clothing maker Uniqlo (69 per cent) has edged out Australia’s Cotton On (68 per cent) as Gen Z’s favourite clothing brand, both popular for their affordable prices.
Despite Gen Z concerns around AI and job security, ChatGPT (72 per cent) has shot past tech giants like TikTok (58 per cent), Messenger (54 per cent), Snapchat (53 per cent), Discord (52 per cent), Facebook (49 per cent), and X (Twitter) (31 per cent) in overall youth favourability, showing its popularity with young people for work, study and life.
Social media brands took the biggest hit in 2025, especially legacy platforms like Messenger which fell seven places, X (Twitter) down six places, Snapchat dropping four places, and Facebook declining four places.
Instagram (80 per cent) however has held onto its number one position as the most popular app and social media brand with Aussie Gen Zs.
Another tech changing of the guard has been seen with Australian newcomer Canva (70 per cent) overtaking Adobe (50 per cent) in popularity thanks to its suite of user-friendly digital creative products.
Duolingo (53 per cent) has also entered the top 10 most popular app brands thanks to the surge in popularity of gamified language learning with young people.
When it comes to health and beauty brands, 2023 winner Dove (65 per cent), praised for its inclusivity, has been replaced in 2025 at the top by Nivea (68 per cent), popular for its value.
StudentEdge was recently acquired by Year 13, enhancing its research capabilities, reward offerings and its data and insights capacity. The acquisition is expected to accelerate the company’s growth by strengthening its core capabilities and enhancing content and offerings, while also supporting its operations in the US, helping more students than ever before.
