The Rise & Fall of Millennial Brands
The 2010s were dominated by a certain kind of brand: minimalist, friendly, purpose-driven—often pastel-colored and trying way too hard to be your best friend. But things have changed. The Millennial Brand Era, once defined by sleek disruption and feel-good messaging, is fading.
On the latest episode of This Is Propaganda, we sit down with Eugene Healey—brand strategist, educator, and creator behind reels that have documented the collapse of millennial branding and the rise of something new.
We talk about what went wrong, how Gen Z is reshaping brand culture, and what businesses need to understand about the increasingly fragmented, algorithm-driven world we now live in.
What Happened to Millennial Brands?
Eugene lays out the defining traits of millennial-era brands (2012-2018):
- Aesthetic minimalism—clean lines, pastel colors, friendly typefaces.
- “Human” brand voices—overly casual, emoji-heavy, trying too hard.
- Purpose-washing—every brand had to have a social cause as propaganda.
- Direct-to-Consumer playbooks—funded by cheap digital ads and a belief in infinite growth.
For a while, this formula worked. But as social media fractured into an attention economy deathmatch, these brands started to feel outdated, slow, and naive.
The Post-Millennial Brand Era
The landscape has shifted. The rules of engagement are different.
Most notably, there’s no single brand experience anymore—brands exist in fragmented, chaotic, algorithm-driven ecosystems.
Eugene describes today’s landscape as “brand as mosaic”—there’s no single touchpoint that defines a brand anymore. Instead, every interaction—from TikTok trends to creator partnerships—builds the bigger picture. Check out his recent "brand as a mosaic" post which pairs nicely with my recent argument that brands aren't stories, brands are characters.
In our conversation we dissect these trends and dig deeper into what they say about culture and the world of marketing and advertising.
🎙️ Listen now:
Or search for "This is Propaganda" where you get your pods.