Publicis Sapient and Tearsheet Launch STEEZ, a Guide to Help Banks Become Gen Z-Ready

Publicis Sapient, a digital transformation company, and leading financial media firm Tearsheet launched STEEZ today, a report and comprehensive set of resources to help financial services firms better service Generation Z customers. Banks of all sizes can use STEEZ, which stands for Style with Ease, to benchmark how ready they are to do business with Gen Z and learn how to position themselves to onboard new clients from this young demographic.

Gen Z is complex. Distinct from the self-centered, screen-obsessed kids that public discourse often makes them out to be, research has found these 68 million Americans are intelligent, thoughtful and committed to truth. Financial literacy ranks as a top priority for Gen Zers across the globe. They seek financial information on Instagram (57%) and TikTok (52%). 

“Gen Z is the generation to watch and will change the face of banking. They’re the first generation born into an online world and seek services that align with their values and views on society and the environment,” said David Donovan, EVP of Financial Services at Publicis Sapient. “Banks must adapt to bridge the gap with Gen Z.  We partnered with Tearsheet to launch STEEZ to provide the financial services industry the knowledge and tools it will take to win the hearts and minds of the customers of today, as well as tomorrow.” 

Today’s leading banks and financial institutions aren’t prepared to work with Gen Z, which, according to many banking studies, is expected to inherit $11 trillion of wealth over the next ten years.  Publicis Sapient and Tearsheet research revealed that the majority of Gen Zers would switch their financial services provider to one more committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, environmental, social and governance issues.

“The gap between what Gen Z wants from financial services providers and what is currently available means young people are turning to alternative fintech solutions for their needs,” said Zack Miller, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Tearsheet. “The time for banks to figure out how to create products and services today’s youth want is now.”

STEEZ consists of three foundational components to help firms make the leap to servicing today’s financial services customers:

• STEEZ Life: The Guide to Gen Z Readiness – This report creates a working definition of who Gen Z is, and what it means to stand up for them in financial services and beyond. It’s the most comprehensive research, collecting the facts, and laying the groundwork for the financial services industry to fully understand what Gen Z customers require in order to capture and delight them.
  
  
• The STEEZ Podcast: This video series consists of five, informational and instructive episodes of discussions with leaders across fintech, banking and the world outside the industry. Hosts and guests drill down into what they’re doing and what they’ve learned in the effort to capture, delight and retain the hearts and minds of today’s youth.
   
• The Gen Z Readiness Survey: STEEZ is more than an intellectual discussion. The Gen Z Readiness Survey will help financial institutions benchmark themselves along the spectrum of what it takes to do business with this generation. Based on Tearsheet’s research and that of others, Publicis Sapient and Tearsheet are surveying banks and credit unions to compile information on just how prepared financial institutions are in terms of their product sets, corporate missions and employee bases to truly communicate with Gen Z.  Results of the survey will be published at Tearsheet’s The Big Bank Theory Conference in New York on May 31, 2023.

The STEEZ Guide and Podcast are available at https://www.steezlife.co.

Publicis Sapient and Tearsheet launched STEEZ during Tearsheet’s virtual The Big Bank Theory Conference on December 8, 2022. David Donovan will participate in a keynote Q&A session hosted by Zack Miller at 11:30am ET, where David Donovan will discuss how banks can become Gen Z ready with STEEZ.  Press can register for The Big Bank Theory Conference here. 

Publicis Sapient is a technology company that provides enterprise AI platforms and services. With over 30 years of digital business transformation experience, we enable enterprise clients to transform how they operate and serve their customers, unlocking new value and enabling them to thrive in an AI-driven world. Our platforms Sapient Slingshot, Sapient Bodhi and Sapient Sustain use AI built off this deep enterprise context to help organizations modernize their legacy tech systems, build agentic solutions, and automate their IT operations.  The combination of our AI platforms and the expertise of our people enables us to deliver faster and more effective outcomes through solutions that are specific to the unique needs of our clients’ businesses, their industries and their customers.  Publicis Sapient is the technology hub of Publicis Groupe, uniting 20,000 people worldwide across 28 countries. For more information, visit publicissapient.com.

Tearsheet is the only media company obsessively focused on technology’s impact on the financial services and fintech industry. Read by decision makers across product, marketing, and digital, Tearsheet connects with its audience across web, email, podcasts, the Outlier membership program and in-person events. For more information, visit tearsheet.co.

A collaboration between Publicis Sapient and Tearsheet.  STEEZ is a hub for financial services professionals high and low to learn what it takes to capture, delight and retain today’s financial consumer. Industry professionals have access to STEEZ Life: The Guide to Gen Z Readiness, The STEEZ Podcast, and The Gen Z Readiness Survey. For more information, visit steezlife.co