Turns out the kids aren’t just alright — they’re already in corporate boardrooms.

Per Inc., brands are assembling Gen Z advisory panels to glean youthful opinions and, hopefully, to gain a competitive edge with a new generation of consumers.

And there’s a lot at stake

Gen Zers had an estimated $360B in disposable income in 2021, and their share of the market is projected to increase 48% by 2030.

To get a piece of that cash-filled pie, companies are finding creative ways to stay fresh:

• Wellness company Moon Juice established a Gen Z panel of 20+ members that meets monthly with company executives to discuss everything from pricing to product names.
• PR agency Ascend has Gen Z board members advise clients on the buying habits and mindsets of the younger generation.
• Dcdx is a Gen Z consulting firm that helps brands build advisory panels and create marketing strategies.
• Investment firm Able Partners assembled a Gen Z board to support and advise its portfolio companies.

To find young voices…

… brands are looking inside and beyond their own walls.

The Body Shop — after Gen Zers were particularly ruthless during a company critique — appointed a permanent “Youth Collective” advisory board comprised of both internal employees and external members, all under 30 years old.

For Moon Juice, the gig platform Home From College connected the company with jobseeking Gen Zers.

The ZEO will see you now

Unlike your favorite pair of sneakers, the Gen Z boardroom won’t be a fleeting trend.

Corporate boards are growing younger as boomers retire: In 2022, the average age of board members at Russell 1000 companies dropped for the third straight year to 61.8.

And major companies are embracing the shift — PR giant Edelman launched its “Gen Z Lab” last year, complete with 100 employees and even a ZEO.

Now, BRB, kicking ourselves for wasting time with entry-level grunt work instead of becoming ZEOs.

Football fans, it’s that magical time.

Sure, a new season kicked off last night in Kansas City, but the real magic we’re talking about here is the chance to step back and marvel at the seemingly unstoppable business force that is the National Football League.

Let us bask

The league’s financial picture is, quite plainly, remarkable, per Forbes:

• With the recent $6.05B sale of the Washington Commanders, the average NFL team value has risen to $5.1B.
• The $163B aggregate value of the league’s 32 teams nearly tops the combined value of every NBA and MLB team.
• The league’s most valuable team, the Dallas Cowboys, was worth a not-so-shabby $3.2B in 2014 — now that’s up to $9B.
• Last season, average team revenue hit $581m, up 8% YoY. Only two teams — Detroit and Cincinnati — came in under $500m, and both just by a smidge.

Oh, and let’s not forget that the league is the singular dominant force remaining in live television. On the strength of its ratings — the NFL commanded 82 of 2022’s 100 most-watched TV programs — the league will earn a minimum of $125.5B from its broadcast deals over the next decade.

Where do we go from here?

The league isn’t infallible (just search “NFL + concussions” for a reminder), but business-wise, it continues to set the standard for American sports leagues— and somehow has some untapped revenue streams remaining:

• The NFL’s relationship with gambling is still developing, but the market keeps on growing — a survey found a record 73.5m American adults plan to bet on an NFL game this year.
• The league is considering an expansion of its NFL+ streaming platform.

Don’t put it past them: Take it from an Arizona Cardinals fan, the game produces an excess of tears — perhaps a dalliance with the $10B+ facial tissue market is in order?