As Gen Z culture saturates every sphere of life – from fashion campaigns, to movies, to music and, more recently, darts (see the UK’s rising superstar Luke Littler) – the dial is starting to turn once again. Marketers, designers, brand creators, and startups have got a new target in their sights – the younger, zippier, potentially more influential Generation Alpha.

Gen Alpha – currently kids aged under 13, and born between the early 2010s and 2024 – have started getting more attention from brands recently, not least because many of the eldest group are hitting their tween years (ie, the pocket money years). But also because they might be the most brand-literate, lifestyle-literate, tech-savvy generation to date.

Nike CEO John Donahoe, sensing the shift, recently said Gen Alphas are the company’s next big target. “The way most companies look at consumers is, ‘Well, who’s got disposable income?’” he told Vogue Business. “We don’t look at it that way. We look at, ‘Who is setting the agenda? Who is the future?’” On cue for that early brand onboarding, late last year Nike launched the Nike Swoosh 1 trainer, a colourful flyknit shoe for young children (what’s next: Nike booties?), made from 80% recycled materials and designed to feel like “cruising around barefoot”.

“There’s a huge opportunity for brands to start building loyalty and brand awareness with Gen Alpha now,” agrees Sophie Stucke, senior strategist at Mother Design, London. “Gen Alphas born in 2020 will have a global life expectancy of 73 years. That’s 16% longer than their millennial parents. And we know that children as young as three can start recognising, even preferring, brands.”