Virgin Group CEO Josh Bayliss says he uses TikTok regularly to keep up with Gen Z and spot trends that could affect his businesses.
Bayliss, 53, told Fortune, 'The zeitgeist is not people in their 50s like me. The zeitgeist is 20-something year olds who are shaping the culture that we have an obligation to serve.' He said he is not trying to become part of the content himself. Instead, he sees staying current as part of the job.
Virgin Group spans an airline, gym chain, hotel group, telecommunications giant, and commercial space-tourism business. Bayliss said younger consumers matter because viral moments can reshape consumer behavior overnight. He added that Gen Z and millennials think about 'social justice, think about equality, think about inclusion, think about environmental issues' and said, 'they are our target audience, and that’s where we have an obligation, I think, to listen all the time.'
Bayliss also said, 'You’ve got to have the volume turned up 24/7, honestly.' The company’s social media team frequently responds to comments on its own posts, according to the report, with the aim of showing consumers that the brand is listening rather than simply broadcasting.
The story points to a broader shift inside corporate America: executives are being pushed to understand consumers faster, and in more public ways. John Stankey of AT&T said he looks for a 'reverse mentor' to help him understand how younger generations think and use technology. Richard Branson wrote in 2019 that he believes in being a 'lifelong learner' and embracing 'an endless curiosity about the world.'
The numbers come first. Bayliss is not talking about abstract branding theory; he is talking about protecting revenue by staying close to the customer. When companies lose the cultural pulse, they do not just miss a trend. They miss the market.
That is why this matters beyond Virgin. Capital rewards clear rules, and the clearest rule in modern commerce is that consumer attention moves fast. Executives who understand that can protect margins, find new demand, and avoid costly missteps. Those who do not are left explaining to the board why the market has already moved on.
