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Brands beware. You may not yet feel the full force of their spending power, but your future “Gen Z” customers are watching you, and they don’t forget.

At just 19, Harry Beard is the young co-founder of fledgling brand consultancy Future Labs.

As Beard sees it, “Gen Z-ers” – digital natives aged 23 and younger – have a nose for authenticity and a fierce aversion to flaky messaging.

“A lot of brands, particularly ...