Paris Hilton might’ve coined the phrase “that’s hot,” but Gen Z has their own definition of what that means for brands. Everyone knows being “hot” is a good thing, but it’s not about looks or legacy anymore. According to YPulse’s Decoding Brand Affinity 2025 report, the top way teens and young adults now define a hot brand is one that’s trending on social media, and that signal matters even more today than it has in previous years. If a brand isn’t showing up in their feed, it’s not really showing up at all. To be “hot” on socials means tapping...