Lemon Digital HQ Launches New Division ‘IQ’ to Deliver On-Demand Gen Z Research & Strategy for Brands

Lemon Digital HQ launches Lemon IQ, a Gen Z research & strategy division, to unlock Gen Z’s $450B spending power with on-demand focus groups.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, June 9, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Lemon Digital HQ a leading brand development and influencer marketing agency, today announced the launch of Lemon IQ, its Gen Z research and strategy division. IQ will provide end-to-end feedback, focus groups and services for brands who want to marry data-driven research with authentic community insight to power Gen Z-led brand growth.

“Modern brand growth lives at the intersection of culture and commerce,” says co-founder Sarah Reilly Engel. “Lemon IQ gives brands a direct line to the voices and preferences shaping Gen Z’s $450 billion in global spending.”

Lemon Digital was founded in 2020 by Sarah Reilly Engel and Jennifer Powell. Veterans of the creator economy—the pair first crossed paths when Sarah led agency and influencer teams at LTK and Jen developed talent at Next Models. Throughout their careers, they’ve crafted campaigns for Fortune 1000 companies and creator-driven brands. Lemon Digital HQ is renowned for powering influencer activations, brand partnerships, and experiential events for brands including Armani, Brilliant Earth, Evolus, Ring Concierge, Dearfoams, and Blue Lagoon Skincare.

“We believe influencer marketing plays an integral role in brand growth,” says Engel. “But true impact requires both a clear strategic vision and a genuine, bottom-up connection to the communities shaping culture. With Gen Z redefining every stage of the customer journey, it all begins—and ends—with authentic insights.”

That drive for authentic insight inspired Lemon IQ.

IQ’s methodology weaves top-down vision with grassroots energy that aims to build trust with the future generation of consumers. Its services—from research and planning to campaign activation—support both emerging brands and established market leaders. An initial IQ Insights engagement convenes student influencers (ages 16–28) in focus groups, supplements their feedback with surveys, and delivers findings and insights reports to pinpoint which concepts will resonate. Brands can then activate those same respondents as paid campus ambassadors, fueling peer-to-peer recommendations that power a scalable flywheel of engagement and revenue.

“We’ve seen too many launches miss their mark because they relied on outdated data or assumptions,” explains Powell. “With IQ, you get living, breathing feedback on your product concepts, messaging, and campaign ideas—before you invest in production or campaigns.”

The recent attention Rhode received for its strategy—culminating in a $1 billion exit to e.l.f. Cosmetics—highlights this approach in action.

“Rhode’s success taught us that pairing marquee hero creators and storytelling—with local Gen Z ambassadors creates a groundswell that actually moves product,” says Powell.

Prior to today’s announcement, retail and CPG leaders—as well as innovative beauty startups—have reserved June openings with Lemon IQ to validate next-gen products, refine their brand stories, and co-create campaigns with genuine youth voices. Brands will tap into IQ’s expanding database of Gen Z student influencers, who are sharing insights like their favorite brands, creators they follow, and what matters.

Many marketers recognize that Gen Z is redefining culture on their own terms. Brands that tap into their motivations, values, and expectations—leveraging real-time feedback—can co-create products, messaging, and campaigns that convert.

About Lemon Digital HQ
Founded in 2020 by Sarah Reilly Engel and Jennifer Powell, Lemon Digital HQ is a brand development and influencer marketing agency rooted in genuine relationships and informed by data, insights, and decades of collective experience. We blend market research, brand positioning, and creator-led campaigns to help both emerging startups and established brands build lasting community connections and drive measurable growth.

About IQ
Lemon IQ is the Gen Z research and strategy division of Lemon Digital HQ. It delivers culture-driven insights, collaborative planning, and end-to-end campaign support by tapping our proprietary network of student influencers and translating their real-time feedback into strategic guidance.

For more information, visit lemonhq.co.

Sarah Engel
Lemon Digital HQ
Sarah|lemonhq.co| |Sarah|lemonhq.co

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