International Youth Day is just around the corner and the theme for this year is – Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages. It is a perfect occasion for marketers to understand the various aspects of marketing to Gen Z.
Gen Z comprises the larger chunk of youth today after Millennials. They are born between 1997 and 2012. Therefore, are the first social generation to have grown up with Internet access and portable digital technology from a young age.
A 2021 Google report claims “the younger generation is expected to overtake Millennials in the next few years. They currently account for 32% of the world’s population and 40% of global consumers.”
How to market your brand to Gen Z?
Since it is the most educated generation yet, Gen Z is progressive, digitally savvy and can’t live without the internet. In other words, they used smartphones at a very early age and usually communicate via instant messaging and social media platforms.
Hence, marketers need to have a deeper understanding of what Gen Z likes, what they do, and their expectations from a brand.
Tweet: Gen Z supports brands that have a distinct personality and especially if they stand for something (environmental protection, social cause, independence, etc.)
A few more Go-getter tips for marketing to Gen Z are:
Create content that attracts attention: Gen Z has a short attention span. Marketers must create engaging content that is visually eye-catching. For instance, visual content works better than written content because most Gen Z consumers use smartphones over tablets and computers, to avoid lengthy videos or images.
Tweet: Gen Z consumers only have an 8-second attention span
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Build interactive messages:
Gen Z wants to be engaged, not sold to – therefore, build content that is useful for them, such as behind-the-scenes of a product or initiate conversations with them in the form of polls and quizzes.
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Leverage the power of hashtags:
You can collect all posts under one hashtag or create specific content related to hashtags. Above all, you can also support a cause with hashtags. Adidas did an excellent job with its hashtag campaign.
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Increase video marketing:
Gen Z loves video content and they love to watch it on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. Decide the best length for the video and create an attention-grabbing video.
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Promote the values and beliefs of your brand:
Gen Z is all in for social, environmental, and socio-economic issues. In addition, they are not scared to stand up for these issues and when brands support such causes, they prefer these brands. As a marketer, communicate how you can help to improve society and how your company is bringing change.
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Own your actions:
Gen Z acknowledges brands that do not deny and accept their mistakes. They support these brands when they intend to correct their mistakes and promise to make things better.
Use social media at their best and with the right tools for which they are known amongst Gen Z
- Short videos and reels with inspiring stories on Instagram
- Everyday scenes on Snapchat
- Important news on Twitter
- Humorous and entertaining on TikTok
- Facebook and LinkedIn for buzz and brand presence
Behavioural Traits and beliefs of Gen Z to remember
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Gen Z accepts cultural diversity
Diversity is the driving force for Gen Z. They choose brands that are committed to including people from different social and ethnic backgrounds and gender. Similarly, Pew Research Centre Report claims Gen Z is the most racially and ethnically diverse generation so far.
The Black Lives Matter campaign on Twitter is a great example of Gen Z supporting cultural diversity.
2. Gen Z loves Influencers
Gen Z accepts brands that are promoted by influencers. Moreover, influencer marketing helps marketers to reach wider, as well as niche audiences. Influencers represent brands and help spread their message across their community. Gen Z is more inclined to like influencers than traditional celebrities.
3. Humorous content through memes
Memes are captioned in videos and images. Firstly, they go viral easily on social media platforms and they bring life to otherwise boring topics or world events. They are shareable, humorous, eye-catching, and relevant. In conclusion, they have a casual approach and don’t make the brand look formal or robotic.
Why LAT for Gen Z campaigns?
We are a multilingual marketing agency with experts from various regions and cultures. Our multicultural marketing strategy hits right with the audience as our campaigns are backed with research, tools, and a solid plan.
Are you ready to attract a Gen Z audience in your next marketing strategy? Let’s talk!