Marketing to Gen-Z.
You may have heard that Gen Z accounts for about $143 billion in direct spending in the U.S. For this reason, amongst others, brands are paying attention to this generation. We are too, and we want to share the many reasons why Gen Z is captivating us.
Last week, Gen Z teens on Tik Tok bought thousands of tickets to Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa, just so that when they didn’t show up, Trump was left with a nearly empty stadium. This Tik Tok movement grew in a matter of about one day. Teens from all over the nation participated, and posted videos to prove it. This story encompasses many of Gen Z’s most unique traits.
Who is Gen Z?
Born in the mid-late 1990s-2010.
Qualities:
Justice-minded
Environmentally-conscious
Entrepreneurial
Fiscally responsible
Independent
Pragmatic
Competitive
Strong work ethic
Determined
Early-adopters to technology for high-performance and efficiency
How did their formative years shape them?
Born or raised in the 2009 recession → pragmatic, fiscally responsible, strong work ethic.
Aware of the threat of school shootings and accustomed to school lockdown drills. → realists, justice-minded.
Born and raised with social media. Not just digitally native, but social media native. → early adopters to new technologies.
Raised in vast political divide. → accepting, environmentally-conscious, justice minded. Desire to educate their family members and act as “family influencers”.
Living through a global pandemic. → responsible, aware.
Content that captivates Gen-Z:
“Edgy” photos, graphics, and campaigns
Opportunities to co-create culture
Authenticity and transparency
Diversity
Product driven > experience driven
Realistic depictions of life
Social advocacy
Mobile-friendly products and services
Convenience (making them appreciative of conglomerates like Amazon and Google.)
Gen Z is revolutionizing several industries. A quick look at today’s Spotify/Billboard Top 50 will show you just how profound of an effect Tik Tok is having on the music industry alone. Beyond Music, Gen Z has pushed an entire paradigm shift in digital sales and marketing. Remember Bird Box and Tiger King? There are several factors that contributed to the success of these shows, but one of the greatest factors were the memes/viral content associated with them. If we were betting women, we’d say that Netflix spent more money on meme content than they did on billboards. Makes sense! Remember when Mike Bloomberg DMed Gen Z influencers to post memes of his campaign on their feeds? Even our aspiring political leaders are influenced by Gen Z’s consumption tactics (BTW, the majority of this generation can’t even vote yet). See again Trump’s thwarted rally last week.
Gen Z is not easily tricked or manipulated. They source check and they fact check. They can and they will sniff out your bull-shit. As a brand, continue to market to Gen Z, but know that you have to be real. As the Amazon Generation, they have unlimited purchasing options. Your authenticity and relatability will go a long way.
We all can learn a thing or two (or three) from Gen Z. We will continue to learn from them, work with them, and speak with them, and we hope this helps you to do the same.
Read about Trump’s rally here.
Read about Bloomberg’s memes here.
A look at Tiger King memes here.
A look at Bird Box memes here.