Talk Gen Z and slay
So you're looking to slay Gen. Z with your creative awesomeness. You want to create lit content that doesn't make anyone get extra salty. You want to show them how cool you are but not look thirsty. The challenge is real, my friends. Helping decode the next generations' language, a panel lead by Rebecca Coleman from LA's Something Massive, with Dwight Caines from Thesis, Samantha Skye of SheKnows Media and Elizabeth Toney from Maddie by Maddie Ziegler/Nowadays.
"This new generation is starting to enter the market in a big way, with them having the buying power of $44 billion but they currently aren't buying anything"
Gen. Z have so much power over what a household buys but don't have their own money - or at least don’t have a sustainable and constant income - to execute purchase. By 2020 it is estimated they will make up over 40% of the market. Although they currently don't have their own disposable income or have a minimal income, talking to them directly sooner rather than later should be placed as a priority for businesses due to the immense persuasion they have on other consumers and their soon to be title of the most dominant consumer in the market.
"Gen. Z are watching 20 YouTube videos before breakfast...70% are watching 2+ hours of videos a day"
As one of the biggest consumers of content on a day to day basis, talking to this audience remains a cryptic challenge. You are now having to prove yourself as a brand and give them a reason as to why they should leave the house. In the age of personal curation, contrived content won't cut it. This is why marketeers have identified six key emotional drivers that make Gen. Z respond and remember content based off of the content they produce themselves, but also helps dictate which platform you should be using these drivers on;
"FOMO" (the fear of missing out)
Altruism
Hedonism
Relatable content
Aspirational content
Discerning content
Another significant difference is Gen Z’s multifaceted approach to social media; they use different platforms for different activities.
"On Instagram, they showcase their aspirational selves; on Snapchat, they share real-life moments; on Twitter, they get the news; and on Facebook, they glean information...Social media managers and marketeers must know which platforms are used for what and ensure that their brands’ messaging is succinct across all of them." - Josh Perlstein, AdWeek
Based on these fragmented uses of different platforms, a campaign playing to their fear of missing out won't work as effectively as altruistic, discerning content on Twitter or Facebook, as they are there to find out information and learn about the surrounding worlds news.
Another key factor mentioned before is self-curation; this generation are creatives, they make content and to be frank, it's probably going to be much more effective than any agency could hope to produce. Involving them in the story is crucial to help land a more authentic narrative for them to sympathize with and it also helps hit that relatable emotional driver, as they are seeing real people.
Finally, storytelling was seen as the golden rule for content throughout 2016-17. If you invested in story telling and narrative building you were doing the right thing. But alas, we have progressed further. Gen. Z don't want to hear about a brands story, but want to see them act on it. Authenticity is key, and standing strong for issues the company generally believes in is what these young activists will buy into. But be warned, a whiff of flakey conviction and you will lose, and lose fast! One of the best examples of this done well is outdoor retail brand Patagonia.
This stance against the Trump administration over the illegal seizure of American land saw an overall 7% rise in sales than the previous week, and Patagonia product sold online by non-Patagonia retailers were six times higher than a typical day following the announcement (according to a report by Slice Intelligence, a company that measures online shopping). Not only did they fight Trump over injustice, they donated their Black Friday sales to help the environment (For the Planet) and encouraged Americans to go out and vote by closing their stores on voting day (Don't shop. Vote.). They mean business when it comes to standing up for what they believe in.
To end, Samantha Skye shared a recent experiment to see how technology and social media has largely impacted this generations' daily interactions by removing the temptation of social media for one whole week.