Social Media Marketing: The Quest to get Generation Z's attention
Gen Z are the first generation to be classified as ‘digital natives’ as they have grown up surrounded with significant technology usage. This being mentioned, it is safe to assume that many businesses would have a large interest in targeting people of this age demographic. Being a member of the Gen Z squad and working in marketing has enabled my understanding of this age group as it is of my interest to notice trends in buyer behaviour.
The question I am answering today is: How can we use our understanding of Gen Zers to better target them with marketing material?
1. Brand Ethos
These days, Gen Zs see their purchasing power at a higher value and there is a rising importance in brand’s values portrayed through their internal brand strategy and distributed social media content. A case of bad brand morale is when larger & more established brands copy designs originating from smaller entities.
An example of this is the recent controversy of Australian fast-fashion brand White Fox Boutique being accused of exploiting loungewear designs from emerging Melbourne-based brand Mr. Winston. Unfortunately, this isn’t a one off with many other independent fashion labels being ripped off for their unique designs and sold at half the price.
In response to the unethical behaviour portrayed by White Fox, Mr Winston have released their latest version of loungewear, with a ™ sign - noting that they want their unique designs to be protected by law & combat the blatant exploitation.
A roar of Gen Zers have also taken a stand against the fast-fashion label and although the company for sure stays profitable, the awareness that their target market embodies will continue to grow, hopefully sending a message to the brand to use original designs only.
2. Sustainability
In addition to the increasing threat of climate change and the responsibility placed on young people to be conscious of their carbon footprint, many Gen Zers are increasingly choosing to support ethical and sustainable brands in all industries that fairly treat their employees and monitor their business processes, aiming to steer clear of over production and their products ending up in landfill.
Referring to the fashion industry again, Melbourne-based clothing company With Consideration is a successful slow-fashion company with a focus on locally produced clothing and high quality materials. Of course the original design of the garments play a big role in the brand’s success but it is crucial to mention their ethical practices and how they contribute to their rising popularity.
The pricing difference of these brands can be significant at times but the value of high quality products and the ability to re-wear a garment over and over is invaluable to Gen Zers these days, in comparison to low-quality, super trendy garments that end up in landfill within the year they are purchased.
3. Keep it quick.
Although I have touched on Gen Zers paying attention to brands that showcase their ethical practices, the cold hard truth is that this generation doesn't have the attention span to consume lengthy amounts of promotional material due to the saturation of marketing material everywhere. Every video, post, story - there is always an advertisement attached to it one way or another.
The popularity of the short video platform, Tiktok, is also to blame for this. The app presents short clips from different creators right after each other, making it easy to scroll through videos the second you lose interest. In order to combat this, brands are beginning to switch to meaningful content and are ensuring the quality of their videos is high to remain competitive with other creators.
4. Sometimes it’s just random.
Most of the time, the viral trends that make the news are usually influenced by a famous celebrity or someone with an existing platform. However, the fun that comes from Social Media is its unpredictable nature. Take Binley Mega Chippy for example, a ‘standard’ takeaway chip shop in the UK went viral on Tiktok for a random jingle made about it, resulting in long lines and people flocking to the shop to participate in the trend. The moral of the story is sometimes, Gen Zers appreciate random humour without the need for a well established brand ethos or sustainable business goals.
When developing your next business plan, starting a new internship & looking to gain a higher appreciation from the Gen Z club, consider what they appreciate about your product or service and leverage it for your own benefit.