Why Gen-Z Hates Marketing, and What to Do about it.
Born between 1997 and 2012 (7-25 years olds WHO Make up Generation Z) make up roughly a THIRD of the world’s population and 40 PERCENT of America's consumers.
The internet has always been a part of Gen-Z life and culture, most being born into an age where Google already existed (September 1998). The ideas and myths surrounding Generation Z marketing have become such a cultural cliche that it is almost impossible to tell the difference between truth and myth. So let's break it down.
The foundation of Gen-Z's interaction with the marketing world is that digital marketing has been invading their lives since before they could speak. This birth into the digital age created a massive group of consumers who know media and marketing better than anyone else.
So why does any of this matter to you?
Generation Z is changing the marketing and advertising world because all of these traditional forms of advertisements no longer work on them. This generation can sniff out advertisements and is more and more skeptical of those conventional marketing effects. For example, pre-roll ads have become 22% less effective in brand recall just from 2020 to 2022. As a result, we have to find a way to pivot and find effective ways to communicate to gen-z, and the only way to do that is to create advertising that doesn't feel like advertising.
There are so many ways to go about this, but here are just a few that we have found effective.
Influencer Marketing: I am sure you have seen much of this in the past few years. Having real people who have audiences endorse a product is a great way to reach a new audience without it feeling like advertisements.
Be Authentic: This isn't a marketing method, but it should be the foundation of your marketing strategy. Like I said before, gen-z can decipher when you are trying to "make" them purchase something. So, provide genuine value to them in your marketing, show behind the scenes, highlight your values, and develop a visual brand that feels authentic to the "why" behind your brand.
Branded Content: A style of marketing that builds brand awareness by focusing on a brand's and customer's shared values. We have found that this is the most effective way to bring in a Gen-Z audience and build long-term relationships with them. Branded Content could be anything from a podcast to a TikTok/Instagram series to a web series.
Like every generation before, there is no perfect formula for reaching Generation Z. However, from our decade of experience with Gen-z, these methods (when done right) help bring in the right people for your brand.
BY JOSHUA STANLEY
FOUNDER & CEO OF LIFESTYLED MEDIA
