How to market to Generation Z

While the Millennial market remains as saturated and lucrative as ever, with a projected spend of £1.66 trillion in 2020, attention must also be paid to the literal new kids on the block, Gen Z. Born between 1995 and 2015 with a current age range of 5-25 years old, a new demographic has emerged, with immense buying power that is steadily growing. And just like their Millennial counterparts they are changing the marketing landscape for the better.

As digital natives, however, it can be said Gen Z are almost immune to traditional marketing strategies. They value authenticity and are naturally a pragmatic bunch. If your brand is looking to appeal to a younger market, here we have listed some information and tips to help you adapt your marketing plan and to better understand the Gen Z segment.

 1.  Money talks

As mentioned above, Gen Z have a sensible and pragmatic approach to life. Having grown up in a recession, it is understandable why that may be the case. When it comes to Millennial vs Gen Z the latter prioritise saving money and are more conscious of economic difficulties, compared with the former who benefited from a booming economy and an arguably more pampered life.

 To get this Gen Z group to part with their cash, your focus should be on selling a feeling, an experience and telling a story. It’s important to note they don’t want perfection, so make your story desirable yet relatable - show real people, their flaws and a sense of vulnerability.

 2.  Values

 This generation highly favours diversity and equality and boasts a progressive attitude, you can be sure they will reward the brands that align themselves with these values, and once hooked they are fiercely loyal. So, when looking at this from a marketing perspective, you will want to actively and financially tackle the bigger issues and stay vocal on certain topics such as, environmental and sustainability practices and supporting the LGBTQIA+ community (Happy Pride Month!).

 For smaller businesses, who can’t afford large donations to causes, you can also do this through partnerships and collaborations or just listen to the Gen Z audiences’ responses to the topic and do your best to mimic what they are asking for. A great example of this was shown during the recent reignition of the Black Lives Matter movement, brands quickly got behind the movement to show solidarity and do what they could to raise awareness and funds for the cause.

3.  Social media

The social media platforms of choice for Gen Z largely revolve around visual and video content. If this is the demographic your brand is targeting you will want to look to Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and most recently TikTok. Video content is much more important as it drives a better sense of connection and keeps them engaged for longer. They prioritise mobile/smartphone over any other device so bear that in mind when creating content or campaigns.

Social platforms are used quite a lot more by gen Z than millennials or older, however, they appreciate far more the closeness and community of online gaming platforms such as Fortnite. And while you are unable to promote a brand through these types of outlets, you can work to emulate a similar community vibe through more intimate groups on Instagram or Snapchat.

Facebook and Twitter are disliked by Gen Z as they see them as a hotbed for trolling, bullying and divisive behaviour. Though this doesn’t necessarily rule Facebook out as a useful marketing tool, as it is the second most likely platform used for brand discovery with Instagram being the first.

4.  Authenticity

Throughout this post I have touched on the topic of authenticity and though It may seem straightforward, it is trickier than it first appears. Gen Z see through the faux perfection of the celebrity or reality TV star lifestyle, so if this is your target demographic, gone are the days of the big name endorsers.

Instead you can promote your brand through the up and coming micro influencers. Not only are these people relatable but they are accessible. They talk to you in their Instagram stories or lives, they answer your questions and if they are local you might even see them in your gym or supermarket. They look to these influencers for guidance but still see them on the same level.

The key thing to note here is not to try too hard, let your brand be as real as it can be.

5.  Gen Z Yellow

You may have heard of Millennial Pink – think Grand Budapest Hotel or London’s EL&N Café -  and by now you may have heard of Gen Z Yellow – varying shades of yellow from sunshine to mustard. These colours are sort of iconic representations of the types of marketing the demographics respond to. Dazed magazine reported back in 2018 that the yellow colour can be linked to a sense of fluidity and youthfulness and just like who it is representing, the meanings are hard to pin down.

Though we have since moved on from the Gen Z yellow being predominantly featured, it is important to note the trending colours for the coming seasons. These can be used as a marketing tool for creating new products, attention grabbing advertorials or even when considering packaging. Below is a video from Coloro and WGSN offering predicted colour trends for 2020.