Who are they?
Generation Z or shortly referred to as Gen Z are the 12–27-year-olds and they are the first generation who were born in the age of the internet. They are passionate, technology-driven, less physically social, more content-absorbing, more aesthetically stimulated and impatient. As per Forbes research, Gen Z’s have an 8-second attention span and they demand personalized and specific interactions across the channels.
Why are they important?
33% of world population is Gen Z and 95% of them own smartphones. They are presently in two categories – either they are strongly influencing the decision ( 12yo – 16yo) or they are simply making it themselves (17yo – 27yo). Either way, they are the ones driving all your digital campaigns. They spend over 4 hours every single day absorbing the content and 85% of them scout social media to try new products. They are intelligent, digital-savvy and strongly opinionated.
The New Age Thinking?
I always quote this to my daughter, a GenZ of all of 17 years of age, that keeping in mind Maslows hierarchy of needs, my parent’s generation took care of Physiological and safety needs, my generation focussed on love and belonging needs and now her generation’s decisions are driven by self-esteem and self-actualisation needs. Hence you see more of Gen Z’s buying decisions will be influenced by products that promise sustainability, privacy-protective, transparency, being eco-friendly, organic and individualistic. As per Gerald Breatnach, Head of Strategic Insights at Google UK, organisations today are coming clean with Net Zero Goals and showing their transparency in data use and sustainability. This is to emerge and be viewed as Organisations with consciousness and responsibility.
What can you do that they notice you with their 8-10 seconds focus span?
- More Audio-visual content, less reading content.
- Use the trending music for reels/video content.
- Make content as per the particular social media – follow the general theme.
- Be part of social media trends to be noticed as a creative, relevant brand
- Use Influencers to validate your product
- Take steps to make your product sustainable and eco-friendly.
- Ensure privacy protection of data collected and communicate this to the consumers
- Use real Gen Zs, not celebrities to provide positive reviews of your product.
- Keep the content short, crisp and clear
- Explore X, Pinterest, Snap and Tiktok for better ROAS. The Gen Zs are here!