The consumers are ahead of the curve. They are agile and receptive to newer technologies. They’re early adopters of new social networks, and trends, while being skeptical of conventional advertising practices. These qualities provide a plethora of exciting opportunities and challenges in engaging with the GEN Z audience – an audience if tapped properly could become immediate and lifelong customers. Here’s how we can engage and interact with the versatile and dynamic Gen Z audience.
Informal is Good But Maintain a Fine Balance
Maintain the right balance between being genuinely relatable and being cringe-worthy when you engage with the Gen Z audience. In marketing to Gen Z, brands shouldn’t treat them differently to other audiences. The demography of the younger audience should not be a reason for organizations to amend their broader approach or existing brand values. Simply err on the side of caution, and if you sense your Gen Z messaging is not delivering on the parameters you envisioned– then you’re probably right. Move on and find your audience.
Mobile is The Medium
We increasingly live in a mobile-savvy world, and Gen Z are the most mobile-oriented consumer group. In engaging with Gen Z, brands need to think about how their brand is perceived online, but specifically how users more broadly relate to their brand through mobile. Always ensure that your brand works across multiple devices and has the potential and accessibility to experience a variety of user journeys. Think about the mobile responsiveness of your website and your content – and its shareability. Unlike the erstwhile generations that have grown up in the transition to the online world and who have been willing to learn new systems and tolerate bad design, GenZers expect a user interface to be intuitive and mobile apps with practically zero downtime.
Invest in Influencers & Social Platforms
Brands need forward-thinking and they need to think beyond just what social networks and new tech they should be on. To a Gen Z audience, content becomes relatable only if it is backed by strong and well—researched claims of influential marketers. Any old content does not cut ice with them. Think smartly about how you can deliver the content in line with new platforms, new influencers, and new opportunities.
Gen Z
doesn’t just want scheduled content from brands, but a sense that the content is both targeted to them and organically arrived at. Seeming natural is achieved by choosing not just influencers, but the right influencers, and ensuring every decision you make with regard to Gen Z gels with your overall strategy.
The new generation of the audience is a versatile, dynamic and connected set of users who play by different rules, previously unknown to the world of advertising. It is important to move beyond what we knew. Unlearn the few things and explore the realm that GEN Z often treads.
