Strategies for Marketing to Generation Z

Despite their attention span and screen dependency stereotypes, Generation Z has much more to them. Researchers have consistently branded this generation as innovative and passionate about social justice. As Generation Z continues to age up, marketers are becoming more aware of the potential that Gen Z holds as consumers. Not only does this generation currently hold between $29-$143 billion in purchasing power in the U.S. alone, but they also persuade roughly 93% of families’ purchase decisions.

Who are Generation Z?

With the rise of the digital age came Generation Z (Gen Z), the generational cohort that includes all people born between the years of 1996-2015. Gen Z is the first generation that has been surrounded by technology for the entirety of their lives. Therefore, making the internet a fundamental role in the lives of Gen Z. This is expected considering that characteristics of the internet have shaped this entire generation.

The Struggle of Marketing to Gen Z

People seem to dread the idea of marketing to Generation Z due to their less traditional ways of media consumption. Gen Z is less influenced by traditional loyalty programs, hard marketing sells, etc. making them a much more challenging audience to reach.

How to Effectively Market to Gen Z

• Focus on the Experience: Gen Z wants to see real, relatable, and relevant content in marketing campaigns. They don’t care to see paid actors, they want to see real people with the same experiences as them. If Gen Z feels that they can’t relate with your content, they will opt out.
• Create Quick Content: According to Forbes, Gen Z has an attention span of around 8 seconds, which is 4 seconds less than the Millennial attention span. Because of this, you must create quick attention grabbing content that will appeal to Gen Z in the first 8 seconds of viewing your content.
• Emphasis on Social Media: Since Gen Z has grown up surrounded by the internet, the main source of connection for them is social media. If your brand has a strong social media presence, Gen Z will be more likely to interact with your brand.
• Be Socially Conscious: Out of all generational cohorts, Gen Z cares the most about social justice issues. Gen Z prefers to purchase from brands that share similar values and social views. Corporate social responsibility plays a large role in their purchasing decisions.

As more and more Gen Z’s age up, they will become the niche marketing audience. Gen Z is the most diverse generation yet and is looking for brands who are just like them. When marketing towards a Gen Z demographic, it is important that companies keep this in mind. In order for businesses to effectively market to this generational cohort, they will have to adapt with Gen Z’s needs as they begin to hold more purchasing power. If you’re interested in expanding your marketing audience, don’t hesitate to reach out to the digital strategists at Kraus Marketing. Contact us today to get started.