Connecting with Gen Z via Social Media

ALEXANDRIA, Va. —Generation Z, 61 million strong, is the next frontier for marketers. Their spending power is estimated between $29 billion and $143 billion, and understanding their behavior is essential for retailers who want their business, according to Social Media Today.

Gen Z has grown up with cellphones and is highly adept at multitasking. That means they are not always a captive audience on any single platform. Today, 75% of Gen Zers say the mobile phone is their device of choice, and a majority spend about three hours per day on social media. Therefore, a mobile-first marketing strategy is essential for retailers who want to reach them.

According to the Pew Research Center, these are facts to consider when creating a social media campaign aimed at Gen Z: 

• 95% of teens have a smartphone or access to one.
• 44% of Gen Zers say they are online “constantly.”
• They use Instagram to learn about brands and look to influencers, those online “tastemakers” with large fan bases, as trusted peers.
• Their favorite content is driven by visuals (YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat).
• 45% use Instagram for brand discovery.
• 70% of Gen Z YouTube viewers relate to YouTube influencers over celebrities.
• Gen Z watches 70% more videos than millennials.
• 60% of Gen Zers said they would not use a website that is too slow.
• 78% of Gen Zers have read a review when buying a product in the past 30 days.
• Gen Z guys will spend more on a product than Gen Z girls, who prefer to spend more on an experience.
• Brands only represent 10% of Gen Z’s followed accounts.
• 67% of Gen Zers prefer to make a purchase in a store rather than shop online or use an app. 

Ziad Ahmed is the 20-year-old chief executive officer of JUV Consulting, which specializes in teaching businesses how to communicate with the new generation, according to a story in the Journal Gazette.

“People are just starting to catch up,” said Ahmed, who recently spoke to American Express marketing executives about reaching younger consumers. “No one in this room is in the target group, so you haven’t seen any of the digital ads.”

Gen Z consumers don’t much care about brands, labels or corporations, the experts say. They perceive themselves as entrepreneurial, and many will never work for someone else if they get their way. They’re ethnically diverse, socially tolerant, globally connected and environmentally aware. They don’t often use e-mail or Facebook, and they don't watch ads on TV. Instead, they prefer word-of-mouth (preferably through meme or post or video).

A survey of 11,000 U.S. adults by Bloomberg News and Morning Consult shows that the generation is more willing to put its money where its values are. “If they’re paying money to corporations, they have to align with what they believe in,” says Corey Seemiller, associate professor at Wright State University. “For Gen Z, it’s less about the product and more about the organization.”

Companies are making an effort. Kellogg Co. hired a group of advisors, ages 12 to 17, to design its newest Kashi cereal. McCormick & Co. launched a new marketing program that, the spice maker said, “directly links our food, flavor and products with our sustainability efforts.” Ulta Beauty offers a vegan and cruelty-free line aimed at “Gen Z beauty enthusiasts.”

One tack that some advertisers have found effective is targeting Gen Z with sounds, such as whispers or slurps, that can trigger an autonomous sensory meridian response. ASMR videos are popular on YouTube. They can be relaxing and may help a Gen Z fall sleep after too many hours of stimulating blue light from the always-on screen.

Back to that learning curve. “There’s this misconception that we’re scrolling mindlessly,” Ahmed said of his generation.  But that’s not true. Instead, Gen Zers are connecting, communicating and figuring out where to spend their money.

For more on marketing to Gen Z, see the April issue of NACS Magazine.