I work with a lot of organizations that target different audiences. Lately, my team and I have spent a lot of time with a skincare organization who’s products are meant for Gen Z  and young Millennials. I’ve enjoyed working with this client because attracting and connecting with this audience segment is an interesting challenge. 

Gen Z lives online, as Business Insider says,

“first truly digital generation, which has grown up cradling a smartphone and has never known a time without the internet and social media.”

Mary Hanbury | Business Insider

Millennials also grew up with technology. Their parents may not have been as technologically savvy as Gen Z’s parents, but they provided an opportunity to use and in many cases shape much of today’s technology. To their credited Millennials are often credited with killing dozens of industries and forcing digital to be embraced by brands big and small.

So what is it that these younger audiences crave? What makes them buy certain products? What excites and energizes them?

It comes down to one word – Value.

Value shoppers.

Gen Zers are value shoppers. As Response Media and Business Insider note, they have traditional views on money. This means they love a good deal and hate paying full price. Some research (including the Response Media and Business Insider articles) suggests this is because they were alive and old enough to remember The Great Recession.

This mentality poses a challenge when it comes to building passionate, loyal communities of brand ambassadors. Since budget has often been ranked higher than brand in studies it’s important to refocus retention marketing efforts.

Personally, I think this is exciting and hope this generation of fiscally responsible people who understand the value of a dollar and are smart and connected can help make the world a better place.

Professionally, it can be a challenge. It’s why testing is important and collecting both hard and soft data is more valuable than ever.

Shared values. 

Gen Zers are not ‘brand-whores’ or brand obsessed, they’re brand conscience. They want to engage with organizations but want to do so when and where they want.

Taglines and flashy ads don’t grab the attention of younger audiences (both Gen Z and young Millenials) because they grew up connected. They’ve been exposed to tons of ‘stuff’ competing for their attention since they held their first iPhone. This doesn’t mean they have short attention spans but instead shows that they more quickly identify what they want to engage with.

Gen Z, more than any other generation as a whole, cares about what different brands value. They want to show that they’re doing their part to help society. To make the world a better place. 

I like to think this is because they’re more connected and exposed to more information and news around the clock. They’re passionate and care about inclusion. They want brands that reflect their values. Brands that are willing to engage and collaborate with them. They want to see real people using real products in their everyday lives.

Campaign Monitor published, The Ultimate Guide to Marketing to Gen Z in 2019. It’s an interesting guide that’s worth checking out. Here are a few highlights:

1. You only have a few seconds to convince Gen Z consumers that your ad, blog post, etc. is worth their time.
2. More than half of all Gen Zers check their email multiple times a day. Email marketing is not dead!
3. They use a lot of different digital channels. Spend time understanding these channels and how your audiences use them.

I shared a quote a while ago about brands just being perception. This is especially true with younger generations. It shows in the brands they align themselves with and the rationale they use to justify their decisions. When marketing to young, passionate audiences, it’s important to be authentic and think about how you fit into their lives.