Gen Z, or people born in the mid-1990s to early 2000s, is changing the way brands market themselves. If there is one thing marketers are learning from Gen-Z, is that they like it when they can experience a brand or product and then share it on social media. CBS News reports that Gen Z far outnumbers Millennials by at least a million people and they currently hold $44 billion in annual purchasing. Translation? The Gen Z population is a goldmine for marketers everywhere.
Recently, Google released, It’s Lit: A Guide to What Teens Think is Cool, which offers stats of everything “cool” according to Gen Z. This guide provides everything from what celebrities they follow on social media, video games they enjoy, and even what cookie they prefer.
All that aside, here are the most critical points businesses should know about when marketing to Gen-Z
- Boys are more likely to be persuaded that something is cool by fads or friends. On the other hand, girls are likely to determine something is cool based on how it makes them feel.
- Smartphones, all-things iOS, and VR/Augmented Reality are the coolest things in tech.
- Video games were on top of the coolness scale for boys because they feel it is a way to connect with friends, escape reality, and enjoy a wide variety of storylines.
- Girls enjoy brands that build confidence and beauty. Makeup companies like MAC, Clinique, and Maybelline still remain popular brands among teen girls.
- Gen Z sees social media as a place for consuming and connecting. Less than one-third of teens say they are comfortable sharing personal details.
- 61% of Gen Z feel better sharing personal information with brands they can trust.
- Of the social media channels, Snapchat and Instagram are where you’ll find most of Gen Z.
- Real-time media is a must for Gen Z. You can find them on streaming platforms like YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, and Hulu.
- Gen Z is a generation of people who enjoy learning and knowing. They do a lot of reading along with playing a lot of video games.
- 1,100 Teens ages 13-24 ranked major fast-food restaurants (Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, Wendy’s eetc.), cell providers, and car companies (Honda and Toyota specifically) as the top cool brands.
- Gen Z ranked clothing companies, makeup brands, and high-end cars among the lowest brands that they thought of as cool.
- Teens go crazy for Oreos because of the variety of delicious flavors funny marketing. So if you are looking for some ideas, take a look at what Oreo is doing.
The biggest takeaway is that teens today define cool as something interesting, amazing, and impressive. Not to mention, something unique that captures their attention right away and holds it long enough for them to deem it sharable on social media. What’s more unique than a 360 photo booth? We’ve seen it all too often work to reach teens at events where we partnered with Under Armour, Kate Spade, Target, and more.
If you’re having issues reaching the next generation, give us a call. Together we can connect with them and gain customers for life.