Understanding Generation Z and their impact on the marketing world

GenZ_Online_final-Part1Independent marketing agency OLIVER, created an infographic detailing the quickly growing Generation Z, which will be ruling the market sooner than you might think.

The infographic highlights various aspects of the Gen Z life and helps us predict what their impact on the marketing world may end up being. One essential part of a Gen Z’s life is social media and with that comes technology.

The infographic expresses how Facebook is becoming less and less popular with this generation than it was with Millennials and increasingly now with Gen X’s or Baby Boomers. Now Snapchat, Secret, and Whisper dominate the youth social media market.

This shows an arising desire for privacy. This may be due to them seeing older siblings get in trouble due to social media and a stronger concern with how they are perceived with higher levels of self-consciousness.

42 percent of this generation said that social media directly impacts how they feel about themselves, expressing how it can work to bully them but also allows them to elevate themselves through the amount of likes or responses.

GenZ_Online_final-Part2It also contributes to a culture that attempts less at permanence. Music is scarcely owned with streaming sites like Spotify now and it is the same with so much of this social media that comes and disappears quickly.

The 8 second attention span the infographic mentions also is related to this phenomenon of efficiency and disposability in the Gen Z life.

Though social media is used quickly, it is also used constantly. The infographic shows how they get highly stressed out when away from technology.

They were introduced to the iPhone early so it is ingrained in them. Now it isn’t just the iPhone they are using, but about 5 screens, so there are constantly technological formats they can turn to.

These 5 screens make it so they can access so much without having to go beyond the tech in their hands. Online shopping is how they are getting what they want. They want things to be delivered right to them and if that isn’t going to happen then they may get something else that can be.

So what does this mean for the marketing industry?

Mostly it shows that innovation and tech savviness is key. This tech cannot be too complex or wordy though, as simplicity is the best way to affect them, as they are drawn to the big picture with few words. Also, creativity plays an important role in the transform of technology.

According to the CBS News, 80% of generation Z claim to be a creative person. In order to differentiate and gain authenticity, companies and brands should tell stories, instead of just relying on that flashy technology.

Gen Z’s want to have the levels of tech that are easy and exciting for them, but they also will be more drawn to a product or service if it feels genuine. Though this generation may seem very different from past generations based on their use of tech, they still want to be able to relate and that is where marketers will have the most success.

Article by Page Ellerson and Rui Li, MarComm News

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