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AdWeek: What Brands Need to Know About Gen Z to Reach the New Generation of Consumers
After years of figuring out how to reach millennials, it’s time to consider the new generation of teens.
Have you been targeting the Gen Z generation the same way you target Millennials? A recent study from ad agency Barkley and FutureCast, “Getting to Know Gen Z: How the Pivotal Generation is Different From Millennials,” shows that the two generations are incredibly different. For one, the Gen Z generation uses social media much more than millennials, with some checking their social media up to a hundred times a day.
The key takeaway, however, about Gen Z is that teens consider success to be one of the most important things in life, and that they fully expect to earn it with hard work, rather than luck. “The similarity is that Gen Z is still all digital all the time and all social all the time," said Jeff Fromm, president of FutureCast. "The difference is that Gen Z wants to work hard for their success. They are not counting on any trophies or ribbons for participation."
They also believe that social equality is non-negotiable, and any company or business that doesn’t reflect that won’t attract teens. Part of Gen Z’s strive for equality is seeing “real” people reflecting a variety of backgrounds must be represented in advertisements.
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About the Author
Nick Powills
FollowNick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.
