The 8 Top Trends Brands Need to Know When Marketing to Gen Z

Gen Z Want to Help Your Brand. Photo by mentatdgt from Pexels

Heading into 2019, Gen Z will start to become the primary youth audience for brands to market towards.

From mobile, to online, out of home and social, there are a multitude of channels to help you get in touch with Gen Z’s – but what trends will help create your strategy?

We’ve put together a handful of the most trending developments for Gen Z, and why you can’t afford to avoid them.

#1 Mobile Dependence Is Only Going To Get Higher

It’d come as no surprise that mobile dependence is at an all time high for society as a whole, let alone the tech-focused Gen Z audience. Many often think Millennials are the biggest consumer of mobile, but Gen Z is being introduced to the mobile world much earlier. Mobiles are increasingly becoming more socially acceptable at family gatherings and events, so your brand needs to be thinking about how to increase your mobile-ad engagement and placements.

#2 Ad Intrusion Will Only Hurt Your Cause

While Gen Z as an audience is more open to advertising than any generation before them, they still like to have some type of control when they’re being advertised to. So it might be worth having a think about that autoplay social ad which traps the viewer in for five, ten or the deathly 30 seconds.

#3 They Research Online, Then Buy In Store

Having a strong online presence is more of a pre-requisite these days rather than something for the to-do list. So step one is making sure your online positioning is strong, because research shows Gen Z often still prefer the in-store experience of physically buying something. They tend to do their research online, and then purchase in store, with 87% claiming they will head in-store to buy.

#4 Online And Offline Experience Is Crucial

Ultimately, while Gen Z still has love for buying in-store, we know they also live for online purchases with 79% saying they buy online. So it’s vital to find that common ground between the online and offline experience, making sure all your deals and customer experience is translated between your website, social and physical staff/stores. Make sure your brand values and tone is the same in-store as it is on social.

#5 They’ll Invest With Sustainable Brands

A modern day no-brainer when it comes to brand reputation. With wide-scale coverage of societal issues across social media, Gen Z place high importance in causes that matter a lot to them. So start highlighting what your business already does for corporate social responsibility or start focusing on it as a highly important channel for your brand.

#6 They’re Inspired To Purchase From Social

Forget brochures and EDMs, 43% of Gen Z claim to be directly inspired to purchase from posts on social media – with 37% saying they will increase their social media use when looking to make a purchase decision. Your brand should already be playing in this market if you’re trying to reach Gen Z. Think beyond super-branded ads but more on User-Generated Content and creating authentic content that subtly fits into a Instagram or Facebook feed.

#7 Brand Loyalty Is A Thing Of The Past For Them

With the multitude of brands vying for Gen Z’s cash, brand loyalty has almost become a thing of the past. Gen Z know they will get value in the oversaturated market of brands advertising to them, so accept that getting them to always be loyal might be tough. If a tonne of popular TV series move from Netflix to Stan, you can bet your bottom dollar where Gen Z will put their money (even if one is a global brand).

#8 They Want To Help You

Gen Z actually wants to help you make your product, and by engaging with them in this process you’ll actually build trust with them. Show them that you care about them as more than just customer, and actually be enthusiastic for their feedback. Don’t be afraid to showcase that feedback too, and reward them for helping your brand.

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