Marketing to Gen-Z: How to capture the next generation's attention

Gen Z, classified as people born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s, have a fresh take on today's world. This unique generation is the first born into The Internet Age, with iPads and iPhones used as comfortably as pen & paper for the rest of us. Tech-savvy and mobile-first, this group of consumers is reshaping the world around them.

When it comes to marketing, this generation lives and breathes brands. They expect brands to appeal to their personalities, interests and values while being an extension of who they are.

Liz Toney, the co-founder of PRZM, has said that Gen-Zs are “behind some of the largest behavioural and cultural shifts that we see today." With the rate of their buying power ever growing and their online presence up to 87%, brands need to win their loyalty if they want to succeed.

Here are Bloom's top tips on how to market to Gen-Z:

Don't underestimate the power of influence

Research has shown that Gen Z is less likely to immediately trust a brand. Trust has to be built via their community which is often made up of friends, family and influencers. The opinions of this community heavily influence Gen Z's purchasing decisions, in fact, 79% of Gen Z said they made a purchase as a result of an influencer.

A great example of marketing to Gen Z is the campaign Just Eat ran with Snoop Dogg. Food delivery services have been popular for a long time however when Just Eat created this targeted campaign the orders received via their delivery app reached phenomenal heights.

The key to their success was grabbing the attention of Gen Z. Snoop Dogg rapping a remixed jingle struck a chord with Gen Z, it was catchy, different and involved pop culture royalty, what was not to love?!

Just Eat had fun with their marketing and advertising and didn't take themselves too seriously. In just 4 months the ad reached over 9 million views and it still has people singing along to Snoop Dogg when the jingle plays on TV (did somebody say Just Eat?)

Content is king

Gen-Z audiences opt for video-centred and gamified platforms such as YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram and - you guessed it - Tiktok. How many times has a song come on and you've seen a group of young people do the same dance? It's infectious and everyone seems to be doing it, therefore the platform is succeeding. It may be time to spice up your content and produce videos or get involved in the latest trends.

This generation is also likely to share and engage with content that is trending and viral. Remember the Marketing Rule of 7, someone needs to hear something seven times before they will take action and buy the product or service. And there is a lot of competition out there so you need to stand out amongst the crowd. Especially when dealing with a generation as savvy as this one.

Include interactivity

The Gen Z audience wants to feel a part of something. They enjoy content that is culturally relevant while being inclusive. When capturing their attention on social media, research has suggested the use of both creativity and interactive content. When they land on your post they want to be doing something - tap, swipe, click. Anything you can do to encourage interaction or conversation is a plus. For example, add a question box to your next instagram stories or a poll.

The fashion e-commerce giant, ASOS, posted a series of Instagram Stories showing a variety of products and added a poll sticker inviting their followers to vote for the best place to wear these particular outfits. Not only is this informing you of this buyer's opinion but it's also showing that you value them as an individual.

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Marketing to Gen Z isn’t just important, winning them over is crucial for the longevity of your business. Fortunately understanding and influencing this customer base isn't difficult, it just takes time and the right marketing team.

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At Bloom, we specialise in taking high-growth tech businesses from scrappy startup status to sophisticated scale-up mode. As award-winning brand marketers, we blend strategy and execution to take startups to the next level.

If you're a tech founder, ops manager, growth consultant, or "marketing-department-of-one" then book a free 30-minute discovery call with our expert team here.