Marketers know the basics for reaching Gen Z: They like authenticity, they cringe at highly curated content, and they prefer raw, honest content from their favorite creators. So why are some brands still getting advertising to Gen Z wrong?
Hire Gen Z. Brands without Gen Zers on their marketing teams, and social media in particular, may struggle to connect with the generation, said Shaina Zafar, executive at UTA Marketing’s Next Gen Practice. “The people that know social best are the Gen Zers.” And brands should be using their Gen Z employees as internal content creators, Zafar said. “Using the resources at your disposal is so critical, and also really low lift.”
Take risks. Another challenge brands face is the rapid proliferation of trends. Brands often work too slowly to take risks in social media marketing before a trend becomes irrelevant. It can be challenging to get buy-in to take the risks social media accounts like Duolingo’s or Nutterbutter’s have gained popularity for taking.
Even if those risks don’t go viral, Gen Z consumers will still resonate with brands willing to take chances, Zafar said.
Amtrak has found a way to connect with social media users without compromising its identity, Zafar said. Amtrak is jumping on TikTok trends where people show their lives outside of social media, offering tours of its rooms, and prominently featuring its employees in trending content. By creating funny, culturally relevant content, Amtrak can also represent its shared values with Gen Z as an environmentally friendly and relatively inexpensive travel option.
Everyone is looking for connection. Gen Zers are feeling a sense of loneliness, of overwhelmedness, Zafar said.
Saie Beauty’s Club Rose Glow built community among Gen Z by creating an exclusive Instagram to launch a product. While Saie Beauty’s main Instagram account has over 400,000 followers, the private account has just 2,500. The account serves as a smaller, intimate community just for brand loyalists to connect with Saie Beauty and with each other.
Get in the group chat. Next, make the conversion. Lean on word-of-mouth to do so, Zafar said.
“Become the brand that enters the group chat…because word-of-mouth is still the most resonant thing with Gen Z,” Zafar said. Both group chats between friends and Instagram Close Friends stories as potential venues for Gen Z’s word-of-mouth influence.
How can brands get 10% better at reaching Gen Z? “Encourage a change in mindset that doesn’t treat Gen Z as guinea pigs but instead treats us as partners,” Zafar said.
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