Marketing to The Younger Generation
As Gen Z enters the workforce and increases its buying power, marketers need to understand how they are different from Millennials. Communicating to the younger generation takes more authenticity as they prioritize transparency more than other generations.
Our PRGN partner Southard Communications in New York recently wrote a blog on the characteristics of brands that drive Gen Z’s purchasing decision. Among those include authenticity, shopping on mobile devices and purpose driven culture. While many of these aspects can be important to Millenials too, they are essential in the eyes of a Gen-Zer.
Brands should take this into consideration when marketing to the two differing target audiences with the same message. Below are a few examples of how brands were able to use authenticity and transparency in recent marketing campaigns that captured the attention of both generations.
- Dominoes
The majority of sales at the popular pizza joint are generated through digital channels. To expand its presence in the digital realm, Dominoes rolled out a campaign called How About Today? The ads direct you to go to http://howabouttoday.com/ to see if it is a day Dominoes will deliver. (And yes, I’ve checked the website. They delivery every day!)
- Sephora
The make-up world has been fighting for inclusion for years and continues to do so with the popularization of male influencers like James Charles and Jeffree Star. In the Identify As We campaign, Sephora aims to normalize the use of make-up for any gender and regularly promotes products from BIPOC brands.
- Spotify
At the end of the year, Spotify listeners will get a recap of the music they have listened to from the hours down to the seconds of each band or song you played over the year. While I am not a Spotify user myself, I see the screenshots on social media graphing the hours people spend listening to their favorite song of the year. With last year’s campaign, Spotify supplemented the data with memes that would “roast” your listening behaviors.
How are you shifting your marketing focus as Gen Z enters the stage?
