Move Over Millennials: Make Way for Gen Z [Infographic]

Just when you get the hang of marketing to millennials, Gen Z comes along and changes the rules again. Here’s what you need to know to market to the next generation of consumers and B2B buyers.

How Marketing to Gen Z Will Be Different than Marketing to Millennials

There’s always going to be a next generation that marketers need to pay attention to. Now that millennials are firmly entrenched among the ranks of US consumers and B2B buyers, it’s time to start thinking about how Gen Z consumers and buyers are going to change things for brand marketers all over again.

We recently published an article with 6 Things You Need to Know to Engage Millennials (also known as Gen Y) now that they outnumber other generations among consumers overall, and make up nearly half of all B2B buyers. But Gen Z is right on their heels, and moving up fast. It’s time to start thinking about how you will need to market your brand to Gen Z consumers and B2B buyers, and how they are different than the Gen Yers that preceded them.

• Millennials opt for cool experiences; Gen Zs would prefer a cool product.
• Millennials want to interact with brands via email and social channels; Gen Zs like those but they also don’t mind ads.
• Nearly half of all Millennials like branded games; fewer than one in four Gen Zs feel the same.
• Amazon is the Millennials’ favorite website; for Gen Zs, it’s Youtube.
• Gen Zs are more likely than Millennials to want to DIY than buy.
• Millennials are more likely to opt for unique over popular than their Gen Z successors.

For Gen Z, Lose the Celebs and Use Real People

Gen Zs are 2x as likely to respond to advertising featuring ‘real people’ as opposed to celebrities. Not only are Gen Zs more open to learning about brands via online ads, they’re also more likely than Millennials to respond positively to ads with celebrities and athletes, but less likely to care about whether the ad creates an emotional connection.

Gen Z: Don’t Tell Me What to Do

A New York Times article sheds more light on how Gen Zs are going to differentiate themselves from their Gen Y (Millennial) counterparts. While 1/3 of Millennials are still living with their parents, Gen Zs are more independent and they are growing up in a healthier economy and seem more eager to be cut loose:

• Gen Zs don’t wait for their parents to teach them things or tell them how to make their decisions
• Gen Zs are curious and driven, and they aren’t afraid to go out into the world and gain experience
• Though they were raised with technology, they prefer in-person interaction and are highly emotionally intelligent
• Thanks to technology, they are accustomed to engaging with contemporaries world-wide, so they are more than prepared for a global business environment

Gen Z Kids Already Affecting Household Purchasing Decisions

Perhaps more so than any previous generation, Gen Zs are already influencing consumer spending in the US. A marketwired.com press release about Gen Z and their attitudes toward work, spending and brand communication points out that 93 percent of parents say that their children have at least some influence on the family’s spending and household purchases:

• Gen Zs are far more likely to view having a lot of money as a sign of success than Millennials
• While Millennials have embraced sharing over ownership, 66 percent of Gen Zs say they want to own their own homes and cars
• Six out of ten Gen Zs want to start their own companies someday
• Nine out of ten Gen Zs say they would rather spend free time on activities they view as productive and creative, as opposed to merely ‘hanging out’

Gen Z Sees Failure as An Opportunity to Try Again

“We’ve found 7 to 17 year olds take a much more pragmatic approach to life (than Millennials). Astoundingly, 71 percent expect to experience significant failure before achieving success, and nearly 40 percent say they see failure as an opportunity to try again.” – Deep Focus CMO Jamie Gutfreund, Cassandra Report: Gen Z

Source Credit: Adweek.com, Gen Z and Millennials Want Different Things From Brands