Just as communicators are starting to ‘get’ millennials, there’s a follow-on cohort, Generation Z. While there’s debate about the age range of Gen Z, we’ll define it here as those born from 1995 to now, meaning anyone 21 or younger.
As a communicator you can think of Gen Z-ers as the poor man’s millennials and treat them as you did their predecessors. This is a mistake. It’s better to see them as young evolutionaries. Of the characteristics that will influence how brands interact with this group, the most important may be Gen Z’s sway over family spending (more on this below). Three others:
1. Change Agents:With their easy access to tech devices and considerable interactions online, there’s a confidence about this group. It’s unafraid to speak up. Gen Z-ers aren’t just trying to fit in but seek to drive change. Critical for communicators, Z-ers feel free to be themselves and readily interact with brands, sharing their perspective and advice. Yet they aren’t merely offering hyperdiscerning opinions. They are making business cases, pitches and PowerPoint presentations so they’ll be acknowledged.
2. Local and Global Change: They’re intentional about everything and live with a change-the-world mentality. They’re not just talking, but rolling up their sleeves and doing it.
3. Controlled Aggression: While they are a hard-charging bunch, they’ll display a cautious side, particularly with social media. Often they will pause before posting. They’ve learned from millennial blunders like losing a job or relationship over a flash-in-the-pan post. They filter before they share publicly because they know that even if their post is removed, they aren’t immune. The younger Z-ers learned this in school.
Key to Our Financial Future
These toddlers, tweens and teens represent 28% of the population. In four years this is expected to be 40%. While the implications for communicators are clear, a paradigm shift makes Gen Z’s influence even greater. Unlike their predecessors, they have more sway over not just their piggy bank but family spending. It started with putting Gen Z in the driver’s seat for low-stakes purchases and has evolved into many Gen Z-ers making family decisions for tech devices, vacation and cars. In terms of back-to-school buying, a 2015 National Retail Federation survey found 10% of parents admit their children influence 100% of what they buy, up from 8% in 2014.
What Brands Should do
It’s imperative that brands crack the code to grow in a Gen Z world. Companies that act now to understand Gen Z attitudes, behaviors and preferences will gain healthy insights and a first-mover advantage. Communicators should reframe conversations to do more than recycle existing tactics. Instead encourage your brand to spend time in the field getting to know this generation. And facilitate honest and sometimes uncomfortable conversations about how your brand values overlap with Gen Z or don’t.
To further tap into this audience here are three tips for PR pros:
Be real—you only matter if you fit into their world.
- Understand the Z lifestyle and values and where your brand can meet them. Find ideas and communications strategies that flow easily into their lives; ask for their input.
Connect with social good.
- Leapfrog competitors by connecting to a long-term social cause. Show your purpose and how you authentically will leave a positive footprint on the world. Invite Gen Z to vote for a charity and become philanthropists no matter how much or how little they give. If you’re making a commitment, don’t skip taking this for a test drive with customers to see if it aligns with their values and dreams.
Find their inner circle.
- Adapt your communications strategy to cultivate relationships with the people they love most. Embrace the new influencers or online celebrities who are in their circle of trust. Engage them to give life advice and share their not-so-perfect, behind-the-scenes selves.
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