What Marketers Can Learn From Gen Z
Over the last decade, marketers have targeted Millennials as they have become the driving force for purchasing decisions. More recently Gen Z, born between 1995 to 2009, has become the new focus. As the eldest of Gen Z soon turn 26 and are well into the workforce, their place in the workforce will only continue to grow.
But rather than once more cover all the nuances of Gen Z so we can learn more about them, I’d instead like to cover what us marketers can learn from them.
What about this unique, elusive generation can support our efforts?
Multi-tasking with the help of technology
According to Adobe’s Research Gen Z spends approximately 10.6 hours per day interacting with online media.
Today’s marketing is far more engaging and fragmented than ever before. There’s a plethora of platforms, each with its own audience base, creative execution, social management, and community management required to run properly.
Now layer on social listening, paid media, and influencer marketing… the list gets lengthy fast.
The departmental structure of the past can’t meet the speed of today’s consumers. So instead marketers must have the ability to multi-task and be nimble across the wide execution scope.
Creatives don’t just need to develop ideas and create content, now they need to be able to analyze social analytics and trends to spot trends and new creating opportunities.
Data-driven marketers now need an expertise in understanding creative, copy, and wit that exists inside of social channels to fit the contexts of the 7+ platforms.
It’s a tall task — but Gen Z team members know this best. Whether they’re employed as a marketer or not, they are all at the end of the day inherently marketers.
They’ve only known a world of planning and editing creative to publish to platforms, dropping Drake lyrics for captions, and viewing analytics of their post’s performance.
I’d argue 14-year-old with a TikTok account today knows more about marketing than a marketing graduate just 10 years ago.
It’s that speed and multi-task capability that we can all deploy in our career domains to level up efficiencies, productivity, and results.
Do it yourself attitude
Gen Z, in general, is innovative, self-taught, and sharp resulting in a “do it yourself” attitude. Being knowledgeable with the latest technology has helped Gen Z experiment with new ideas and launch their own business ventures.
Take Ryan Kaji for example.
Ryan is a 9-year-old. And like other 9-year-olds he loves toys.
But he struggled with finding the best toy. After all, who has time to read through fake Amazon reviews?
So Ryan launched his own YouTube show reviewing his favorite toys.
And unlike other 9-year-olds, Ryan pulled in an estimated $28.5M as the top YouTube earner of the year in 2020.
From influencers to entrepreneurs to community activists, the list of incredible young Gen Z leaders is too long to cite.
This is a generation that asks “but, why not?” then builds it.
It’s this entrepreneurial mindset that can be applied to our efforts in the workplace.
Does the ‘Intrapreneurship’ and ‘entrepreneurial culture’ leaders preach every go anywhere? Or is it simply a ploy to make team members feel like their ideas could potentially matter?
Make them matter.
Challenge the status quo.
Ask “why?” for the processes you’ve followed the past decade.
And build solutions accordingly.
The Ultimate Paradox: Altruism + Self-Motivation
Gen Z is quite paradoxical, but the paradox that trumps all, and makes for what I’d consider their greatest trait, is the ability to be both altruistic and self-motivated.
They care for the world and know they can change it.
They speak out on social media against climate change, injustice, and corporate negligence.
But equally, they want to “get this bread” (earn money).
They’re starting internships, careers, and businesses younger earlier than any recent generation. They’re seeking higher earnings, investing through apps like Robinhood, and set to amass more wealth than Millennials by 2030.
It’s this combination of Altruism & Self-Motivation that we could all use.
The mantra: I can change the world and I will be rewarded for doing so is the quid pro quo answer to the laundry list of problems we all face together.
Be Like Gen Z
Curiosity, innovation, agility, creativity, wonder…
These are all traits instilled in us as children that wear down as we age.
As the weight of the world presses on us that annoying 12-year-old we once were asking “why?” to the sky being blue or grass being green, has long gone.
But it doesn’t have to be.
With the help of our next-gen workforce, together we can create work environments that are agile, crafted by entrepreneurial DNA, and seek betterment for the world around us and our individual selves.
