‘Brat summer’
‘Very demure, very mindful’
‘Gen Z boss and a mini’
What do these have in common?
They are all trends that were born in Social, amongst Gen Z.
Trends they’d already moved on from by the time you or I heard about them.
This is the epitome of Gen Z.
A cohort bound together by a social currency that has redefined the very nature of connection. A currency that trades on the stock of being in the know, exchanged in social feeds, digital communities, and group chats. A generation who are simultaneously more lonely and more connected than any other. Their digital world is their inner circle; filled with deep parasocial connections.
Their identity has been forged with social media creators as the engine and algorithms as the train tracks. Those of them that did consume linear media channels are walking away at a rapid pace; their consumption of radio has decreased by a staggering 55% in the last seven years to a measly 34% listening in the last 7 days (ACMA -Communications and media in Australia: How we watch and listen to content, 2023). I'm not even going to mention linear TV. They spend more time lurking in the comments section, consuming media through the opinion filter of their peers, than tethered to a URL.
Whilst Gen Z may have matured into their purchasing power, causing cucumber shortages globally and selling out stadium tours in minutes, most brands are yet to mature into their approach to marketing to this audience.
And who can blame them?
How are brands meant to connect with this audience, when connecting requires staying ahead, not just keeping up?
At Mamamia, we have spent years developing social first content that engages this audience as well as through Squad- our independent content and influencer marketing agency.
We also recently conducted a Gen Z deep dive, speaking to 339 of them.
Here are our three greatest learning’s to help you navigate your way through your Gen Z strategy:
1. Frankly Candid
They want the freedom to form their own perspectives. This means giving voice to varying, and sometimes conflicting, opinions- providing a truly inclusive take on the issue at hand.
For brands and publishers alike, the undertone of any connection must be candour. They will sniff out any spin in favour of the frank and unfiltered, gravitating to what and who brings them closer to ‘the truth’.
2. Ravenous for Random
Whilst they are the generation who are the most invested in the socio-economic, the geo-political, and the environmental outlook, it would be a mistake to assume that being in the know about these topics is the extent of the social currency that they trade in. They are also wildly unserious and ravenous for the random. For brands, this requires more than the bravery to be boldly distinctive within the confines of traditional advertising. It demands the creative licence to manifest the brand fluently within the media they are actually consuming; content that quenches their thirst for the weird, not just the wise.
3. Rejection of Beige Norms
Somewhat ironic within the context of an article speaking to the unifying traits of Gen Z, is their fierce individuality. They are in constant pursuit of self discovery. An audience who, by and large, wear the nuance in their identity as a badge of honour. For brands, the opportunity lies in going deep on the niche as opposed to being beige around the broad. There is also the opportunity for brands to tap into the life stages and mindsets that bridge generational divides. Our proprietary content planning tool-The Daily Dial, demonstrates to us just how unifying life stages like motherhood, grief, divorce and health, have on content consumption across generations.
You might be thinking that we’ve all inherited new generations to talk to throughout our careers. However, the differences between other generations are incremental, Millennials and Gen X aren’t all that dissimilar in the way they consume information. But when it comes to Gen Z it’s an entirely new ballgame - and that’s why they need a new brand, quarantined from other generations and brands. Enter KNOW.
A content brand built for Gen Z, by Gen Z.
Untethered to a URL and standing alone from Mamamia.
KNOW will fuel Gen Z’s appetite for being in the KNOW with all the weird, wise and well-random things they crave.
It's not just news, not just pop culture, not just trending chatter. KNOW covers anything and everything, from elections to Chappell Roan and upside down pineapples. It could be viral. It could be niche. And it definitely will be confusing to anyone who isn’t Gen Z - but that’s kind of the point.
If you want your brand to be part of the content that Gen Z actually cares about, we encourage you to get in the KNOW - find out more.
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