When it comes to marketing to younger demographics, particularly to Gen Z, there is an emphasis on social media and trend hopping in the hopes of achieving virality. To brands, Gen Z represents not just a large and influential demographic but also one that holds immense purchasing power, projected to reach $12T by 2030, and is shaping the future of cultural trends, making them an invaluable demographic to capture. What many marketers seem to misunderstand, however, is the role of social media in their marketing strategies to Gen Z. It is not an addition to your preexisting strategies, it is a complete overhaul. Forget everything you think you know about marketing to Gen Z — this is what you actually need to know.
Here’s the reality: marketing to Gen Z isn’t something you can approach half-heartedly. As the first generation to grow up immersed in the internet and social media, Gen Z are among the most discerning consumers online. Their constant exposure to vast amounts of content has made them highly attuned to both misinformation and advertising. To truly resonate with them, brands must go beyond simply jumping on trends or mimicking their humor—they need authenticity and a genuine understanding of their values.
A common misconception is that Gen Z’s dominant presence on social media makes them a prime target for digital marketing, when in fact they are the toughest nuts to crack with tried and true marketing strategies. Studies have shown that with this demographic in particular, there is a deep-rooted generational aversion towards advertising, either due to having lower thresholds for boredom or being especially repulsed by invasive, interruptive online and mobile formats. With the prevalence of highly personalised algorithms, Gen Z hates being sold to, especially when it’s disguised as organic content.
In that case, the savvy marketer may be wondering — what’s the point of focusing marketing efforts on an unresponsive demographic? If they’re unwilling to consume, then is there a point in hopping on their trends and trying to appeal to their sense of humour? That’s the catch — for all their media savvy, Gen Z are not immune to marketing tactics, they just require one very important component- authenticity.
Authenticity in marketing to Gen Z is a simple concept in theory, but difficult in execution. With social media bringing people closer together, Gen Z no longer appreciates seeing brands as a monolithic corporate identity and derives joy from seeing these brands tear down their walls and give them a peek into the real people behind the verified accounts. Perhaps the first notable instance of this shift in consumer expectations of brand marketing comes from the Wendy’s Twitter account all the way back in 2017. In an initially controversial and retrospectively inspired move, the Wendy’s Twitter team abandoned their polite and polished identity for a snarky, “unprofessional” persona that was constantly picking fights with other fast food chains and taking potshots at regular Twitter users. This was a revolutionary brand revamp that caught on to one thing before its contemporaries — that younger generations are not interested in maintaining a disaffected distance from brands, they want to step closer and peel back its layers to find a human aspect to relate to.
We have personally experienced this shift in consumer expectations as well when we attempted a new approach to social media content creation for one of our clients, injecting a more personal and human touch to the narrative as opposed to our previous more polished approach. This resulted in a 346% increase in followers over the span of 3 months on Instagram, a feat that we were unable to achieve by relying on our previously overly polished approach. Through A/B testing, we have found that striking a balance between polish and an authentic, conversational style is crucial to capturing the Gen Z demographic.
Since then, many corporate brands have hopped on this trend to varying degrees of success. What sets the successful brands apart lies in the level of authenticity with which they embraced the trend. The key factor is how much they "commit to the bit" — meaning how genuinely they align their messaging, actions, and overall identity with the trend they are promoting. Brands that succeeded went beyond just adopting a surface-level element of the trend; they integrated it into their core values, communication style, and customer experience. This deep, sincere involvement resonates with consumers, making the brand appear more aligned with the trend's spirit rather than merely exploiting it for short-term gain. On the other hand, brands that failed often seemed out of touch or insincere, attempting to capitalise on the trend without truly understanding or engaging with its underlying ethos. Consumers are increasingly discerning, and they can quickly detect when a brand is only paying lip service to a trend, which can backfire and result in a loss of trust and credibility
In short, here is what we as marketers can do to reach Gen Z with organic content:
Hopping on trends and committing to them, throwing out concerns of attempting to preserve inklings of professionalism in the process
Putting your brand’s story- the human aspect of your brand’s story- at the forefront to build that connection with your target audience
Don’t be afraid to try something new and out of the box- originality is to Gen Z what blood in the water is to sharks
We’d love to hear your thoughts—what strategies have you found effective in connecting with Gen Z, and what challenges have you faced? Share your ideas and experiences in the comments below!
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