Kendall Shaver is a Camp + King Strategy intern.
She is a rising sophomore at San Diego State University studying advertising.
The Conundrum of Marketing to Generation Z
Generation Z has grown up with a smartphone in hand. Although we could barely tell you what MySpace is, we live through Snapchat and Instagram. There are few brands and agencies who underestimate the importance of using social media as a channel to reach younger audiences. However, it is seemingly unclear which platforms Generation Z is on and how we are consuming media on each platform.
Snapchat dominates Gen Z’s Social Media Usage
78% of 18 to 24-year-olds are on Snapchat. By contrast, only 54% of 25 to 29-year-olds are Snapchat users.[1] As a platform, Snapchat has catered to our visual content obsession through providing us with the ability to share photos and videos with friends in real time. It is common to Snapchat in lieu of texting for day to day communications amongst friends. We use the platform more to keep in touch with friends throughout the day than to watch Discover content and follow influencers.
Memes are the new influencers on Instagram
71% of Generation Z uses Instagram, out-populating the 25 to 29 age bracket by a margin of 16%.
While Snapchat is primarily used to engage with friends, on Instagram we are much likelier to follow our favorite influencers, celebrities, meme accounts, and brands that complement niche interests. If we stumble across a particularly funny, interesting or relatable post from one of these accounts, it is very common to direct message it to a friend or group of friends. More often than not, it is a meme.
UGC wins over Stylized Content
As a brand, Vans has done an exceptional job at gaining Generation Z followers. Their success on Instagram is credited to their inclusion of user generated content. The posts by Vans appear to be created with their UGC in mind and are all lifestyle focused.
Their competitor Converse has staged photos of shoes that look and feel like a traditional advertisement. The brand also has 5 million fewer followers. The more native the content is, the more interesting it is to Generation Z.
Facebook and Twitter are Never Top of Mind
Only 45% of Generation Z uses Twitter. Those that do use the platform to follow celebrities and influencers. It is not uncommon for us to follow celebrities on Twitter but not necessarily post content ourselves.
We have been crowded out of Facebook by older generations. In fact, it is the only social media platform where Generation Z does not have the majority of participants. Unlike the other social media platforms, Facebook is where we know our parents and extended relatives are looking into our lives. Therefore, our adopted persona and interactions on Facebook are almost always family friendly.
What does it mean?
The way Generation Z consumes media is unique in comparison to any other generation. Not only in terms of the platforms we are on, but how we are using them. There is an emergent opportunity for brands to create content worth sharing. I’ll leave you with a couple things to remember about Gen Z:
- We are primarily on Snapchat and Instagram.
- We pay attention to visual content that is both natural and eye-catching.
- We love memes but can immediately smell a brand that tries to infuse a marketing message when using or creating one.
- We love sharing anything we find entertaining with our friends via direct messaging. Although it is typically user generated content we consume, there is an emergent opportunity for brands to create content worth sharing.
