NEW YORK — An obsession with winning over Gen Z consumers has resulted in marketers believing several absolutes concerning the cohort. Of chief concern: Gen Zers usually are not brand loyal they usually hate promoting.
CMOs at Advertising Week New York pushed back against these narratives, arguing that they flatten out the nuances of a generation that just as often expresses near-feverish devotion to certain brands. The real offender of Gen Z’s perceived aversion could also be a failure by marketers to understand what sorts of content resonate with a gaggle that is extremely picky and increasingly pulled toward insular online communities that require a distinct mindset to break into. Better understanding Gen Z is of climbing importance because the age set matures and drives more household purchasing decisions.
“They’re growing up in a more tribalized environment. You can debate the merits if that’s good or not, but there isn’t a mass media,” said Mark Weinstein, CMO and head of luxury brands at Hilton, during a panel on the conference Thursday. The talk also featured top marketers from Bose, H&R Block and EOS Products, and was moderated by Adweek.
Entertaining content connects
Panelists argued that Gen Z’s presumed distaste for promoting is a myth while acknowledging that paid media plays a distinct strategic role than it used to. Developing entertaining or emotionally resonant content is an even bigger focus, with ads then used as a supportive tool slightly than the predominant driver of campaigns.
“There’s a layer of promoting that you simply use at moments for this, but really, I’d say 90% of our budget and energy is spent on actual content,” said Jim Mollica, president of luxury consumer audio and CMO at Bose.
Those comments reinforced a throughline at Advertising Week, where several marketing chiefs talked about sharpening their execution of social-first, culturally led activations versus capital-A promoting. Mollica, who has prioritized brand constructing at Bose, pointed to integrations like an appearance on a monthlong stream by creator Kai Cenat for instance of how the headphone marketer is trying to higher ingrain itself in culture.
H&R Block, the tax-preparation firm, had a significant breakthrough with Gen Z when it launched “Responsibility Island,” a multi-episode reality TV parody that showed Gen Zers confined on a distant island until they’ll work out how to do their very own taxes (with mishaps around completing other “adulting” tasks like doing laundry). The series, which ran on the brand’s YouTube and featured a Roku placement to amplify reach, was a “huge success” — enough in order that H&R Block hosted a reunion last yr, according to Chief Marketing and Experience Officer Jill Cress.
H&R Block more recently united social creative and media duties under VaynerMedia to streamline its marketing and account for shifts in consumer behavior. The firm sees Gen Z as essential to win over for the reason that demographic makes up many of the current latest entrants into the taxpayer pool within the U.S.
“We’re not relevant to that [Gen Z] audience. So doing content like that and bringing them right into a relationship with us was hugely successful,” said Cress of “Responsibility Island.”
Tapping into community
Brands must also recognize they are not any longer the star of the show when it comes to marketing to Gen Z, according to panelists. Establishing a dialog with consumers and finding a way into conversations which might be relevant to their business, whether or not they exist in TikTok videos or Instagram comments, makes brands appear more authentic and relatable.
“There are so many instances where something has happened organically that we’ve caught wind of, after which we’ve just reacted directly to a daily person, after which that alone has actually amplified and rippled way further than [some] of our paid promoting does,” said Soyoung Kang, president of EOS, the marketer of lip balm and skincare products.
Kang pointed to internal research EOS conducted that found Gen Z is 30% more likely to be loyal to one brand across its product categories, busting one other perception concerning the group. Rather than not being loyal, Gen Z was described as more research-intensive and particular than older generations thanks to more data, digital savvy and overall brand selection at their fingertips.
“They grew up in an age where information is oozing out of each crack and crevice,” said Kang. “They’ve had more access to information they usually know the way to navigate it they usually know the way to manipulate it.”
Creators could be a powerful way to break into Gen Z communities which might be otherwise wary of marketing and have high thresholds to acceptance. Hilton leverages some celebrities in its marketing, including company royalty Paris Hilton, but in addition smaller influencers with just a couple of thousand followers.
The hospitality chain has also evolved its product offerings to higher cater to Gen Z’s tastes, acquiring campus-oriented Graduate Hotels last yr and expanding its Motto by Hilton collection of hotels which have compact rooms but larger communal spaces. Motto last month launched a social series starring influencers and inspired by video games, one other instance where a brand has put engaging content above conventional promoting.
“There are these area of interest communities of passion points. Our job isn’t to create a [passionate] community around us, it’s to tap into culture that already exists,” said Weinstein.
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