Generation Z: the last of the alphabet?

Generation Z will take centre stage within a few decades. They arrived with a tablet under their arm and are a group of people marked by the internet.

As a consequence of the digital world, young people from generation Z like to have everything immediately: there’s no room for queues or games of patience.

They are characterised by being multitaskers, independent and demanding consumers. Some say their professions don’t exist yet.

Generation Z is characterised by being:

• Demanding: they don’t believe everything they see or hear and expect brands to be transparent and truthful;
• Influential: they are very active on social networks and their opinions can influence other people. They like reviews and opinions;
• Connected: they are always connected, whether by smartphone, computer or tablet. Brands that want to communicate with this generation need to be present on all digital channels.

A study by Kantar Ibope Media shows that while people from other generations surf for an average of 5 hours and 26 minutes a day, Generation Z spends approximately 6 hours and 45 minutes on the internet, across different devices. Among them, the favorite is the smartphone: 98% use mobile phones, while 37% use the computer (laptop) to consume online content.

How has the internet influenced this generation?

The trick is to reach the masses: through newspapers, radio, television and the internet. Perfect channels for news, they have become increasingly attractive to the advertising world. Having an advert on TV was (and is) an investment that only a few brands can afford. Until the Internet changed the game: advertising on the Internet has a significantly lower investment and an infinitely greater possibility of being tracked than on TV. In other words, brands have realized that with this investment, they can reach more people (or the people who really matter – the possibility of segmentation) and understand their reaction to a given product.

A study by the Status of Social Commerce Report revealed that 97 percent of respondents say that social networks are their main method for researching purchasing options.

The WWW for Generation Z

For both advertising and entertainment, Generation Z has grown up in this on-demand world: the possibility of consuming content whenever they want.

Expressions such as “pull back” and “ignore ad” are a result of these consumers, which has resulted in the distinction between free and premium platforms, where, as a general rule, the difference is whether or not you see the adverts. This means that in order to be close to generation Z, brands must strike a balance between:

1. Always being digitally present;
2. Not creating content just to be there.

Generation Z won’t go along with communications that lack purpose, relevance or want to impose their presence in a non-consensual way, such as that scene in a soap opera where the character is in the dining room with a packet of brand X shampoo in her hand, telling her aunt, who arrived that day from Luxembourg, about her experience of washing her hair with that fragrance.

From YouTube to Podcasts

Any platform whose content doesn’t require its target audience to be live is welcome. The most listened to podcast on Spotify in 2023 is a radio programme that airs Monday to Friday at 8.15am.

Comedians and humourists have gone from YouTube to filling the biggest theatres in Portugal.

According to 2023 data from Insider Intelligence, Generation Z has YouTube as its favourite channel for consuming content, with 86% of the individuals in the survey present on this social network, followed by TikTok, with almost 74%.

Pedro Ribeiro, director of Rádio Comercial, talks about the challenges facing radio in an interview with Bernardo Serrão on his podcast Geração 70. Making radio more digital is one of his goals, so that it doesn’t disappear over time, generations and its enormous purpose. That’s why today there are broadcasts that are recorded and made available on the YouTube channel.

What about the content?

“Deloitte’s Global Marketing Trends 2022 survey found that 94 per cent of consumers aged between 18 and 25 want companies to debate social problems and that 57 per cent of them are loyal to companies that care about these issues.” – Source: Meio e Mensagem

Brands like Airbnb invest more in branding than in performance ads, which are traditionally geared towards sales and leads. There’s no need to explain to Generation Z the difference between communicating features and communicating benefits, because they will always choose the second option.

How can you use the digital world to attract Generation Z?

Creating relevant content, being social and authentic.

To stay active, many luxury and value-added brands have activated their coolest sense by creating a TikTok account. With this strategy, these brands, such as Gucci, show that it is possible to use social networks in favour of the brand, never losing its voice, but changing it to a younger tone.

Known for its logo and slogan, Nike has accustomed us to its adverts against racism and in favor of inclusivity. With strong competition, it stands out in generation Z for using storytelling on its social networks, trying to inspire everyone, of all ages.

Find Your Greatness is the collection of various success stories, despite difficulties. And successes can be small victories, like getting started – just like the message that the slogan Just Do It wants to convey. Many marketing students use this brand for their final dissertations.

According to Sofia Alves, head of digital and data at Dentsu, generation Z is a “generation that demands a lot from brands and demands that brands don’t just say that they are something, but that they show it. It’s a generation that demands from brands what they commit to doing and what they say they are.”

Generation Z UGC

Inês Mendes da Silva, CEO of Notable, says that this is a generation that is looking for reviews, authenticity, transparency, and purpose.
Many brands have invested in certified review and opinion platforms. Portugal has already invested more than 20 million euros in influencers, according to a study by Primetag with H2H – Human To Human (H2H), an agency specializing in Influencer Marketing in Spain.

Generation Z has brought new concepts such as UGC – content generated by the consumer – which previous generations saw as omnichannel. Reviews, unboxings, videos, blog posts – anything can be done with brand content. All products are subject to various opinions and uses. A song isn’t just a song you listen to on Spotify: there’s a video on YouTube, there’s a launch teaser on Instagram, there are covers, there are snippets of lyrics in stories, there’s sharing the song in posts.

What forms of content are most consumed by Generation Z?

• Short videos: they should be less than a minute long and offer quick entertainment;
• Memes – images with humour are also attractive to generation Z. They can be used even for brands with a more serious voice, but there are opportunities to use a playful tone;
• Infographics – are visual and easy to interpret;
• Podcasts;
• Blog posts – informative and interesting, they are important for SEO and humanisation: they show that the brand has something to offer, more than the product it sells.

If your insto can put together an action (or interaction, engagement or connection) it will get the full attention of your generation Z audience:

• Polls: for generation Z, their opinion and the opinion of others is very important;
• Quizzes: there are always fun ways to learn;
• Lives – live content, but even better if it’s recorded;
• Stories: a brand’s positioning depends on its story. Generation Z wants to know the beginning, where the idea came from, what the purpose was, why that slogan was used and what the creative process was for that logo.

Brands that want to be relevant to this generation – and the next – will only succeed by investing in meaningful and strategic content. It’s increasingly difficult for a brand to leave a mark.