Marketing for the ad-adverse generation

The Future. In 2022, Gen Z replaced millennials as the cultural force driving popular trends, leading marketers to revise their creative strategies to accommodate the younger generation. Advertisers are investing more money in TikTok — where Gen Z spends the most time online — and capitalizing on Zoomers’ inclination toward authenticity, self-expression, and mindfulness. 2023 may be the year when playing it safe in marketing becomes less lucrative than making bold moves.

New year, new angle
More than half of Gen Zers report that social media is an integral part of their daily lives, according to Digiday, and marketers are taking notice.

• Gen Z would rather participate in social media — recreating popular dance moves, for example — than just liking and commenting on posts.
• Zoomers want to become their own creators and run their own businesses without corporate backing, as they feel more empowered when they see themselves in digital marketing materials.
• TikTok has changed the younger generation’s social media habits, from finding stuff they already like to learning things they don’t know. It’s also helped Zoomers stay true to their values, including sustainability, which appears in trends like shopping second-hand and buying locally.

Know your audience
If you’re talking to everyone, you’re talking to no one.

Marketing often flops when advertisers don’t have a plan and overthink one area while overlooking others. Or they communicate too much information that overwhelms the consumer.

Advertising that can successfully draw in Gen Zers should empower the younger generation to clearly understand themselves and the products and services in front of them, so they can make the best choices possible.

They’re in this for the long haul.