The right way to Goal Technology Z by means of Paid Advertisements
As the oldest Gen Zers reach the age at which they can make their own purchasing decisions, you have a whole new audience to target with your paid ads.
Search interest in Gen Z has increased so much that as of March 2021, the search for Generation Z has surpassed the search for baby boomers and millennials.
For your ads to be successful, you need to understand Gen Z demographics and characteristics so that you can tailor your campaign accordingly.
The ages of those considered Generation Z vary by source.
To add to the confusion, other terminology is also used to describe them. While the Gen Z name seems stuck, this generation of young consumers is sometimes referred to as zoomers, unlike baby boomers.
For this article, I'll use the Pew Research Center's definition, which categorizes anyone born as part of Gen Z from 1997 to 2012.
What is special about Generation Z?
Just as baby boomers were defined by the post-war world, Gen Zers have their own unique traits that are tied to the age they were born.
For starters, they are the first generation to grow up with access to technology all their life. In 1995, two years before the first zoomers were born, only 44.4 million people worldwide were using the Internet. By 2000, that number had risen to 413 million, before doubling roughly every five years by 2015.
The oldest Gen Zers turned 10 in 2007, the year Apple launched its first iPhone. They almost always had access to social media, and the first social platforms started taking off in the mid-1990s.
Generation Z isn't just unique because they're digital natives.
You are the most diverse generation in history. Only 52 percent of US Gen Zers are white, and nearly a quarter have at least one immigrant parent (compared to one in seven millennials).
Additionally, despite the rising cost of tuition, Gen Z is better educated than previous generations. Of 18- to 21-year-olds who weren't in high school in 2018, 57 percent were in college, compared with 52 percent of Millennials in 2003 and 43 percent of Gen Xers in 1987.
They may also be less likely to work in their teens and early 20s because of their educational achievements:
- Only 18 percent of Gen Zers ages 15-17 were employed in 2018, compared to 27 percent of Millennials in 2002 and 41 percent of Gen Xers in 1986
- 62 percent of adult Gen Zers between the ages of 18 and 22 were employed in 2018, compared to 71 percent of millennials and 79 percent of Gen Xers of the same age
Why You Should Use Paid Ads for Target Generation Z
They may be young, but Generation Z is already having an impact on our economy. In the US alone, they spend an estimated $ 44 billion a year. When they factor in their impact on all household spending, their annual economic impact rises to a staggering $ 600 billion.
So you should target them through ads, right?
Not necessarily. Generation Z is not the best target group for every brand.
For example, they don't seem to like alcohol as much as older generations. Only 15 percent of Gen Zers of drinking age say they drink at least once a week, compared to 28 percent of millennials and 36 percent of baby boomers.
They also watch less television. They watch more than 30 minutes less television per day and watch no more television online than the average internet user.
While they may not make a fantastic audience for brands in alcohol or television, there are definitely some things Generation Zers enjoy.
For example, they love to play. In fact, two-thirds of Generation Z men describe gaming as a core part of their personal identity.
In general, they have very different ideas about “consumption” than previous generations. For them, buying simply means having access to a product or service, not necessarily owning it.
Or, as the consulting firm McKinsey puts it:
As access becomes the new form of consumption, unrestricted access to goods and services (such as car services, video streaming, and subscriptions) creates value. Products become services, and services connect consumers.
At this point I am assuming that your brand is relevant to Gen Z and that you would like to reach out to them.
With that in mind, a word of warning: Gen Z advertising is a double-edged sword.
They received their first smartphone when they were 10.3 years old and spend an average of three hours a day on their mobile devices. As a result, many Gen Z ads are depleted. They use ad blockers 12 percent more often than the average. 49 percent say they have too many ads on the internet.
However, because of their buying habits, they are extremely receptive to seeing the right type of ads.
To start with, 44 percent describe social media as a popular source of product inspiration, while 69 percent want to shop directly through social media. In addition, they are more likely than Millennials to make impulse purchases.
Strategies for generating goals Z through paid ads
It boils down to this: if you target Gen Z with the right products, they may be more likely to buy them in-store or through social commerce (if you sell them). With that in mind, in this section I'll cover how you can effectively address them.
First, a quick disclaimer: you should only contact the oldest Gen Z members. Just as a millennial born in the early 1980s may not have much in common with a man born in the mid-90s, there are likely big differences between the two young and (comparatively) old Gen Zers.
These strategies are relevant to reaching young adults right now, but the trends will change as the youngest zoomers come of age.
Show diversity in your paid ads for Generation Z.
I've already established that Gen Z is the most diverse US generation of all time. Zoomers recognize this and are committed to it. 71 percent would like more diversity in advertising.
While they respond positively to authentic, genuine expressions of diversity, they instantly see a way to sell a product through ads that snap to it. A respondent to a Facebook survey said: "It has to be authentic diversity, not just the brand image."
For example, let's say you're in fashion e-commerce. Make sure you use different models and messages, but don't use Black History Month or International Women's Day to promote your latest Flash sale.
Treat Gen Z as adults in paid ads
Generation Z hates being patronized.
This should be obvious – we were all teenagers after all. Yet so many articles on Marketing to Gen Z talk about how to have a goldfish's attention span.
This is not only wrong, but also extremely patronizing. This suggests that Gen Z is so obsessed with their phones or playing Fortnite that they just can't focus on your brilliant ads.
In reality, zoomers remember ads better than Millennials or Gen Xers, especially for skippable ads that are less than two seconds long.
They are also the most educated generation in history and more familiar with technology than their parents. If you don't give them the recognition they deserve, don't expect them to buy from you.
Create Paid Ads for Multiple Social Channels to Reach Generation Z
Zoomers were raised on a social media diet. Facebook is older than many Gen Zers, so it's not surprising that they are bored.
That doesn't mean they don't use Facebook at all. A third check it out daily. But they also check many other channels. One in nine uses TikTok every day, while one in ten is a Discord user every day.
The lesson here is simple: to target Gen Z effectively, you need to focus on a variety of platforms while keeping an eye on the “next big thing” on social media.
Comment on social justice issues in your Generation Z Paid Ads
You might think your online presence should be geared towards selling your product and building brand awareness.
Zoomers disagree.
Two-thirds say it is no longer acceptable for businesses to remain silent on social justice issues, while three-quarters say brands are more responsible than ever for promoting social justice.
Additionally, they are open to brands joining the conversations through the groups and communities they belong to.
That means you should include important issues like climate change and the Black Lives Matter movement in your news. However, don't just use it as a sales platform – it has to be real.
Showcase low price points in your paid ads that target Gen Z.
Gen Z is just getting into the workforce so they don't usually have a lot of money. In addition, they were particularly hard hit by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in terms of job retention.
As a result, the older end of the Gen Z spectrum is much more financially conscious. Because of this, targeted ads that demonstrate the affordability and value of your products can gain huge audiences.
Examples of paid ads for Generation Z.
Advertising for Generation Z can be a real minefield. Some advertisers get it right, but it's not surprising that many others don't. Here are two examples of ads that got spot on and two that missed the mark.
Good: just eat
Grocery delivery services saw strong sales growth during the coronavirus pandemic. However, given the competition from Uber and Deliveroo, UK-based delivery service Just Eat had to stand out from the rest.
His answer? A collaboration with the rapper Snoop Dogg!
A quick look at the Billboard Hot 100 shows that Gen Z loves to work together, and this ad is sure to have resonated, drawing nearly 13.5 million views on YouTube.
Take a look at the comments and you can see they are getting the kind of reaction you would normally expect from a "real" music video:
Bad: The British Army
Nobody likes to be stereotypical and Gen Z is no exception. Given that they make up more than a third of the world's population, it is understandable that they would want to be seen as individuals, not all in groups.
Even so, the British Army launched a recruiting campaign for young adults calling them “phone zombies” and “selfie addicts”.
That's a tough sell. If a brand insulted me, I wouldn't buy a pair of socks from them, let alone give up my life for them!
That said, 61 percent of Gen Zers consider themselves “citizens of the world,” suggesting that a career in the armed forces, regardless of advertising, is not for them anyway.
Good: ASOS
Fashion retailer ASOS has launched a whole series for Gen Z in which all clothing is animal-free, sustainable and gender-specific.
As part of this, the brand conducted a survey on Instagram Stories to ask if clothing should be gendered. Two thirds of the respondents insisted that this should not be the case.
This was effectively a double win. Not only did the campaign raise awareness of the Collusion line, it also proved that ASOS cares about the same issues as its audience and understands the importance of expressing your identity.
Bad: Thortful
Here's an ad on the / r / FellowKid subreddit devoted to naming and shaming horrific examples of Gen Z-focused marketing.
To be fair, Thortful does a lot of good advertising. It has a huge inventory of greeting cards, many of which are actually funny, but this ad is pretty bad objectively.
It smells like an advertiser desperately trying to associate their product with something that is popular with a young audience.
Even if the Fortnite bubble has not yet burst, interest in the online shooter game was at its peak in October 2019. Thortful missed the boat on this one.
Conclusion
The word "authenticity" is horribly overused in marketing, but it is vital to effective Gen Z targeting.
Remember, Gen Zers expect you to address social justice issues, and they want you to promote diversity. However, if you don't do this authentically, they'll run.
If topics like this aren't central to your branding, it's obvious that you are not practicing what you preach – and that will drive these young, savvy, and conscious consumers away. If you need help creating your Gen Z marketing strategy, reach out to our world class agency.
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