Advertising in 2023: Keeping up with Generation Z

When you start thinking about "kids these days," you've reached a certain age. Not only older generations, but also brands, have been thinking this for quite some time. Keeping up with the younger generation is becoming an urgent requirement for marketers.

And with more kids entering the workforce these days, having high discretionary income and a stronger say in how things are run, through both wallet and voice, Industry: the brands, their curators and creators, agencies and reporters, products and services, must all listen or fail the....

"Money is a means to an end for Gen Z," says Shashank Rawat, AVP, Strategy, Digitas India, adding, "When it comes to legacy brands, they need to learn how to pivot faster on their strategies as they'll be in conversation with an audience that isn't here for a full course meal but a quick delicious snack."

"Are you offering them with innovation, as the beauty D2C category does, or are you teaching them about a necessity in their own language, as neo banks (fi and simpl) do?" Rawat asks, emphasizing the importance of what marketers do to engage Gen Z rather than how they do it.

Legacy brands, in particular, have already defined their ethos or what they stand for. As consumers, Generation Z is still figuring out who they are and what they stand for. Because of their adventurous nature, they are less loyal to brands and more loyal to philosophies. As a result, Ashish Tambe, ECD, Kinnect, believes that businesses (particularly legacy brands) must assess if the "who" and "what" they stand for are still relevant in today's world and be willing to evolve.

"When a company speaks their language, shares their ideals and is not a snowflake (Gen Z word for walking the talk), it may have an edge on a competitor which sells products at the same price point. As a result, the core lesson for organizations trying to reach Gen Z is to make branding communication an integral aspect of their marketing plan," he adds.

This entails providing products and services that speak to a generation raised in a world of talk radio and visual television. Generations Z, Alpha, and beyond have been exposed to a diverse, yet organically connected, social and media landscape since the moment they become object permanence, and they are searching for something important, unique, but equal. That means it's time for brands to…

Brighten up

"Transparency and realness are crucial components in creating a connection for a super autonomous, super charged, and super connected youth. "Brands will have to figure out how to convey the same story in a different way: a fresh visual treatment, a new narrative with faces that are as approachable and meaningful to people," says Priyanshi Shah, FoxyMoron's Creative Director-West (Zoo Media).

She believes that marketers should consider the sensory delight they can provide - multi-touchpoints and something that bridges the offline and online worlds. "Nostalgia as a theme may be brilliantly explored by companies, given that aesthetics, fashion trends, and styles are all the rage and here to stay. "Cool-aborations with a lot more relevant, younger, insurgent brand may actually help raise a legacy brand's engagement with Gen Z," she says.

Additionally, Raghav Bagai, co-founder of Sociowash, argues that Gen Z tend to care about the values of the firm just as much as their products; brands need to be conscious of imbibing essential principles like 'Diversity and being inclusive'.

"It is also crucial to understand that this generation is born on fast-based technology and it is critical to seize their short attention span. Companies may accomplish this by using images for storytelling, which work wonders when they are raw and straightforward. Digital natives, on the other hand, have a very short attention span that can be addressed with short-form video material," he argues.