Generation Z to determine companies’ competitiveness in 2017
Gaining rapid understanding of the needs, aspirations and behaviours of Generation Z, also called post-millennials, has become a strong factor for organisations who want to remain competitive in 2017, Kantar Millward Brown, a global research agency involved in growing brands, has said.
In Nigeria, Generation Z, classified as those between 15 and 35 years, are about 70 percent of the about 170 million population, according to Kantar, has become critical in marketing strategies.
In its annual digital and media predictions for 2017, Kantar say marketers will need to develop creative content that appeals to the imagination and emotions of the Gen Z consumer, if the marketers want to be accepted by this key group. Kantar estimates this group to number about 2 billion people worldwide – approximately 27 percent of the world’s population born between 1997 and 2011.
“Gen Z will not only change how brands communicate but also create challenges in how brands demonstrate authenticity and transparency in digital,” Duncan Southgate, global brand director, Media & Digital at Kantar Millward Brown, notes in the prediction statement.
He further says “strategies that are likely to be successful include investment in digital platforms that allows consumers to co-create a shared brand experience; Gen Z will be hands on – they want to try it, take it apart and re-create it.”
Brands will have to be more open, share their story, their purpose and details of their production processes to allow Gen Z to determine if the brand’s values match their own.
The document also advised that marketers will have to move away from their current focus on the linear, factual and linguistic in favour of digital content that appeals to the imagination via technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR); immersive formats that allow for stronger visual imagery. Gen Z will also respond to emotional, musical narratives, creating new opportunities for creativity that appeals to all of people’s senses.
Southgate further added: “This will require a new approach to branded content. With the landscape ripe for new creativity, marketers will need to closely monitor which formats GenZ and other consumers find annoying and intrusive, particularly on their first screen, mobile.
“Alongside this new form of content, marketers also need to deliver a seamless brand experience across all touch points. Gen Z have grown up in a connected world and are impatient towards disjointed online/offline models that are older than they are – and this group will not adapt.”
Making all this happen, Kantar says requires a single view of the consumer and a consistent brand experience, something that will require new ideas and considerable time and investment. “For many established brands, this will require years of focus on structure and data management. In 2017, the goal should be to focus on tone of voice and delivering a consistent brand experience across touch points that have the most impact and influence
The Kantar prediction also cautioned organizations to balance targeting and intrusion. “In 2017, marketers will focus on finding the right balance between programmatic targeting and what consumers feel is an intrusive level of messaging. Advertisers and their agencies will use a greater mix of audience targeting data based on brand affinity, interests and the appropriate demographics.
Kantar Millward Brown expects to see a shift away from simplistic blunt-instrument targeting based on a single input – be it behaviour (websites visited, items in a shopping cart), demographics, or stand-alone brand affinity.
“Every year brings new challenges but the emergence of Gen Z puts the focus on a new generation of consumers who are different to their predecessors. Vast in number and mobile first, they have come of age in the wake of the global financial crisis and will make new demands of brands that want to earn a place in their lives. Understanding the nuances of Gen Z should be a priority for marketers as they work out how their communications and the tools that power them will need to adapt in the years ahead,” Southgate says.