The Future of Marketing: How Gen-Z is Shaping the Way We Connect with Consumers in 2023

With each new generation comes new trends, new things to follow a new ways to talk to each generation. And that's what we talk about here. But what is interesting about each of these new generations is how it shapes all marketing for all people forever. Today we're going to look at how Gen-Z is shaping the way that we advertise and connect with consumers across the board.

We've already talked about explicit authenticity, intentional values, but today we're going to talk about three different ways that Gen-Z is changing marketing across the board.

The first is based off of a Harvard Business Review done by Sarah Wilson and the concept that she calls a digital campfires. Essentially Gen-Z is less interested in these traditional social media methods, traditional advertising, traditional social media as a whole, and more interested in engaging with people engaging with like-minded individuals in online communities.

Above every generation, Gen-Z has met more friends online than any other generation before and that is no surprise to anyone. What they're looking for is community online. So in your marketing, you want your marketing to actually feel like a community.

You want it to feel like a conversation piece? Not a, “I am telling you this piece.” This simple mentality shift is changing what social media platforms are being used, the way that social media interactions take place, and even the way we read interactions on social media. Getting a view means next to nothing in the way that it did three years ago.

The second way Gen-Z is changing marketing is by Prioritizing social responsibility. Forbes Business Development did a study that showed the importance of social responsibility for Gen-Z.

Regardless of what it is that they're buying Gen-Z wants the businesses they buy from. To be socially responsible to be ethical. They care about that. They're not just caring about a product. The generations before Gen-Z and even the younger millennials didn't care quite so much about the practices that a business did as long as the product was good, but Gen-Z is changing that. And as brands we have to learn how to communicate differently in a way that highlights our values, and leans into social responsibilities in ways that we never had to do before.

Now the third way. is a desire for a Personalized communication. The Forbes Communication Council did a study that shows how important communication for Gen-Z is.

Brands that can create a relatable and authentic brand voice were shown in this study to be more likely to build long-term relationships with Gen-Z customers. This personal communication is a big deal.

Gen-Z has been marketed to since the day they were born. Google was created before they could open their eyes. they have seen every kind of marketing campaign that you can think of what they want is to feel personally valued. Not just by the world around them, but by the brands that they're buying from.

As brands we need to communicate to our audience directly, we can't just talk to everyone. We need to find a way to communicate with our target audience in a way that feels specific to them, that feels authentic to who they are, and authentic to who we are as a brand.

So as you're working up your marketing campaigns, keep in mind these three things that aren't just changing the way we market the Gen-Z, but is changing the way we have to market to everyone.

First find a way to make your marketing feel more community focused more discussion-based. Second lean into your social responsibility, the ethics, the values behind what you do. The third is to find ways to personally communicate with your audience with your target in a way that feels specific to who they are.

BY JOSHUA STANLEY
FOUNDER & CEO OF LIFESTYLED MEDIA