how to connect with gen-z through marketing.
As a member of Gen-Z and a marketing professional, I know from both a personal preference and a strategic perspective how businesses would be best-placed targeting Gen-Z.
With so many marketing tactics to choose from and trends constantly changing, holding our interest and finding ways to connect with us is even more challenging than ever before. On the weekends I spend my time shopping (probably a bit too much), going out to eat with my friends and family and watching runway shows on YouTube. I would say that I see a lot of advertisements and campaigns, and the ones that catch my eye, I tend to remember clearly and usually act on them by googling the brand or company and learning more. It's also fair to say that most ads I see or that target me, I don't bat an eye to as they’re boring and dull or I just don't understand them.
To all the business owners and marketing teams out there, here is how to target an 18-year-old girl - living in London from an 18-year-old girl - living in London:
/ Social media
Hello!!! If your business is not on social media, get moving and create those accounts. What's stopping you? If you want to get my attention, get yourself on Instagram, Tik-Tok, and Pinterest. Those are my most used social media networks. I use Instagram to keep up with my family and friends, Tik-Tok purely to laugh and to find new products and I use Pinterest to build mood boards and gain inspiration.
/ Magazines
I am an avid magazine reader, I read vogue religiously and enjoy looking at their feature pages for new brands and products. I still read printed magazines, but a lot of my friends have digital subscription’s. Vogue has a big say in what succeeds and fails in the fashion world and being one of the world's most prominent fashion magazines, it has heavily influenced the development of the fashion magazine industry and continues to shape modern fashion trends. If you are a fashion brand and want my attention, get yourself in there!
/ Discount Leaflets
As I mentioned earlier, I shop a lot. I mainly shop online and one of the key marketing initiatives that always gets me is when I get leaflets with discounts from my favorite brands within my parcels. If they are from a brand, I'm unaware of, it will tempt me to go have a snoop at their website and see what there is.
/ Streaming Apps
I love a bit of TV. A new series or movie and of course YouTube! Advertising or getting yourself mentioned by a YouTuber who is in your niche or shares your target market is gold (influencer marketing). I think it's clever and it always gets my attention because someone whom I enjoy watching is speaking about a product or service that I may have never heard of before, it also seems far more authentic than ads from the brand itself.
