Get ready to shift your marketing strategy in 3…2…1…
Still figuring out how to market to Millennials? Don’t look now, but they’re nearly out of college—and Generation Z has just hit campus.
Who Is Generation Z?
Also known as the iGeneration, the post-Millennials were born between 1995 and 2015. They are the first generation to never know a day without the internet—and it shows. They are actually more comfortable socializing online than in person. They frequently surf on two screens simultaneously and 80% of them are hooked on social networks—especially Instagram and Snapchat, although livestreaming and co-creating media is also common. Most of them say social networks are where their “real” social lives are.
Gen Zers are also more stressed than any other generation. They live in constant fear of missing out, and they want everything they can get—right now. Post-Millennials are also constantly trying to manage their personal and professional brands—a phenomenon that is completely foreign to their parents—to fit in and stand out at the same time.
Why Gen Z Is Important
Generation Z makes up a whopping 25% of the U.S. population, and in less than five years they’ll comprise 40% of all consumers. That makes them the largest generation in U.S. history. They’ll have tremendous spending power, and they’re just beginning to enter the height of their disposable income years. Already, they earn $44 billion per year in allowance.
Gen Zers are much different from Millennials, and marketers will need to get up to speed quickly if they want to connect successfully with this new generation of consumers.
Snapshot of Gen Z
A few more facts about Generation Z:
- They worry about the economy.
- They’re more entrepreneurial than previous generations.
- They often multitask across as many as five screens.
- Their attention spans are 33% shorter today than in 2000—at 8 seconds on average. They consume media in bite-size chunks.
- They’re overly reliant on their devices to solve problems older generations can perform on their own.
- They’re global socializers.
Don’t treat Gen Zers like Millennials. They’re a different breed, with different goals, hopes, fears, and habits.
If you want to market successfully to the new generation of college students, you’ll need to have your finger on the pulse of Generation Z. That’s exactly what Go Commando does. We understand how to reach these new buyers and how they interact with media and brands.
Take the Next Step
- Get to know more about Gen Z—check out this fantastic SlideShare deck with a checklist for connecting with Gen Z.
- Want to understand today’s students now? Check out this case study to find out how to do campus market research.
- Ready to get better results with campus marketing? Contact us!
Image credit: Patrik Nygren via Flickr
