As a marketing agency, we’re guilty for preaching the importance of creating content for the younger generation as they’re often some of the most engaged. Not only that, but they’ll grow up with your brand, meaning that keeping Gen Z happy could also be like future-proofing your brand – if you have the right products and services, of course.

However, do we know who Generation Z is and what they stand for?

There are plenty of myths around on what Gen Z think, like, dislike, and how they spend their time – let's look into this a little further to make sure that while you’re thinking about Gen Z, they’re thinking about your brand.

How old is Gen Z in 2024?

For starters, one of the biggest misconceptions about Gen Z is that they’re all still children. Actually, people of the Gen Z generation were born between 1997-2012, meaning that as of 2024 they could be aged anywhere between 12 and 27. 

That means that depending on your brand, product, and services, you could be talking to significant different audiences even within the same generation. 

What do you need to know about Gen Z?

According to a study by Barna Group, there are a few important things to remember: 

1. Authenticity is key 

This applies to your brand and its messaging as much as it does the Gen Z audience, with people between 18-24 saying that they felt “held back from being able to authentically express who they are.”

What does this mean for you? Well, one way we express ourselves is through the purchases we make. By tapping into what makes your brand unique and welcoming, you may give your Gen Z audience a safe space to be themselves. 

2. They value offline connections 

Despite being labelled as “digital natives” for their upbringing alongside 21st-century technology – such as the omnipresent internet – Gen Z still value in-person relationships.

According to this study, 54% of Gen Z “strongly agree” that in-person relationships are more valuable than digital relationships and 30% “somewhat agree.” This may tie into the inauthenticity of many only brands or influencers, pushing Gen Z to strengthen their bonds in an offline space. 

Even so, 29% of those in the study either strongly or somewhat (41%) agreed that they have built a community of friends through online experiences.  

This shows that while there is still space for creating online communities, such as Facebook Groups or exclusive Instagram DMs for offers and news, there’s still value to promoting the physicality of hospitality spaces for togetherness and community. 

3. Focus on stability, personal happiness and health

Continuing the trend towards self-fulfillment and individuality, the most important things for Gen Z are being happy (65%), financially stable (53%), having good mental and emotional health (49%), and loving themselves (46%).  

As a result, content geared towards authentic positivity and self-care may perform well with Gen Z, as long as the intentions are pure, not simply sales. 

How do Gen Z spend their time online? 

According to Maze’s insights into Gen Z’s online habits, they are: 

• 80% of Gen Z spend most of their time on YouTube
• 75% of Gen Z are also regularly on Instagram
• 69% are spending time on TikTok, 63% on Snapchat
• Heavily involved in online trends and challenges
• Spending about 3 hours on social media a day

Gen Z consumer behaviour:

According to Talon. One, Gen Z as consumers are: 

• “Informed consumers” - they’re not afraid to take time to research options and check reviews before purchasing decisions.
• Less influenced by brand, more influenced by price – however, this can be countered by a brand’s ethics, sustainability, and corporate responsibility.
• Not afraid to purchase from a brand via a social media shopping platform, such as Instagram Shop or TikTok Shop.

While this is all good to know and make great stats for throwing into meetings and pitches to Gen Z brands, people aren’t so simple. Like most people, this generation is complex, diverse, and they don’t want to be stereotyped or put into a category. They are savvy shoppers, fashion-conscious individuals who are after authentic marketing and value the opinion of their peers (or followers).

With that in mind, how do we make sure we’re creating content for an audience that can be so different from each other and ourselves?

From one Gen Z to another…

At a MarketED Live talk, Timothy Armoo from Influencer agency, Fanbytes, spoke about his winning formula when it comes to advertising on Snapchat – known for its popularity within Gen Z.

This involves using the target audience to create and distribute the content. For example, a 17-year-old creating content specifically for an audience of 17-year-olds. It just makes sense. 17-year-olds understand other 17-year-olds – let’s tap into that.

Fanbytes delivered a campaign for Deezer, the streaming brand to target a 13 to 17-year-old demographic. They enlisted a 16-year-old to create an AR lens for the brand that users could interact with on Snapchat and share their own videos. In just 24 hours the videos received 1.1 million views and 46,000 people had used the lens in their Snapchat stories. 

Another example of recruiting younger minds to help create is Voxi, a mobile network owned by Vodaphone targeting people aged under 25. For the network’s launch the brand enlisted 50 young creatives to create the content for their social channels, meaning that young people were at the heart of the proposition, as opposed to the norm of a marketing team dictating what young people are interested in. The truth is that we just can’t always know. 

Summary

There’s so much information out there on who Generation Z are, and while there are a lot of interesting stats and insights, the most successful Gen Z-focused campaigns have enlisted the help of minds from the same generation to truly understand who they’re speaking to and create relevant and powerful messages. 

Got some Gen Z-ers on the team? Get them involved in your next Gen Z hospitality marketing strategy... or send us a message, obviously. 

Gen Z FAQs

Which generation comes after Gen Z?

The generation to follow Gen Z is Gen Alpha, including those born between 2010-2024. While Gen Z is somewhere between high school, higher education, and entering the workforce, Gen Alpha is somewhere between nappies and high school.

What are the characteristics of Gen Z?

Gen Z is also referred to as the generation of “digital natives.” This is because the internet – and all of its platforms and uses – have been present from the day they were born. As a result, they’re often highly proficient across multiple online platforms and are expected to drive technology forward even further. 

Ryan Noble

From Birmingham and London to the far reaches of Tokyo, our lead copywriter, Ryan, follows his love of words and language wherever it takes him.