With trends changing as quickly as the #FYP page on TikTok, how can you keep Gen Z’s
attention and support? How can you elevate your organization’s branding and digital comms
from “instagrammable” to actionable?
Be truthful. 45% of Gen Zers say a brand that appears trustworthy and transparent is a big
motivating factor for engagement. Sharing your brand’s real story and core values will
resonate more than traditional buy-this-product-type of advertising. Employ a human
component to your advertising and digital presence. Don’t just tell us about your core values.
Show us how your brand uses them consistently.
Be relatable. Members of Gen Z spend anywhere from 24 to 48 hours a month on TikTok. In
fact, 40% use TikTok instead of Google for searching. Meet “User Generated Content”…
your new best friend! We relate to the people using the product and want genuine reviews
with visibility of the business itself with an average person like us. Sometimes the job is
done for you but make sure to stay in touch with the lines of communications as
“influencers” can cause your brand to crumble just as fast as it can cause it to flourish.
Tap into the FOMO. 56% of social media users experience the “fear of missing out,” hence
the “impulse buy” is back! But it’s not as easy as it once was. Going from “instagrammable”
to actionable is more important than ever. Give Gen-Z an experience instead of just another
advertisement, such as using mobile transactions to allow them to “live in the moment.”
Gen Z is an insightful demographic. It has opened the door for a new set of expectations for the
brands from which we invest in. You must earn our trust, and we need to believe in the product
or organization as well as the purpose.
Only then will Gen-Z reward brands with their business and loyalty. We have some pretty high
expectations, but most can agree: it’s a change needed in the highly saturated market we live in
today.