It's a Gen Z World: VideoSmart's Insight's Newsletter

We’re keeping you up to speed on all things Gen-Z and trending, with this month’s edition of our Insights Newsletter. 📰  

It’s a Gen Z world, and marketers are just living in it. 🌍 

News just in: Gen Z accounts for over 30% of the world’s population. 🤯📈 What’s more, they’re expected to reach 27% of the workforce by 2025.  

What does this mean for us marketers? Times have changed, and it’s time to adapt your marketing strategy to the consumers of today’s world. And we’ve got the toolkit to do just that... 

🧰 Your Gen Z Marketing toolkit: 

🔨 Don’t ditch IRL experiences for digital ones.  

Sure, Gen Zs love their time online. Social media is still the top platform to reach young consumers, now acting as an all-in-one hub for entertainment, shopping, learning and more. But despite being hooked by their screens, 74% of Gen Zs say they value real-life experiences over digital ones. 

Don’t underestimate the importance of crafting campaigns both online and offline to foster a connection with your audience that extends beyond the screen.  

🔦 Earn trust & be honest.  

70% of Gen Zs won't trust a brand until they’ve done some digging. And they can see straight through the lies too, as 56% believe that brands often lie to their audience.  

Make your impact on the research phase! ⚠ Light the way with informative content if you want to convert a prospect to a customer. Start by showcasing genuine testimonials or transparent product reviews to build credibility from the start. Transparency and authenticity not only build trust but also foster long-term brand loyalty and positive word-of-mouth recommendations, essential for sustained growth in a competitive market. That leads us on to our next point... 

🔧 Create a community.  

In today's marketing landscape, the winning formula for brands revolves around community building. 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦

Step 1: make your mark in the comments section.  

Many brands are winning over Gen Z by sprinkling their wit on viral posts. 👏🏼 Did you realise that the comment section is the new marketing space?  

Viral social media posts offer a guaranteed platform for visibility, and brands are capitalising on this opportunity. By injecting humour, insights, and value into relevant post comments, brands cultivate rapport and loyalty with their audience.

Step 2: Tap into micro-trends (but only if they align with your brand!).  

🤖 ChatGPT’s definition: A micro-trend is a small-scale trend that emerges within a specific context. They typically have a limited reach but can have a significant impact within their niche. (Key word = niche!) 

‘Girl math’, ‘Barbiecore’ and ‘Tomato girl summer’ were just some of the top micro-trends flooding TikTok feeds in 2023. These trends come and go fast, so brands need to act just as fast if they decide it’s a trend worth jumping on.  

The key question to ask before hopping on the micro-trend bandwagon is ‘does this trend align with my brand? And if the niche doesn’t fit, give it a miss. However, when executed the right way, there’s success to be had, as 61.7% of consumers appreciate when brands engage with micro-trends.

More on this next, as we dive into the phone case trend swooping the internet.  

Ready, set, react! 🟢 

Hailey Bieber is known for setting trends, and her skincare brand Rhode is no different. After the Rhode lip balm phone case went viral, it didn’t take long for brands to tap into the trend. 🤳🏻 

The brands that followed... 

Heinz UK 🍅  

Would you want a phone case that conveniently stores a mini packet of ketchup for when you’re on the go and in need of some sauce? Well, thousands of people did.  

Heinz UK ran a ketchup-holding phone case giveaway across their social media platforms, drawing in over 2,000 entries.  

The condiment industry couldn’t be further from skincare. Despite this, taking the risky leap into this trend seems to have paid off for Heinz.  

Porsche 🚗 

Did you fall for this one? 🃏 

Porsche pranked their followers with a genius car key storage solution in their reactive marketing campaign to the phone case hype.  

The caption: 

Just Porsche things. 🫶 
 
Phone, wallet, keys? Not anymore! With the Porsche Key Phone Case, there’s one less thing to think about when you’re rushing out the door. Combining fashion and functionality, this is the must-have accessory of the season. Don’t you agree, @haileybieber? 

The result:  

❤ 1 million Instagram likes 

👑 A comment from Hailey Bieber herself: “agreed ✨😉” 

This reactive marketing stunt received endless praise for both Porsche’s efforts and Hailey's trend-setting power. Did Heinz miss out on more views by not tagging or crediting Mrs Bieber in their campaign?  

We’re keeping an eye out for the next creative phone case invention. 👀 Who will be next? Or has the trend been and gone?  

From Lips to Sips 💋🍹 

The celebrity crowned the youngest self-made billionaire in 2019, has entered a new industry different from the one she is known for. 

Kylie Jenner debuted Sprinter in March, her latest venture into flavoured canned vodka sodas. 🌠 

Following in her sister Kendall’s footsteps by making a mark on the alcohol industry, we have our own theory for why Kylie moved from makeup and fashion to beverages.  

Consumers are tired of the same old celebrity beauty and fashion brands. Kylie Cosmetics sales dropped by 62% in 2019 and a further 20% in 2022. Even her recent clothing line, 'Khy', failed to cause a significant stir upon its launch at the end of 2023.

So, why the downfall? 📉 

🥱 Where’s the demand for yet another celebrity lipstick line? When Kylie Cosmetics launched in 2016, celebrity makeup brands were only just starting to arise. Now it’s an oversaturated market. 

📊 Changing trends. Heavy makeup looks that sent young girls wild in 2016 have died out in favour of more natural styles, and Kylie Cosmetics was all about overlining the lips.  

🤔 Conscious consumerism. Economic crises and growing awareness of hyper-consumption has made shoppers think twice before making an impulsive purchase, and celebrity status is no longer enough to compromise on quality.  

So, is Kylie’s latest sprint into the alcohol industry the shake-up consumers need? 🍾 Or are celebrity brands so last decade, no matter the product?  

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