SUMMARY
Gen Z is moving towards a healthier direction in terms of eating right and spending on beauty and personal hygiene products
Gen Alpha is expected to influence big purchases including expensive trips, gadgets, eating out and more
Brands will have to stick to unpretentious yet effective marketing while encouraging consumer loyalty in this generation
Children have moved far beyond the phase of Barbie dolls, video games or Play stations. Today’s kids demand gadgets, love to wear trendy clothes, stay groomed and are even born with Instagram handles. We are referring to Gen Z and Generation Alpha whose rising influence is urging the brands to rethink their marketing game.
Gen Z And Gen Alpha – Who Are They And How Do They Matter To Brands
Born between 1996 and 2010, Gen Z is today’s teenagers and young adults who are already in their early 20s. This means that the oldest members of this generation are either graduating or are just stepping into the workforce. Meanwhile, the Gen Alpha kids have their birth dates starting from 2010, which will go on till 2025. With the oldest member in this group just aged 9, it is quite obvious that a majority of this generation is wearing diapers, or are yet to be born.
Since both these generations have been exposed to technology all their lives, they have become the marketing’s newest power brokers. These kids are intensely aware of the socio-economic, political, and environmental problems that society faces today and likewise care deeply about the world they live in. Therefore, they choose brands that are environment-friendly and ethical.
But the role of technology in the lives of Gen Zs impacts far beyond the obvious and health and wellbeing is one such area that is getting a lot of attention from them. They are trying to lead a far healthier and sensible lifestyle than the youth of the past. But that does not mean they are compromising on their parties but rather moving towards the healthier direction in terms of eating right and spending on beauty and personal hygiene products. This reflects their holistic view of self-care. So, startups that can make the conscious decision to cater to Gen-Z’s healthful outlooks and beliefs will grow rapidly in 2020 and become the brands of tomorrow.
What Is Different About Gen Alpha?
Poised to be the most formally educated and wealthiest generation ever as per research released by Grant Thornton, Gen Alphas are expected to be included more in the conversations and influence many purchases including big expensive trips, gadgets, eating out and more. Since these kids barely watch TV, brand marketers are contemplating different ways to reach them.
They are tapping into a rising bunch of child influencers who have their own Instagram handles and YouTube channels with subscriber count hitting millions. After all, these Gen Alpha kids today have become some of the strongest promoters for brands, through influencer marketing. They are already advocating brands on social media before they can even walk.
10-year-old Anantya Anand from Noida has drawn more than 4.5 Mn subscribers to her lifestyle-based YouTube channel MyMissAnand. The tween has worked on sponsored videos with channels Disney and Nickelodeon, toymaker Mattel, and even Mc Donalds.
Like Anantya, there are many other 5-to 12-year-olds kids who belong to this new category of content creators — the kids’ influencers, featuring in videos and promoting brands on their Instagram pages. Their soaring presence across social media platforms gives them an edge that brands typically look for — impact on followers.
That said, for brand advertisers and marketers, Generation Alpha will be an easy target as they can be reached effortlessly through technology. However, it has been anticipated that this generation will seek more seamless experiences than any other previous generation when it comes to advertising and marketing. So, the brands will have to keep it unpretentious yet effective while encouraging consumer loyalty in them.
Both Generation Z and Gen Alpha are big opportunities for businesses to target, the latter is going to change the world forever. So, if brands haven’t already started thinking about how to attract and build loyalty with these groups, it’s time to start.
