What's Next for 2015? SME 5 Ways to Build Your Brand for Gen Z (An Exploration)

1. SME Inc.
O 212.924.5700
F 646.439.9071
www.smebranding.com
Zach Kelly, VP Brand Strategy
Zkelly@smebranding.com
WHAT’S NEXT FOR 2015?
5 WAYS TO BUILD YOUR BRAND FOR
GENERATION Z
AUGUST, 2014

2. 2
It is to be noted, by us and also TrendWatching.com, that: “With
aspiration becoming increasingly globalized and age-agnostic
demographic segments are becoming less meaningful predictors of
consumption patterns.”
Always, “Think Adaptation”
TrendWatching - http://trendwatching.com/

3. WHO ARE GENERATION Z?
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4. 4
Move over Millennials, we’re here to stay!
THE LARGEST GENERATIONAL GROUP IN THE U.S.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 (via Mintel 2014)

5. UNDERSTANDING YOUR AUDIENCE
• Born between 1995-2009
• Make up a quarter of the American population
• Are eager to build a better planet
• Are always connected through mobile, digital and social mediums
• Want anonymous and unrestricted communication
• Love to curate their own content
• Are economically and environmentally conscious
• Hold little to no defined brand loyalty
• Are influenced by social and digital personalities rather than traditional
media celebrities
Generation Z…
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6. Compared to 39% of Millennials, 60% of Gen-Z are active volunteers
who want to have an impact on the world
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Source: Creative Artists Agency & Intern Sushi, 2014; U.S. Department of Labor, 2013,

7. Outside of school, Generation Z spends 41% of their time with
computers or mobile devices
And 66% of kids 6-11 say online gaming is their main source of
entertainment
http://www.sparksandhoney.com/
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Flickr Creative Commons
Source: Mintel, Activities of Teens and Kids 2013, Entertainment software association 2013

8. Generation Z creates anonymous and secretive content through
apps like Secret, Whisper, Yik Yak and Snapchat
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Sources – http://www.bloombergview.com/
http://www.sparksandhoney.com/
http://Digiday.com

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Content curation and the ability to build customized, playlists,
selections of videos and edited / remixed tracks hold great appeal
for Gen Z

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57% of Generation Z would rather save their money than spend it
http://www.sparksandhoney.com/
And over 76% are concerned about the harmful impact humans have
on the environment
Source: Unilever Project Sunlights How Children Inspire Sustainable Behavior
in Adults, August 2013; JWT Intelligence
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via vox.com; Cassandra
Report: WebMD (CDC Survey 2014)

11. For Gen Z, product quality is more important than brand loyalty and
they want to test products (either physically or virtually) before
making a purchase
11
http://www.forbes.com/
Source: http://businessinsider.com
http://mwpartners.com/
http://www.piperjaffray.com/

12. A recent survey from Variety
Magazine states that YouTube
stars are more popular than
mainstream celebs among
Generation Z
12
http://www.forbes.com/
Infographic & Study - http://www.variety.com/

13. HOW TO BUILD YOUR BRAND TO
REACH THEM?
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14. Communicate Through Bold Visual and Digital Content
Interact and Engage Across Multiple Brand Platforms
Immediately Capture Their Attention
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3
Engage Their Entrepreneurial Spirit4
Embrace Change5
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15. 1 COMMUNICATE THROUGH BOLD
VISUAL AND DIGITAL CONTENT
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16. And they prefer to communicate in images, emojis, GIFs and Memes
because it’s faster and more intuitive
The majority of Generation Z are connected within an hour of waking
up every morning
http://www.sparksandhoney.com/
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Source: Pew Research, 2012

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Because Generation Z is accustomed to rapid communication,
instant gratification prevails
Source: Pew Research, 2012

18. 2 INTERACT AND ENGAGE ACROSS
MULTIPLE BRAND PLATFORMS
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19. Generation Z multitasks across at least five screens: TV, phone,
laptop, desktop and tablet… plus their wearable tech companion
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Source: JWT Intelligence

20. We must create an immersive brand experience that continuously
engages Gen Z across all platforms
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21. 3 IMMEDIATELY CAPTURE THEIR
ATTENTION
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22. Generation Z has an 8-second attention span
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So content should be in short, easily digestible, attention grabbing
snippets
Disney Pixar
Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S.
National Library of Medicine, The Associated Press

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Create platform specific content across Twitter, Vine, Instagram,
Snapchat, YouTube and other digital channels to engage your audience

24. 4 ENGAGE THEIR
ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
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25. 72% of high school students want to start a business someday and 61%
would rather be an entrepreneur than an employee
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http://www.sparksandhoney.com/
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Source: Millennial Branding and Internship.com, 2014, Mintel 2014

26. 26Image: http://nytimes.com
Generation Z wants to have their opinion heard.
Create a social brand dialogue that includes them in the conversation

27. 5 EMBRACE CHANGE
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Generation Z is growing up in a constantly evolving world – they expect
and are ready to embrace change

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Thus, the gap between early tech, product and trend adopters and the
general public is shrink rapidly. It’s crucial to be on the verge.

30. BUILD YOUR BRAND FOR GEN Z
WITH SME
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SME Inc.
O 212.924.5700
F 646.439.9071
www.smebranding.com
Zach Kelly, VP Brand Strategy
Zkelly@smebranding.com
Your brand must be ready!

31. SOURCES
Bloomberg View: http://www.bloombergview.com
Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com
DigiDay: http://digiday.com
Fast Company: http://www.fastcompany.com
Forbes: http://www.forbes.com
MaClean’s: http://www.macleans.ca
Sparks & Honey: http://www.sparksandhoney.com
New York Times: http://nytimes.com
Variety: http://variety.com
U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 (via Mintel 2014)
National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, e
Associated Press
Mintel, activities of teens and kids 2013, entertainment software association 2013
JWT Intelligence
Pew Research, 2012
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