Editor's Choice

GUEST BLOG: The rise of the Generation Z consumer

By Business & Finance
05 January 2017
kids tech technology

By Anthony O’Brien, senior account executive, Yellow Machine

The time of the millennial is coming to a close, as a new generation rises to the top. Basically what this means is, if you didn’t get an iPhone for your Holy Communion, you’re not cool anymore.

‘Millennial’ has to be one of the buzziest buzzwords of the buzzword generation; marketers everywhere throw it around to define the cool factor for a brand.

If your product/service appeals to millennials then it must be fresh, current and aspirational. However, this is coming to a rapid end.

Enter, Generation Z. These are the latest grads coming for your job! Well, perhaps that’s a bit dramatic, but they are coming and they are full to the brim of techy know-how that is so ingrained in them that we quite simply cannot compete.

Millennials adapted to technology and embraced it as the exciting new thing. For Gen Z, technology isn’t something exciting that came along one day; it has always been part of their lives.

For communication professionals, this is already apparent with the amount of younger customers that can be reached through online channels and social media.

DEEPLY RESORCEFUL 

What defines Generation Z? Well according to The New York Times, if in 2016 you were 20-35 years old, you’re a millennial – anything under 20 and you fall in to the Gen Z category.

As millennials – especially in Ireland where most of us were born in to the glow of the Celtic Tiger and then experienced the shocking fall in to an incredibly deep recession – ours is a story of dashed dreams and shattered realities.

For Gen Z, technology isn’t something exciting that came along one day; it has always been part of their lives

However, Gen Z kids were born into that recession, and as a result cultural demographers expect them to be more cautious, more hard working and extremely resourceful.

Irish millennials have experienced life before and after the recession, which means we had to adapt to changing financial situations, an unforgiving job market and extremely altered expectations.

Perhaps they don’t know how to Snapchat from a drone with a GoPro strapped to our heads while we live stream the entire endeavour, but millenials do know how to pull up their socks and work very hard when the situation calls for it.

HOW NEWS IS CONSUMED

What we can expect from our future colleagues is that they will be more tech savvy than we are, simply by nature. They will also be more cautious when it comes to their digital footprint. They’ve seen millennials make mistakes online and ultimately damage their personal brands (insert dodgy Bebo profile picture) and Gen Z won’t make the same mistakes.

From a marketing/PR perspective, we’ll be seeing media consumption rapidly increase. Why? Because most Gen Z kids won’t pick up a newspaper or turn on the radio when they can watch a Snapchat update that condenses the news to a ten second video for their convenience. News is already consumed so quickly through Twitter and other means, and it’s only going to get faster.

… millenials do know how to pull up their socks and work very hard when the situation calls for it

Marketers need to adapt their strategies and look at how to connect with people who have never lived in a world without smartphones.

Shrewd professionals are already employing fresh tactics to achieve this, leaving no app or network untapped. Maintaining a brand presence across so many relevant platforms is no mean feat, but it is essential to achieve success.

Photo (main): Lucélia Ribeiro

About the blogger

anthony o'brien yellow machineAnthony O’Brien (28) is a senior account executive for Yellow Machine, a youth-targeted PR and social media agency.

Anthony holds a degree in Business in Entrepreneurship from IADT, as well as a HDip in PR and a HDip in Event Management, both from the PRII.

Within his role at Yellow Machine, Anthony works with clients such as Benetton, Gamestop, GamerCon, Therapie Clinic, The Exchequer and more. He covers all areas of PR, from corporate and technology, to consumer and lifestyle PR. Anthony is also particularly passionate about digital media relations and working with social influencers.

Follow Anthony on Instagram and Yellow Machine on Twitter.