As the college class of ’24 launches their mortar boards into the air, they should be celebrating more than academic achievement. They navigated the social and educational perils of COVID 19 and came out of it with unrivaled economic success.
According to CNN, the unemployment rate for recent college grads ages of 21 to 24 has recovered more than 2.5 times faster than after the Great Recession of the late 2000s. Better still, fewer of them are underemployed compared to Gen Y, which bodes well for their economic success and the marketers who have goods and services to sell to them.
SOURCE: Economic Policy Institute
Gen Z from A to …uh… Z
Born between 1997 and 2012, Gen Z, along with the tail end of Gen Y, share some defining traits that should shape how we marketers approach them. Here are our top 5:
- Behold THE mobile tech generation: Gen Zers knew how to operate an iPad before they could recite the alphabet. Then, the pandemic forced them to socialize and communicate online. That’s why social/mobile and influencer marketing are a must if you want to break through.
- Diversity and inclusivity reigns: Gen Z values diversity and are more racially and ethnically diverse than the previous generations.
- A pragmatic and entrepreneurial spirit: During their formative years, Gen Z saw the world shut down by the pandemic. The security of big institutions faded away and the value of family and mental health were raised to a new level in their consciousness. They’re NOT snowflakes, they’re uniquely equipped to become independent and practical individuals.
- Socially aware: From “me too” to “black lives matter”, Gen Z was shaped by movements that defined American culture during their youth. As a result, they are known for social consciousness and activism around issues like climate change, social justice, and mental health.
- Short attention span: Keep your content short and snackable. Studies over the past 20 years show that the average time that we can focus on one thing has dropped from around 2½ minutes to around 45 seconds. You can probably cut that in half when considering Gen Z and in half again for marketing content.
That’s a lot to swallow as you develop a marketing strategy. But wait…there’s more! Like the generation before them, Gen Z values authenticity and transparency. They can see through your hype and will call you out all over social media for any amount of B.S. So above all, let’s be genuine and honest in our messaging to all generations, and we won’t have a problem.
