Generation Z | Generation Z Marketing

Kik has taking a Star Trek approach to its social media presence in that it is going where no other platform has gone before. They have managed to be the pioneering platforms for the generation that has come to be known as “Z”. According to George Beall a contributor and analyst for the Huffpost “Gen Zers consist of those born in 1995 or later. They make up 25.9% of the United States population, the largest percentage, and contribute $44 billion to the American economy. By 2020, they will account for one-third of the population, and are certainly worth paying attention to.”

In the world today we see that what consider to be relevant is continuously being reshaped, and that Gen Z are thriving in a world of continuous updates. They have learned to process an abundance of information faster than any of the generations that have come before them thanks to apps like Kik. On the down side their attention spans have meaningfully decreased compared to those of Millennials. Gen Zers may not be able to focus well, but they are great multi-taskers. Any one that has teenage children I am sure is aware of this fact by now. Just last week I observed my twelve year old daughter and niece watching TV, while also watching a DIY YouTube vid on their iPads, and at the same time they both were researching topics for science projects on their iPhones. My first thought was “what the hell” but after a little probing I found out that they were actually retaining the information that they were receiving from all three medians.

While there is an ever increasing amount of Gen Zers that are getting smartphones many of them only have prepaid services, and are only able to utilize their device with the help of Wi-Fi. Unlike many other social media platforms Kik can be accessed strictly through the use of Wi-Fi without using a data plan. This is one of the many ways that Kik is differentiating itself from the competition. Also, many Gen Zers aren’t at the age where the parents are allowing them to have social media accounts or to have constant communication with others through the normal audio and text message channels. Kik allows for safe communication between teens and those they want to contact without having to give out there phone numbers which in return keeps them off their parent’s radar.

Learn more about the differences between Millenials and Gen Z at: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-beall/8-key-differences-between_b_12814200.html https://www.forbes.com/sites/deeppatel/2017/09/21/8-ways-generation-z-will-differ-from-millennials-in-the-workplace/

One of the main challenges that has plagued marketers across the ages is predicting what channels will have the most reach to the up and coming generation. Over the years marketers have used word of mouth, posters, newspapers, magazines, radios, billboards, and many other creative and new ways to reach the masses and impress upon them. Undoubtedly the reigning champion of all times has been up to this point the all mighty television.

Through strategic marketing with the use of TV we have seen; presidential candidates become presidents, countries gain support for wars, films break records over and over again in the box office, and countless other extraordinary feats take place all across the globe. While it’s hard to imagine any other marketing median ever taking its place, television marketing is rapidly losing its footing to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. This is in conjunction with the average consumers increasing mobility through the use of smartphones and other technological advances in the communication world.

Marketing and advertising agencies all across the world have made billions in generated revenue by tapping into the ever growing social media world. Even the tech giants Google and Amazon have used many social media platforms to help promote their services. It would be foolish to even debate that anyone at this moment even comes close to the reach that Facebook has, but what we have seen time after time throughout history is that nothing last forever. The challenge for marketers is and will be for the foreseeable future is how we can improve our reach and impressions so that we can maximize our client’s investments?

In recent days we have seen many lose faith in Facebook and other social media platforms due to the mishandling of private information. There are some that think we are starting to see the dismemberment of Facebook due to new and stricter regulations that they are currently facing. The question marketers all across the world are asking themselves is what does the next wave of social media marketing look like. One thing that I have always stood by is the fact that our present has to align to where we are headed in the future.

Believe or not our future is already here and is in the hands of what some are calling Gen Z. Gen Z is learning from the privacy mistakes of Gen X and Gen Y and are on a calculated path to a more secure social media called Kik. Teenagers from across the world are deleting their Facebook accounts to gain more independence from the aging population that is Facebook and connecting through another median less known. What does this mean for the marketing community? and how do we take advantage of this little known but explosive platform?

See some reasons why brands are flocking to Kik here:

3 Reasons Why Brands Are Flocking to Chat App Kik

Generation Z Marketing

Marketing To A New Generation

Tag Archives: Generation Z

Is Kik The Social Media Marketers Answer For Gen Zers?