In this session from Digital Summit Phoenix 2016 Laura explores what’s different about reaching digital natives (is anything different?!). Learn how brands can create impactful content that resonates with Generation Z--the next generation of consumers.
13. “…That means stuff they
could take a picture of,
because they all like to
share.”
-- Wyman Roberts, CEO
of Brinker International
Chili’s Is Art
Directing Your Buns.
25. Source: Deep Focus' 2015 Cassandra Report
More likely than older
millennials to prefer
advertising that does
not feature [traditional]
celebrities.
Digital Natives Are…
— in fact, a majority of them are leaders with decision-making power and direct reports. While executives have been fretting over the millennials, though, a new generation is growing up behind the scenes — Generation Z (born starting in the mid-90s to the early ’00s depending on whom you ask).
Millennials are considered one of the most powerful generations since the baby boomers — in fact, a majority of them are leaders with decision-making power and direct reports. While executives have been fretting over the millennials, though, a new generation is growing up behind the scenes — Generation Z (born starting in the mid-90s to the early ’00s depending on whom you ask).
Some of this is more about life stage than age cohort
A brand’s story is the most important aspect of communication with digital natives. We think in narratives all day long; Personal anecdotes and gossip make up the majority of our daily conversations.
We think in narratives all day long; Stats are not enough
A story is the only way to activate parts in the brain so that a listener turns the story into their own idea and experience. Humans are wired to listen to stories, love stories, and tell stories. A Harvard Business Review article explains that storytelling prompts the body to produce the neurochemical oxytocin. Oxytocin is the “feel-good” hormone; it also is released when people demonstrate trust or kindness toward one another. In one study, Berkeley scientists discovered that the body produces oxytocin when exposed to character-driven stories.
If your content can prompt the body to produce oxytocin, then you know you’ve done something right
Storytelling is a proven method of sharing emotion and knowledge.
Now, whenever we hear a story, we want to relate it to one of our existing experiences. They can't stand the idea of not being in the loop when something new and exciting comes out. the average Generation Z-er spends more than nine hours a day in front of a screen.
With digital natives you need to art direct everything. Chili's now places its french fries in stainless-steel containers, sits its burgers up higher on the plate and uses buns with more visual appeal.
Generation Z uses 5 screen phone, tablet, laptop, wearable, tv; 9 hours of screen time per day
Ephemeral content; They want it fast and furious and they care a lot less about things like typos.
The idea is that users can kind of tell a story about their entire day through Stories. It's supposed to be used to give friends a brief look at what interesting things a friend has done in the past 24 hours, no farther back in time than that.
But emoji are more than emotional punctuation. They add context, enable wordplay, insert nuance, and let you speak your mind while taking the edge off your message. They’re tone-of-voice for a medium that has no tone and no voice.
Think about emoji’s long term fate while also thinking about the all-emoji press release Chevrolet proudly shared on Monday.
It uses slang-infused captions referencing Internet memes and other pop culture touchstones sure to hit home with the under-30 crowd.
From an early age, Millennials witnessed firsthand what it takes to be agents of change and as a result, Go out of their way to buy products and services from businesses they know are helping to create a better world. 60% want to have an impact on the world, compared to 39% of Millennials.
Like to publicly associate themselves with these types of campaigns
The Brown Spider Monkey is one of 17 endangerered emoji. On Endangered Species Day, the WWF celebrated with a social media campaign to encourage people to save wild animals by making a microdonation every time they tweet emoji depicting giant pandas and other endangered species.
“The idea for the #EndangeredEmoji campaign was sparked by the discovery that 17 characters in the emoji alphabet represent endangered species. After signing up on a website, and retweeting the original image. With each tweet or post using an endangered emoji during the month you were prompted to voluntarily donate the equivalent of 11 cents per emoji.
Digitour; They connect with social media stars whose sole talent is often simply connecting with their audience; Youtubers and Viners and the financial ecosystem emerging to support them is reminiscent of Hollywood in the early 1900s. More kids can name online celebrities than they can traditional movie and music stars. To capture attention, advertising and content will require an entirely new approach.
This preference for relatability seems to be a major driver in Gen Z's desire consume marketing through YouTube, with 40% claiming that they prefer to engage with brands on the popular video platform. Gen Z is 85% more likely to visit YouTube than any other social media site.
Bethany Mota has made a name for herself by posting shopping hauls on her YouTube channel, giving millions of followers insight into her personal style and seriously cool—yet totally accessible—closet. Now instead of looking to Bethany for fashion inspiration, fans can cop the vlogger's look IRL thanks to her. She most recently teamed with Aeropostale, a teen apparel retailer that has been struggling to boost sales, on a bedroom décor collection.
Significant lift in store visits and online and offline sales
145% increase in YoY queries for Aéropostale's brand on YouTube, 24% YoY on Google
2.6M views, 19M impressions and an average CTR of 7.65% generated by Bethany Mota YouTube ad
Digital natives want to be collaborators not a target audience
Campaign skewed a little bit older but the concept is still right on par with what we’re talknig about here. They’re listening to their customers and giving consumers an opportunity to build with them. The campaign that won was a “Bartenders in residence” idea where guest bartenders went to various hotels
Prioritize Authenticity First with Digital Natives
Capturing their own Georgetown story; Highly relatable content without a “canned” feel; shared on social media and microsite; Share short-form video and photo content
Paid Georgetown undergraduate students
Authentic student experience
Stories shared across multiple platforms
Highly relatable content without a “canned” feel
Other students invited to participate using #GeorgetownStories