Look out. Here comes Generation Z. Are you ready?
Sure, you’ve heard of baby boomers, of Gen X and of Generation Y, but what about the youngest of consumers: GENERATION Z? Comprised of youngsters born after 1 April 2006, GENERATION Z is both the most promising and the most ignored target audience in developed consumer societies. Even dedicated youth-marketing agencies prefer to focus on the (by now tired) 3–5 year old demographic (also known as GEN Y+), as their spending power, brand loyalty and influence on household’s purchasing decisions is roughly five times that of GENERATION Z. But don’t kid yourself: GENERATION Z is a marketer’s wildest fantasy waiting to happen.
First of all, no generation in the history of mankind can be made to embrace brands with such eagerness by exposing them to specific brand benefits. Consider this research nugget: a Swiss study has found that when sufficiently exposed to child-friendly brand jingles, tunes and spoken messages during pregnancy, up to 77% of all newborns not only recognize these brand markers, but develop a brand preference that could last until puberty, and probably into adulthood (final results are not yet available as the project only started two years ago). Furthermore, an astounding 23% of infant participants could indicate at least 9 out of 12 favorite brands using rudimentary hand signals. Who said innovation is dead?