How to reach Generation Z and other trends from Social Restart

This year, Social Restart once again reflected the news and trends from the world of social media. There was a lot this year, so if you are interested in an overview and quick tips, take a look at the report.

Insight into Generation Z

The excellent talk by Jiří Markvart was probably the most inspiring part of the whole event for me. His distinctive presentation style, radical advice and entertaining tips illustrated the main idea of intergenerational perception, on social media and beyond, perfectly. Jirka also shares one of the tips in the video. If you want to reach this generation, hire someone who comes from it.

Framing Generation Z

Generation Z is the demographic group of people born from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century. This generation follows Generation Y, also known as “millennials”. It is a generation that is starting to become more economically active, so mainstream brands, whose customer base still lies elsewhere, must also start paying attention to it.

Characteristic traits of this generation

• more liberal and open to new ideas
• very sensitive to advertising
• resistant to obvious advertising
• want to be entertained
• more sensitive
• engaged

How to communicate with Generation Z?

1. Quickly and in line with trends. TikTok is the dominant network for Generation Z, but it is not enough!

2. The mix should be more varied. Be agile, too. Did you try BeReal a year ago and find out it was going nowhere? Then just cut it.

3. Do not build a lovebrand. Gen Zers are much less loyal than previous generations. Instead of a lovebrand, create love-content and feel free to make fun of yourself and your mistakes (authenticity).

4. Engagement. You can already see it on the profiles of many global brands. Ecology, communities, human rights and so on. The image below shows how Nike’s approach to communication on Instagram has changed.

5. Gen Zers prefer authenticity to polished photos. They do not care about context or how it looks. Jirka illustrated this with the examples of Ryanair and McDonald’s in Poland. A beautifully coordinated feed is fun for millennials!

To put it simply, everything that worked for previous generations does not really entertain or engage Gen Zers. And there was much more!

Patrik Pilous

I am a marketing strategist and SEO consultant. I love the world of marketing, the internet and AI. I am at my best when planning business growth, setting and executing marketing strategy and optimising websites (SEO, GEO and, above all, sales).