Do you think you can do brands design and marketing with old minds and strategies? Um, No boomer!
With the eldest members of Generation Z graduating and entering the workforce, more and more marketers are focusing on what appears to be a lucrative demographic. Traditional marketers are in for amazement, Gen-Z is very unrelated to any generation we’ve ever seen, even more than their neighboring, the Millennials.
The Gen Y, Millennials were the first to consume digital items in their current form. With the introduction of the Internet, millennials adapted to services, tastes, sharing, preferred brands, purchasing preferences, brands design, and so on via a digital platform. Whether it’s reserving movie tickets, ordering lunch, or paying taxes, digitization has made millennials’ lives simpler.
Who is Gen-Z?
Generation Z, also known as the iGeneration, Centennials, or Zoomers, is defined as everyone born in the late 90s, no official date exists, a typical cut-off point is 1997. They are largely teenagers, tweens, and youngsters right now, although the older ones are just finishing college and high school, signaling their entry into the profession.
What Is Digital World For Gen-Z?
The Internet and the digital world did not make life simpler for Generation Z. The digital world and its goods were not considered luxurious. They were born in a digital era where the Internet was a must. Gen Z communicates by experimenting and expressing themselves through social media and the digital environment. In contrast to the conventional sales approach of brick and mortar establishments and mom and pop businesses, this generation likes to buy and learn about companies online.
How Would Gen-Z Like To Deal With Brands?
Because of the enormous spending power and ability of this demographic, almost all brands and enterprises were forced to transfer to this digital platform to remain relevant. In the digital era, old tactics for branding, advertising, and sales have been completely flipped on their heads. The digital world is changing at a rapid rate, and companies must adapt to stay competitive. Physical sales channels are being supplanted by digital platforms. Advertisement methods such as flyers, print, and television are being shunned in favor of likes, comments, reviews, and feedback from current users on social media. A friend’s “like” on a product is more valuable than a phony smile-driven endorsement.
Few Tips Of Brands Design For Gen-Z
Technology was utilized in society before Gen Z, but it was never as pervasive in daily life as it is now. Consumption of services and commodities was primarily done offline. However, things have altered as a result of technological advancements.
Ongoing information
Generation Z has grown up with constant connectivity. This is a generation that learned the terms swiping, pinching, liking, and zooming before they could walk. They look for knowledge online rather than relying on someone or something for education, enjoyment, or anything else. A brand that wishes to appeal to this generation must have an ongoing presence that provides information about itself to Gen Zers.
Patience is not a virtue for this age since there are so many things competing for their attention across numerous channels. If your brand is unable to disclose information about itself when requested, you are doomed. Designers must recognize that continual access to information is not a nice to have, but rather a must-have for Gen Zers’ attention. Create a design that is always accessible.
Keep the Flow
Social media is used by Generation Z to share their thoughts, ideas, and opinions. The differences like Geographical distances, genders, and location-based preferences no longer apply to the Gen Z lifestyle. What is fashionable in one region of the world is also a must-have in another. Traditional choices based on several characteristics are obsolete for this generation. When it comes to favorites, identity, likes, and dislikes, Gen Zers identify as fluid. Designers must reconsider old branding concepts depending on region, gender, and other aspects.
How to Interact with Generation Z
Traditional types of marketing, such as print media and television, are one method. A potential buyer is told about a product using text, music, anecdotes, and so on, and that’s all. A user establishes confidence in a product by using it and then rejecting or accepting it. Thanks to social media and other internet channels, feedback for a brand is available to a potential consumer even before he or she utilizes the product with Gen Zers. A recommendation from a family member is more valuable than one from a celebrity who promotes the brand. As a result, designers must constantly connect with Gen Zers and solicit their opinion.
Content
Because most branding is done through digital media, pixel-perfect graphics are a no-brainer. Relevant material should be used, along with bright, vivid colors, graphics, and iconography that reflect the brand’s design goal. Slow, sluggish, or delayed experiences will be quickly dismissed. Mobile-specific content that caters to varied screen sizes and resolutions is also required. In this day of information overload, the material should be loud enough to attract the attention of Gen Zers while remaining relevant.
True, fact-based tales
Brand’s design must be true and honest in this digital era when nothing is concealed from everyone and everything is visible online. When Gen Z hears corporate falsehoods, they can tell right away. They respect honesty and dependability above all else because they were born in an era of recession, religious strife, terrorism, fake news, and so on. As a result, they admire sincerity, honesty, and dependability. Brands and designers must present an uncovered face to the Gen Zer. Designers must demonstrate real-world use cases to engage with Gen Zers’ emotions.
More and more options!
Give them a lot of options. Period. Indeed, globalization has come. What is produced locally is available globally, and vice versa. Given their proclivity for consistency, Gen Zers are sticklers for what they want and want. As a result, if your brand does not provide customers with many alternatives, it will be rejected. Options that cater to their changing interests should be made available.
In a nutshell
Gen Z is a digital generation. In the digital world, this generation searches disseminates, shares, expresses, observes, objects, likes, and dislikes. Designers must reconsider old branding principles, methodologies, and approaches to fit into the mobile, tablet world, which is the dominant mode of consumption in the digital age.
