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At the 2016 BBFI Conference in Cape Cod, I attended a unique break-out session about Generation Z. Not sure what I should post because this was internal market research shared by some major companies. But I will share some stats and trends. The research looked forward to the next major generation – those age 0-24. They are called Generation Z.
Who is Gen Z?
Gen Z, children born after 1996, is a pragmatic and driven group that wants to succeed in a chaotic world while strongly expressing their individuality. Their core values include: success, happiness, equality, authenticity, loyalty, curiosity, courtesy, ambition, and passion.
69% say interracial couples are good for society. 57% say gay marriage is good for society.
Some startling statistics about this generation and technology. 68% of today’s teens will have jobs that don’t exist today with technology that is not invented. More teens have accessibility to cell phones than drinking water. Technology, data, and mobility drive all this.
Gen Z and Marketing
Many marketers try to capture market share by age 18 because most people make brand decisions by age 18. This becomes their brand preference for life. This should drive the church to reach these young people. Gen Z has $46 billion purchasing power while making average of $16 weekly allowance. Money comes from parents. More parents (64%) consider their kids first in every decision they make. And they are financially savvy and plugged into family finances. 64% are involved in family spending discussions. 59% are aware of household budget. Only 27% have no idea how much things cost.
Gen Z are very visual, in the moment, skeptical of advertising, more into friends perception of reality, love story telling rather than traditional advertising. It will be the most diverse generation in U.S. history. Truth, for them, is relevant, at the moment, and transient. They are a very vertical generation. Grace is either forgiveness or don’t judge me.
Gen Z and Technology
Key technology usage for Gen Z is iphone & youtube. 13-24 year olds have average of 5 devices per person. They check their iphone 46 times a day. For every second of delay in accessing a sight, 20% move on. Soon will be drone delivery & driverless car (an ethics knob to make decisions in case of an accident). They less into traditional sports, more into virtual sports. Facebook is out (average user is 39 year old woman). Snapchat, Tumbler, and Instagram or Vine are in. Youtube is king of information. Everything is visual – they use emoji’s.
72% prefer to communicate electronically. 46% are connected over 10 hours a day. 255 connect within 5 minutes of waking up. 46% say they don’t spend enough time with friends. 65% are concerned with privacy online.
Gen Z are self-empowered and self-confident because of instant access to answers. They are self-aware and driven. 83% believe they need to start preparing for the future. 72% of high school students want to start a business. Few risky behaviors (drinking, teen pregnancies, drugs, etc) due to instant access of consequences of these actions.
Some major take-aways
- Don’t condescend. Provide youth-oriented experiences but don’t talk to them like kids.
- Tell the whole story. Be transparent and complete.
- Speak their language. Embrace more visual communications & tap into the right influencers.
With all the change, what are Gen Z tethered to? Nothing. We should use all this information about this generation to attempt to make the bond between Christ and Gen Z. Like any quality company, the church should never change the product or who we are, but we need to change how we communicate.
What effective methods have you discovered to reach Gen Z?