“This whole generation is on the verge of disrupting all of our economic models.”
I’m a consumer who falls somewhere between baby millennials and geriatric Gen Zers, and after hearing Hootsuite CEO Irina Novoselsky talk about my generation, she gets it.
I’m sure being a millennial, so closer to Gen Z than the average CEO, helps her stay in tune with younger consumers, but I also think how intentional she is as a marketer. distinguished.
She even went so far as to speak with 500 Gen Zers to understand their spending and social media habits.
“What pushed me to do this was that I came across a statistic that 65% “Of all business decision-makers will be members of Generation Z or millennials starting next year,” says Novoselsky. “The fun fact is that 2024 was already the first year where there is more Generation Z in the workplace than baby boomers“.
Here’s what Novoselsky discovered:
1. Generation Z is a generation of contradictions.
“They grew up with a phone in their pocket but they don’t want it to talk, they don’t want it to be sold and they don’t want our push model today,” she explains.
And she’s right. My inbox is completeand I don’t like companies gaming my phone, so I’d rather find my next favorite lip liner-gloss combo on my own terms before giving my money to a brand.
Novoselsky says the current push model marketing approach is a little too aggressive for Gen Z consumers. All those emails I get when I abandon a cart or browse a few items? Yeah, I don’t read all that.
And Novoselsky says it’s pretty common among Gen Z.
She explains, “They complete 60% of their buying journey before actually interacting with the sales rep because they want to experience and evaluate their business on their own terms. »
Like when I was shopping for a new vinyl record player, I scoured the internet for TikToks, YouTube Shorts, Reddit forums, and blog posts detailing recommendations and features to look for before to decide to invest in the Fluance RT80.
2. Forget to talk to the manager; Gen Z wants to hear from your CEO.
When Gen Z is looking for a new brand, they’re not just interested in your latest flashy product. They want to know what your brand stands for, whether it holds significant positions online, and whether its values align with theirs.
Most importantly, they want to know what your leadership is all about.
“The majority of them won’t do business with a company whose CEO doesn’t post,” says Novoselsky.
Yes, it’s true. Your CEO can’t just be the person behind the scenes; they need to pull out their phone, open TikTok or Reels, and start talking directly to Gen Z consumers.
For example, Huda Beauty founder and CEO Huda Kattan appears in almost every Reel, TikTok, photo, or ad for the makeup company. She has also appeared on podcasts and collaborated with celebrities like Olivia Culpo and Kehlani.
She’s as much a content creator as she is a business owner and CEO.
She also talks a lot diversity and inclusion in the beauty industry and speaks out on important causes, which is crucial because a recent study shows that 58% of Generation Z consumers lose trust in a brand if it does not publicly address societal issues.
Kattan’s approach works. The company has annual sales of approximately $200 million and is valued at $1.2 billion.
So if you want to connect with Gen Z, tell your CEO it’s their time to shine.
3. Gen Z wants to hear from their peers, not your ads.
“And this peer review can come from social media platforms like Reddit, LinkedIn or Instagram. Or maybe it just comes from their own network,” says Novoselsky.
You don’t believe her? Well, here’s a statistic for you: a recent analysis found that Reddit appears 97.5% time in Google Search product review queries.
Novoselsky says Gen Z wants to know what their friends or community members are using, how they interact with the product, and whether it’s worth investing.
So I highly recommend building a community around your brand. Host Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), live events, or create platforms specifically for your audience to connect, share ideas, and talk about your brand.
One of my favorite examples actually comes from a former employer of mine, a TV station in Florida called First Coast News. To increase audiences for its weather segment, the station launched a Facebook group called First Coast Weather Watchers, where viewers could join and share photos and videos of local weather phenomena.
Members would give each other advice on how to prepare for upcoming hurricanes and tropical storms, and they would have real-time conversations with meteorologists to gather information about weather conditions impacting the region.
The community not only increased the segment’s ratings, but it also built trust between viewers and the station. So when a tropical storm arose, I would often see viewers on social media recommending their peers to join the Facebook group and tune into our channel.
4. Fundamentally, Generation Z will continue to disrupt marketing.
Novoselsky is excited about the future of marketing and the type of creativity that Gen Z consumers and marketers will bring.
“Any time you’re forced to do something innovative and think outside the box, it just challenges you to think differently,” she says. “This whole generation is on the verge of disrupting all of our economic models. »
And part of thinking outside the box means finding new ways to show up organically to your target audience.
Novoselsky says marketers should ask themselves, “How do you create this environment where you can present yourself authentically and organically and let this generation actually do their own research and diligence instead of having this push model?”
“Generation Z really wants to be in control,” she explains. “It starts with giving them data where they want to read it and creating that two-way dialogue.”
Fenty Beauty nails this approach.
Gen Zers are flocking to TikTok in droves, and one of the app’s most popular features is its filters. So what did Fenty Beauty do? The brand created its own filter on the app that allows users to virtually try on different lipstick and liner combinations. Then, if users like what they see, they can purchase the products through TikTok Shop or search for the products on Fenty’s website.
The company reached their target demographic where they are (TikTok) and created a fun filter that gave consumers the power to decide for themselves if they liked the product. Then they made it easy to purchase the product in the app.
Regardless of your target demographic, Novoselsky has plenty of wisdom that you can apply to your own marketing strategy. Consumers, the way they shop, and the way they interact with brands are changing, so you need to be willing to think outside the box and adapt.
For example, 84% of marketers say the video helped increase traffic to their website.
That’s why I went beyond the usual writing to launch HubSpot’s video blog program. In this program, writers create short-form video content to accompany blog posts and give their content a second life on video sharing platforms like Reels and YouTube Shorts.
So take a page from Novoselsky’s book and break out of the traditional marketing mold. It’s time to welcome Generation Z.
