The challenges of creating campaigns for Gen Z

Gen Z is the most digital-savvy and influential generation of all time. Growing up in a fully digital world, they are the most aware and conscious customers, making brands work hard to match their interests. With their unique characteristics, preferences and values, Gen Z is proving to be a force to be reckoned with in the marketplace. In a panel discussion at the recently held e4m India Brand Conclave, industry leaders came together to discuss the challenges they face while persuading and creating marketing campaigns to attract Gen Z. 

The panellists were Charuta Ambardekar Saoji, Loreal Paris, Pradnya Somesh Popade, Head - of Marketing Communications, Samsonite South Asia Private Ltd., Ravi Makwana, Chief Marketing Officer – India, Tim Hortons, Sanjana Narang, Head of Brand, Traya, And Tushar Malhotra, Head of Marketing, Bisleri International. Rajni Daswani, Director of Digital Marketing, Socheers, moderated the panel amazingly.

The moderator, Rajni Daswani, initiated the discussion with her first question, How does Gen Z differ from millennials, boomers, and all of us sitting on the stage in terms of values and priorities?

In this respect, Pradnya highlighted, "I would like to call out the three things about Gen Z. First is that they are digital natives, so they are much ahead and savvy than millennials. Number two is that they are the silent generation because they are discovering, learning, and revalidating. They are on social media platforms making judgments. The third thing is that they just don't have patience."

Moreover, discussing Gen Z's purchasing decisions, she expressed that there are difficulties in predicting them and commended the approach of trying multiple strategies to reach them effectively.

After this, Rajni turned to Sanjana to learn her thoughts on some common misconceptions about Gen Z that brands should avoid.

Building on Pradnya's thoughts, she said, 'Sticking loyal to a brand, I've found that to be untrue. Gen Z is just very value-conscious. They're constantly seeing and evaluating your brand to check if you're giving them their money's worth or not. They'll switch if they don't get the right value".

After this, Tushar routed the conversation to share the role of Gen Z in transforming brand communication expectations.

"We are transforming the idea of drinking water from just hydration to fun- that hydration is cool and water is the OG beverage and you don't need anything else," Tushar added. He highlighted two elements, exercise and water, saying that he is working to transform the significance of hydration and extending it beyond merely quenching thirst.

Advancing the discussion, Rajni posed an open question to Charuta and Ravi, inquiring about the primary obstacles they face in connecting with Gen Z.

Charuta addressed the question, expressing, "I believe this generation has been raised with a high level of awareness and acceptance, presenting both challenges and opportunities. When I mention awareness, it's because they are globally connected, staying ahead of beauty trends even before we can tap into them. They're familiar with the 20-step Korean skincare routine before we launch any products. Consequently, they consistently keep us on our toes, requiring constant reinvention in innovations, new product launches, and the claims we make about our products."

Adding more insights into the challenges, Ravi, representing a Gen Z-friendly brand like Tim Hortons, contributed." I think the challenge and opportunity is that they are brutally honest and authentic. As a brand, you can't bluff around them, which also pushes the boundaries for the brand. They are conscious of every label, every calorie they are having, and every interaction they are having, and that has to be brutally honest."

Wrapping up the discussion, Rajni summarized, "A crucial takeaway of this discussion is that Gen Z desires to be co-creators. We need to involve them and make them feel an integral part of the process, be it in creating change or addressing sustainability, including measures to reduce the carbon footprint, and more."