From engagement to involvement: Is Gen Z rewriting rules of brand engagement?

• Generation Z, which includes people born between 1997-2012, is not just digital savvy, they are digital natives who are immersed in social media.
• They are a tweet away, catching up on the news developments and dance trends on Instagram, with an attention span of a gnat, wanting to see real content and calling out fake news.
• Shreyas Hegde, CEO and Co-Founder of Viral Fission writes about changing rules of marketing, led by GenZ audience.

It has been established that GenZ is agile, dynamic and ambitious. With every generational shift, there comes a change in preferences and demand. So how do marketers adapt to this and change their approach?

Reach, engage and involve

While marketers have decoded the secret to speaking the GenZ lingo, they still lack understanding of the GenZ way. A brand can come with the most buzz-worthy campaign that will get you to the top of their SEO search but will not ascertain their loyalty to your brand.

So how do you make these agile digital natives stay engaged?

The brand messaging will bring the user to a brand but they engage only when they find relevance that piques their interest. If a user opens a sportswear brand page, they will engage if the brand is running a contest, hosting a giveaway or creating content that resonates with the individual.

But for a Genz, loyalty to the brands they love doesn’t stop at just engaging with brand-generated content. It takes a step further into wanting to be actively involved, participate and say their opinions out loud!

Involvement is a deeper factor of engagement, it plays an interactive role in brand engagement. For a generation that wants to be a part of decisions and make a change, this is how they are rewriting the rules of engagement.

Peer to peer connect giving rise to communities

GenZ believes in personalised connect, they rely on the words of their peers over the words of a celebrity endorser. The decisions of this generation are highly influenced by the reviews from their peers.

This pattern has given rise to an era of community marketing. GenZ tends to associate itself with groups that cater to its niche. These communities have given rise to brand loyalists and turned them into brand advocates.

The brand loyalists act as brand ambassadors and create content that caters to their respective communities. Being given a chance to co-create with the brands they love makes the GenZers feel like they are playing a vital role in contributing and not just acting as an audience.

Involvement from ideation to completion

According to a report by National Retail Federation (NRF), 44% of the GenZ audience showed high interest to be involved in the product right from the ideation stage. GenZ wants brands to value their opinions and in return take actions to create an impact. The more you involve them right from the onset the more impact you have on this community.

They are not only inclined towards participating in presenting their opinion on the product but also want to be part of the process that goes into making the same. Thus, creating an impact right from the grassroots level.

Engage in impactful conversations

The digital natives are a purpose-driven generation, one that wants to engage and make an impact. This generation that is value-driven, wants to be associated where they can add credibility to themselves and the world around them. The scope of evolution in this landscape lies in giving a platform to these digital natives to speak and incorporate their nuances.