Five minutes with Mark Ralphs
Mark Ralphs, partner and managing director at international branding agency Good Rebels, speaks to Transform magazine about how brands can best appeal to Gen-Z, why brands choose to target their messages to younger generations, and the ways digital affects how brands relate to different generations.
How can brands best appeal to Gen-Z?
Nowadays, Gen-Z is all about inclusivity and experience. Whenever I think about the brands I see on social media, they tend to promote the experience and the ‘vibe’ rather than the actual product. A good example is Revolve (a clothing brand); they use their social media channels to promote trips and a specific type of lifestyle for content.
Gen-Z likes to buy the content they see on social media platforms, the experience the product brings to them. In some ways it’s very retro marketing - you’re getting the consumer to buy into a dream.
Why do most brands choose to target their messages to younger generations? What are the political implications?
In many ways it’s an easier demographic, because younger generations don’t have their minds made up yet as to which products and brands, they want to be loyal to. It’s still a blank canvas and therefore brands are competing for their spot.
Digitalisation also plays a part. Younger generations are used to sharing their everyday lives on social media, which gives brands an opportunity for ‘free’ airtime.
On the flip side though, younger generations are less likely to stay loyal to a brand, particularly when they are bombarded with new ones all the time. In contrast, older generations, or ‘the Zen Gen’ as we call them in our recent research report, value brand loyalty and trust. They don’t tend to get targeted or featured in ads, so they don’t discover new brands and products as much. It’s a huge shame and an oversight from brands’ part, as they are missing a target group with huge spending power!
Are brands focusing more to appeal to Gen Z rather than the baby boomer (55+) generation? If so, why?
Most brands do, yes. I believe that Gen Z and younger generations are easier to “manipulate” into purchasing something or changing brands. Baby boomers have brand loyalty, and they keep purchasing brands that they know they can trust.
As mentioned already, this is a wasted opportunity to appeal to a generation that has a lot of money to spend. Unlike with Gen Z, once a brand has won over a baby boomer, they are likely to stick with the brand rather than trial the next one that comes along.
In what ways does the role of digital affect how brands relate to different generations?
Digital plays a huge role in every generation.Boomers prefer online retailers who feature price and product descriptions prominently on their sites. However, they still distrust highly branded content and prefer to consume from word of mouth.
As for Gen X, brands that can craft a message that strikes the right balance of innovation and nostalgia will capture them. Also, I believe most millennial-aged consumers value personalized recommendations so much that they’re willing to pay to receive them (for instance, Care/of’s personalised vitamins). While both baby boomers and millennials primarily use social media to interact with friends and family, it’s still an important platform because word of mouth is the top reason for boomers to try new products.
Gen Z approaches social media mainly as an entertainment platform and will purchase from seeing their favourite influencers wearing it. It’s faster-paced with a quick turnover - an FMCG industry of sorts.
