Meta and Twitch on How to Reach Gen Z
Gemma Battenbough and Jan Bojko of Twitch, speaking at AWAPAC
One of the topmost questions on marketers’ minds is “how do we reach Gen Z?” The demographic born at the tail-end of the 20th century is the most decentralised, most online, and most impenetrable group for many in advertising, with viewing habits radically different from their parents and older siblings. Many industry experts and thought leaders have speculated on ways to best get through to this audience, and, at Advertising Week APAC this year, several of them arrived at some fairly striking conclusions.
A key takeaway when it comes to reaching Gen Z is the subject of authenticity. As Gemma Battenbough, brand partnership, APAC lead at Studio Twitch puts it, “This is a generation which has come of age in a time when truth is under fire”, citing fake news, deep fakes, and conspiracy theories as contributing to an ambient climate of distrust. Thus, any brand which prioritises authenticity when connecting to viewers is all the likelier to reach Gen Z. In practice, this looks like unvarnished, deliberately unprofessional advertising - often creator-driven.
This point of creator-driven material was doubled down on by Steve Coll, the head of ANZ creative at META, when he outlined exactly what it was about creators that appealed to younger audiences. These were ordinary people - not advertising professionals - who were making a point of communicating transparently to their audience first and foremost. Once that open communication was established, then brand recommendations could be introduced within an environment of trust.
Steve left his audience in no doubt about the efficacy of such brand recommendations, observing that 58% of consumers surveyed (in a recent Meta-based study) made a recent purchase based on creator advice. He cited, as an example of this open communication, the example of Karen X Cheng, a young filmmaker whose content has accrued over half a billion views on Facebook and Instagram. She began her career posting “magic trick” videos with seemingly impossible VFX. But, when she started posting follow-up videos which explained how those effects were achieved, she saw a marked increase in views and followers.
Steve Coll of Meta, speaking at AWAPAC
Another key facet of Gen Z appeal appears to be interactivity. Whereas media content of the past was defined by its one-way access, the rise of livestreaming (and continued explosion of gaming) has greatly increased the popularity of interactivity as a defining feature of media, which appeals to Gen Z. Jan Bojko, director of client insights and measurement, APAC at Twitch explained this through the simple observation that this was the most connected generation – they knew no world without the internet.
Thus, media has always been experienced not just in the context of live, multi-person settings, but as something which can be discussed, remixed, or re-experienced online. As a result, brands which capitalise on connectivity are likelier to reach Gen Z. Citing a successful case study, Jan referenced Coca-Cola’s partnership with Australia’s most popular Twitch streamer Loserfruit, to participate in a puzzle game promotion. Interactive promotions like this, Jan asserts, are the future.
The final, and perhaps most obvious, point of commonality in such successful promotions is that they are all (at least partly) online. Additionally, they occupy space on platforms already trusted by Gen Z. All three speakers emphasised that promotions such as traditional advertisements before a Youtube video are simply not likely to appeal to a generation so oversaturated with media, and so capable of curating it to their own devices.
Internet advertising, integrated with brands and creators that Gen Z consumers already trust, and designed to be interactive, are the key to reaching this extremely online demographic. The brands (and creatives) most willing to experiment in this new terrain will, according to these thought leaders, likely lock in a generation of consumers for years to come.
