Whalar
Tue, 14 Jun 2022 13:54:13 GMT
According to a new study, Gen Z and Millennials reject traditional advertising because they prefer hearing directly from authentic, relatable voices – creators. Today, global creator commerce company Whalar releases the results of its 'Reaching the Unreachables' research, which explores why creator content has largely replaced traditional advertising as a strategy for engaging the ‘Ad-Never Generation.’
The research found that Gen Z and Millennials are shifting their attention away from conventional media channels and toward global content creators. This shift can be attributed to the sense of community, belonging, and trust fostered by content creators – unlike traditional advertising, which respondents said made them feel manipulated.
This seismic shift in media consumption requires marketers and brands to rethink their approach to reaching, building relationships with, and remaining relevant to younger audiences.
Key findings from the ‘Reaching the Unreachables’ study include:
Whalar global CMO Jamie Gutfreund said: “The era of mass-produced creative is rapidly drawing to a close, but the good news is that brands now have the ability to source ideas and content directly from the communities they most want to reach - at scale. With this study, we can officially say once and for all that the Creator Economy has overtaken traditional marketing. The future is creators, and there’s no turning back.”
In response to the study results, Whalar created a roadmap of recommendations and best practices to help guide brands through understanding and navigating online communities and the new rules of engagement. Steps for success include:
1. Go beyond just selling and shift to listening. Creators and communities are valuable sources of information and inspiration. They are your target audiences, Smart brands engage this super-powered focus group for feedback and insights.
2. Determine how the brand can add value to the community. As an 'invited guest,' it's important that a brand add to the conversation through exclusive content, experiences and demonstrating respect for the community
3. Build trusted, respectful partnerships with creators in the community. Creators are their own brands, not actors with scripts. Brands will be more successful if they approach these relationships as collaborations – brand to brand. “Give Creators the right brief and be clear about your brand purpose and values, but don’t expect them to adopt your brand guidelines.” said Jamie
Other best practices encouraged by Whalar include developing longer term strategic partnerships, rather than treating collaborations as a short-term tactic focused solely on transactions.
To conduct this study, Whalar partnered with insights and strategy company Front Row Insights in February 2022 to survey 2,000 people ages 18 to 40 – all of whom used social media on a daily basis – in the US and UK Those findings were supplemented with interviews conducted in May 2022.
Download the full study here.
view more - Trends and InsightWhalar, Tue, 14 Jun 2022 13:54:13 GMT