Your gen Z ads aren’t working: How to put youth voices at the forefront of marketing

Each quarter, we work in tandem with the gen Z audience to publish an insight magazine that delves deeply into the topics that matter most to them. These students select topics they want to talk about, and we corroborate their thoughts with quantitative data from over 500 students across the country.

And what have we learned? That you’re marketing to gen Z all wrong.

So: why are your ads to gen Z not working?

Drinking is dangerous (but not in the way you think)

The media have dubbed gen Z the ‘sober generation’. But in our research, student journalist Joe from the University of Leeds combatted this argument vociferously. In his article documenting the traditional student night out, Joe confirmed that gen Z are still drinking. But nightlife is seen as an increasingly dangerous activity – partly due to the well-known drink-spiking epidemic on college campuses, but also: “The issue of ‘hangxiety’ is something that is often laughed about but is actually an important issue that gen Z take seriously.”

Joe advises brands in the alcohol and music industries to work with gen Z to make nightlife safer and more inclusive. Gen Z wants to experience nightlife, but also to see better care taken of peers: “Whilst things are by no means perfect, the scene is a lot more inclusive than it has been in previous years.”

Campaigns such as Jägermeister’s Save the Night project stand out for supporting greater inclusivity in nightlife.

False ‘value’ and the cost of living

The cost of living crisis has been central to brand conversations around value in 2023. There has been limited coverage, however, of student perspectives on the crisis. Student Journalist Nya from Sussex University explored student loyalty and what gen Z are looking for from the brands they engage with in this context: “Because maintenance loans have not gone up in line with inflation, what value means to students is changing… they are not interested in purchasing via a loyalty scheme for a brand which has upped its prices.”

Nya calls out the idea of false ‘value’ that some loyalty schemes offer, saying that students can see through it. She explores the tangible impacts that the rising cost of living has had on weekly budgeting and the products that students will continue to invest in. She argues that loyalty schemes should offer true value, whether through discounting on existing prices, partnerships, or exclusive events: “Brands are missing the opportunity to show some tailored, genuine interest towards students’ needs, filling in a gap where the government and universities are failing.’

Self-care on social media

In our quantitative research of over 500 students, we found that 61% have a daily screen time of 5 hours or more, mostly across TikTok and Instagram. Student Journalist Gabriella from Cardiff University explored the recent trending topic of self-care on social media: “The concept of self-care has become popular on social media, but in a society influenced by digital culture, it is possible for routines to become more about getting likes than actual self-improvement.”

Gabriella explores the dangers of tapping into trends that can be detrimental to gen Z’s wellbeing. Self-care is the latest craze on TikTok: from #runtok to super greens, gen Z are overwhelmed with content that aims to give them advice on how to ‘better’ themselves. “I believe there needs to be a move away from self-indulgence, and towards self-help, which brands can aid in promoting,” she says

The ‘metaverse’

The Metaverse grew as a new medium for engaging with the next generation this year, with brands launching virtual worlds and NFTs to the public. Aadesh from the University of Warwick concludes, though, that most metaverse brand experiences fail to hit the mark. “Brands… can only expect to win hearts, minds, and wallets by first addressing student needs,” says Aadesh. “Don’t think of us as metadata and target markets.”

How to fix your approach: Research in the right way

Our methodology aims to actively listen to, and provide a platform for, the topics that gen Z care about. The generation is often painted with broad strokes: social media-obsessed; influencer-driven; and sustainability-mad. However, this perspective fails to recognize the nuances within the audience. We need to dig deeper to understand the audience beyond the headlines of traditional media.

By listening directly to the thoughts of gen Z (without steering what they talk about), we gain genuine and invaluable insight into how best to work with and market to this audience. Some agencies have established gen Z divisions to give specific advice on pitch proposals and client development in relation to their peers. For agencies that can’t, working directly with a gen Z-focused agency can allow for direct access to the audience.

The full report and zine are available on request from Raptor.