
By Amy Derksen on in Strategy
From diversity to email signoffs, Gen Z may be better at everything
I’ve gone far too deep into a Twitter thread about who you should ask to take your photo when you’re at an event/restaurant/whatever. The consensus is that you can ask someone who looks like me and you’ll get 15 versions of the same blurry, straight-on, boring shot. But Gen Z—anyone born after 1996—will snap once, hand your phone back, and it’ll be the best picture of yourself you’ve ever seen.
It was kind of refreshing, given all the complaining people like to do about younger generations.
Not sure of someone’s pronouns? They just ask. It’s the most ethnically diverse generation ever, with barely half identifying as non-Hispanic white. Differences just aren’t a thing.
Once my eyes were open to the possibilities, I’ve noticed a few other things Gen Z does way better than their more seasoned cohorts.
Better at the email signoff
If we all closed our emails with “Hehe bye,” “Insert pleasantry here,” “Stay litty,” or “Don’t care + L + ratio,” I might actually stick around to read the last line. Some may see it as inappropriate snark, but I see it as a reward for sticking through the hard part (like sitting through the wedding to earn the reception). From now on, it’s Say no more, Amy out.
Better at diversity
They’ve grown up knowing that people look, feel and think differently, and it’s not a thing. Not sure of someone’s pronouns? They just ask. It’s the most ethnically diverse generation ever, with barely half identifying as non-Hispanic white. Differences just aren’t a thing. Even more important, they want to see companies and brands mirroring this openness.
Better at dialogue
In the midst of “cancel culture” not being an actual thing but something that gets brought up by old people who want a platform for their crazy, McKinsey found that Gen Z is better at listening, recognizing that people have different perspectives, and accepting varied points of view.
Better at not having to own things—or be owned
Why buy things that you really only want to use for a while? Cars. Movies. Even jobs and shopping at thrift shops fit the model, with commitment for only as long as it suits. They’re rejecting updated versions of what their parents prized, and carving out an existence less encumbered by gender rules, the need to match a group to fit in, and extra stuff.
Better at being heard
Gen Z speaks up. They protest. They negotiate. They extract change directly from businesses and institutions, because they don’t trust politicians. They’re remarkably unified in their demand for real leadership and commitment on the issues that matter to them.
What does all this have to do with marketing? Everything. This cohort is living, shopping and aspiring differently than anyone who has come before. And if you want to harness that—as with any audience—you have to understand them. Want to connect with your targets on a deeper level? FATFREE is here to help.
Stay slaying,
Us