What do Gen Z really want?

By Richard Croxford, Copywriter, UK

As a member of Gen Z and a marketing professional, I’ll be the first to admit that we are a confusing demographic.

For those that don’t know, we’re the age group that were born between the mid-1990s to the mid-2010s.

Questions are constantly asked about us within the marketing space:

What do Gen Z really want?
What do they stand for?
What makes them tick?

And my honest answer, up until now, has been “I don’t f***ing know!”

But, recently, I decided to do a bit of a deep dive into the marketing strategies that work on Gen Z.

I started by asking the question: “What is it that Gen Z really wants?”

What are Gen Z’s values?

Apparently, Gen Z’s values are deeply entrenched in social responsibility, authenticity, and advocacy for significant causes.

(I know, it came as a surprise to me too).

However, they seem to have their favourite charities and causes to support.

According to a survey by ICSC and Big Village, 53 per cent of Gen Zers prioritise brands that support mental health, surpassing all other causes.

Their dedication to social and political causes is also evident, with environmental sustainability, racial equity, and gender equality ranking high on their agenda.

From a marketing perspective, this means that brands need to demonstrate an authenticity and a genuine commitment to social and environmental issues if they are going to effectively capture the demographic.

Which is a good thing, I guess.

But sometimes values aren’t worth the price, according to Gen Z

Despite our commitment to social issues, Gen Z faces financial constraints – we’re young, dumb and most of us aren’t exactly rich.

While we care about long-term consequences and want to support ethically sound brands, budget limitations influence our spending decisions in a far more tangible way.

As marketers, therefore, we need to balance affordability with values alignment to attract Gen Z consumers.

Whether it’s through product innovation or supply chain optimisation, prices will need to seem reasonable to Gen Z in line with the value-focused messaging that your brand is putting across.

While I’m no expert in this, I think from a marketing perspective it might be best to take the “open and honest approach.”

Rather than trying too hard to cut costs, simply explain, in your marketing, that your prices are a result of high-value, highly ethical practices.

It might just work and hey, if it doesn’t, there’s plenty of other age groups to target.

Don’t even get me started on Gen X…

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