Getting your Generations Right, Millennials V/S GenZ! 🤼‍♂️

Greetings from a borderline Millennial and GenZ!

They say all of us are incredibly unique. One in a million, kind of unique. And unlike most I really chose to believe in that. I like thinking that I am unique. To top it, being a middle child,  I have an elder and a younger sibling to draw life references from. The internet has come to categorize them as millennials & the Gen-Zs and I think all those who are on the border of both ends, just like me, come to have some really unique perspectives on shaping one’s personality & life in general.

For all the boomers out here, Gen-Zs, also the Internet Generation was born between 1997 to 2015 (Debatable) and Millennials are the dinosaurs that fall in the age group of 1981-1996.

Any good marketeer will try understanding their audience, the category they operate in and their competitors first. These are the fundamentals that a good marketer will most definitely cover, as they head into a world full of trial and errors i.e the world of branding and marketing. So just like any good marketer I did some research and with time and in-depth analysis, I have established an understanding of these two specimens - Millennials & Gen-Zs, the digital pioneers & the flag bearers.

The topic for my blog is really a synopsis of my experience of working as a marketer for these two different generations.

• How do you react & thrive when you are marketing for a business that works for one of these two generations?
• How is the marketing different?
• Which platforms do you primarily create content for?
• What is the format of your content?
• Is it Long-form or snackable?
• Should you make podcasts or produce videos?
• What is your communication approach?
• Are you elaborate & provide high-value content or do you directly cut to the chase?
• Are aesthetics really important?

Before you spiral down and chart out answers to these questions, I suggest you take a step back & understand these generations and their personas on a broader level. Or like I call it take the helicopter approach on this one!

Now millennials might have been the pioneers of the internet era but GenZ were born into it, that’s the culture they were raised into. Everything for them has gone digital, be it studying, socialising, gaming, banking, the list is endless. They don’t have to rely on outside sources for information, they’ve their own opinion or the popular opinions on most subjects. Unlike millennials whose opinions would be more influenced by their families, friends or acquaintances.

So I have put together a bunch of comparison points that will help you categorically understand how polarized or mildly put, different these two variables at hand are.

Millennials V/S GenZ

Woke and Vocal 🔊

Gen Z feels even more strongly about ethical and environmental issues than millennials. It’s important that brands consider these issues when creating content. You don’t need to shift your whole mantra, just think more about your brand purpose: How and what you are doing impacts the world around you? Are you being inclusive in terms of who you’re featuring in campaigns, and is your message ethical and fair? On a scale of less to more, if you’re marketing for GenZ you will have to factor in the above-mentioned points a lot more.

Humorous vs Objective 😜

An important note before getting into the strategy mode is that  GenZ likes to keep it humorous. EVERY SMALLEST PIECE OF COMMUNICATION. They don't respond to 'to the point' communication as much as they do and engage with the content that's humorous or somehow has been manipulated to be funny or should I say punny :P

Now, I'm not saying Millennials aren't humorous or funny, but while marketing for millennials I realised they majorly want to see the specifications or the objective very upfront. A 'no-brainer advertisement' as one would say. You are dealing with a case of 'tell me my benefits straight up', 'show me how bold is your offer' or 'how this is in any way going to turn my life around?'

Quality over Quantity 👩‍🎨

To grab Millennial's attention, you will have to be hyperactive with the communication and frequency (for example posting 5-6 times a day, it will increase the recall value, and eventually they will start connecting with your brand). But it's not the same with GenZ, rather they'd call it "spam" and are highly likely to unfollow/avoid your brand unless you're putting in some really interesting content. You can be as elaborative as possible about your information when marketing for millennials, however, in the case of Gen-Z you need to keep it crisp or simply try & catch their attention. Don’t misunderstand millennials for the uncool bunch because they are in their adulthood and have to factor in more details before making any kind of purchase which isn’t mostly the case with the Gen-Zs.

And however different in certain aspects as any generation would be from the other, there exist sweet spots where their thinking aligns, their philosophies match, and their consumption patterns are similar. Not to forget, it’s the ideas that the millennials are leaving behind or the culture they only dreamt about becomes reality for the Gen-Zs. As ideas are the clouds that pass over generations and time is what brings them to their true fruition.

A few zones where these generations come together 🤗

• Both are generations of cool dorks and massive fans of pop culture.

• Digital is where most socialisation & networking happen for both the gens. One might be an avid user of LinkedIn and the other is mostly found sliding into DMs. However, the core idea is to find like-minded people they can share their lifestyle & philosophies with.

• Both generations adapt quickly to the trend waves.

• Credibility, relatability & authenticity of content is of utmost importance to both.

• Influencers influenza is a real phenomenon and internet contests & giveaways are adored by both.

Some research, data testing &  adopting persona-based marketing would be a good start for any marketeer. This blog is also a decent point of reference to understanding your target market and an opportunity for me to say, “I told you so” to all the readers, who want to get their generation and TG right.

Marketing for Millennials or GenZs and have some more insights? Reach out on sajal@fampay.in