How to Capture Gen Z's Attention with Video
They’re the magic demographic whose attention every business wants to capture. Born between 1995 and 2015, they’re Generation Z: the youngest consumers out there in an economy that craves youth and their money. They account for up to $143 billion in direct spending. Advertisers will knock themselves over trying to reach them but they usually prove elusive. How can a company reach this important group through the screen?
Where television advertising used to be a sure thing, Generation Z has proven to be very difficult to grab with traditional video.
Conventional television advertising may not be the answer, but another video source might be. YouTube is incredibly popular with Generation Z. 85% of Gen. Z use YouTube regularly with 32% saying they use it more than any other social media site. They watch 3.4 hours of online videos per day and are more likely to share videos than articles. So is it just a question of switching platforms? Not exactly. The rules for successful videos have changed. Below are some things to keep in mind with your video content when trying to reach Generation Z.
Keep it short (but dense)
The reputation of Gen. Z is that they have tiny attention spans. This is only half true. Yes, you’ll only have moments to capture their attention in the midst of every other online ad, blog post, tweet, and what have you. But once you do, they will focus in deeply. Just because they’re a different generation it doesn’t mean they don’t get interested in things. But having grown up with a surplus of information (and noise) at their fingertips, Gen. Z. has learned to filter away anything that isn’t of interest. So sell them immediately, then bring them the content.
Keep it real
This is a group that values authenticity, social responsibility, and not being explicitly sold to. This might mean expanding your content to areas much larger than just your product. Red Bull is a good example of a company whose video channel is more about a lifestyle than just pushing a product (which is also not shown in a number of the videos, something that flies in the face of conventional advertising).
Keep it mobile
It might sound obvious in 2019, but make everything mobile friendly. Remember: this generation grew up with phones and tablets in their hands. 98% of them have a smartphone. This is the medium of choice for viewing any content, so it makes sense to make it play well on those screen sizes.
Keep it in other places
Video is the perfect special sauce to make other media more effective. Email, which is notorious for being ignored by Gen. Z, benefits from incorporating embedded video. Visual presentation in general plays better with them than wordy passages. This might mean more video-like examples being incorporated, such as long GIFs.
With every technological advance, advertising has had to change. It also had to change with each generation bringing with it new values and needs. By following these guidelines and actively communicating with Generation Z, you’ll be able to reach them with strong, relevant video content that will pay off for your business.
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