Abstract
In modern times, reaching and communicating with customers has become a complex task. We live in a time of uninterrupted technological advances that have influenced society and shaped consumer behavior in unexpected ways. Because of these advances, marketers now have the obligation to understand the newer generations more thoroughly in order to be able to create strong connections with brands. Among these new groups of consumers is Generation Z, which includes those born between 1996 and 2010. In Marketing to Gen Z: The Rules for Reaching This Vast and Very Different Generation of Influencers, Jeff Fromm and Angie Read provide an excellent portrayal of this generation and detail some of the considerations related to this specific group. Further, these are considerations that brand managers might well consider in order to better thrive in the upcoming future.
This book is based on cross-generational quantitative and qualitative studies executed in the United States, with the help of companies Barkley and FutureCast. The book is comprised of four different sections. The first section, Chapters 1 and 2, provides an explanation of Gen Z or Pivotals, as the authors call them. The second section, Chapters 3 to 6, embraces the essential aspects that brand managers should consider in attempting to reach the Pivotals. The third and fourth sections, found in Chapters 7 and 8, provide effective strategies to reach Gen-Z through real life cases.
Jeff Fromm, president of Futurecast and a partner at Barkley, was instrumental in popularizing the term Millennials to refer to Generation Y. Now, the authors are providing the term Pivotals to describe Generation Z. The research has found that the Gen Z segment has more traditional values than those held by the slightly older Millennials (hence, Gen Z is said to be pivoting to more traditional views). However, Gen Z has also been found to be more involved in today’s digital world. This opening portion of the book may be especially helpful for readers with no previous knowledge about Pivotals, or who have mistakenly categorized them as Millennials. It explores Gen Z’s motivation and analyses the close relations these individuals have with technology and social networks.
Chapter 1 describes the Pivotals. As the authors point out, Gen-Z is very different compared to Millennials, since they are “pivoting away” from the behaviors and attitudes of the millennials as well as taking different elements from other generations. They are characterized as giving importance to diversity and multiculturalism, but also having conservative behaviors. Pivotals are defined as hardworking, financially responsible and determined individuals capable of multi-tasking. The book notes that these characteristics were shaped by different factors, such as the constant interaction with technology and social media. Other factors include growing up in a world that has been under an increasing threat of terrorism and financial instability. It is pointed out that these multiple factors have driven Pivotals to be consumers who expect considerably more from brands. Pivotals also have been influenced through the execution of advertising via authentic storytelling, portraying real life examples.
The relation between Pivotals and technology is exposed in Chapter 2. It is pointed out that Pivotals have never known a world without access to technology. They use technology as a tool which gives them connectivity and helps them engage and build meaningful relationships. Through these relationships, social media has become a central life aspect for this generation. However, although social media is highly important, it is also pointed out that Pivotals value privacy and are very selective when using social media. This might be seen as an unexpected discovery by the authors, who relate this aspect in an insightful fashion. These traits seem to imply a challenge for modern brands that seek to connect with Pivotals through technology. Since Pivotals expect brands to have valuable authenticity and to clearly display the utility of what is being offered in comparison to others, getting this message across to Gen Z becomes a challenge.
The second section, chapters 3 to 6, provides more detail of value to brand management in the quest to reach the Gen Z segment. This includes how to communicate and influence them, as well as the relevance of empowering them and valuing their identities. It even provides recommendations about how marketers should contact them. Chapter 3 outlines the predilections that Pivotals have in terms of communication,. This Generation Z has been found to prefer visual communications through symbols, videos, GIFs and emojis. They are also felt to have a desire for content that has high quality and is entertaining. The authors point out that new mobile-friendly communication strategies are needed to reach these consumers. Information must be direct, quick and simple, with an emphasis clearly centered on visual stimuli. The authors state that brands must reflect Pivotals’ preferences, via implementing a strong narrative and creating emotional bonds with these consumers. Another essential factor is the fact that Gen Z consumers have passions and values that should be recognized.
Chapter 4 explains that Pivotals are less receptive to traditional advertising because they feel it is invasive or forced upon them. They want to be influenced through personalized messaging that communicates to them in an honest and comprehensive way. Pivotals are predisposed to be influenced by people rather than by ads. When establishing connections with brands, the relationship needs to be through other individuals in order to be effective. Therefore, brands must implement new strategies to engage with consumers; for instance, incentivizing them through word of mouth.
The authors stress the importance of brand engagement and association with certain influencers which can make Pivotals feel that the brand truly represents their personal values. Also, authors state that using influencers has considerable implications for brands, since influencers are able to help customers develop a strong desire to use the product.
Chapter 5 states that Pivotals want to be considered as unique individuals; hence, brands should use strategies that are driven to help these consumers define themselves. These approaches should connect the Pivotals with what identifies them and also contributes to the brands constitution. Brands should empower and support Pivotals to achieve their goals as they seek to improve daily. ‘Brands must build trust through consistency over time, engaging through the process of product design and brand promotion. This helps in establishing a value-meaningful brand.
On the other hand, Chapter 6 focuses on how Pivotals shop and how marketers can make the best out of this knowledge. The authors state that Pivotals always want to ensure the best possible experience and obtain the most value from their purchases. Before shopping, they carry out a complex process of gathering information; they put great importance in the running-smoothly process. The authors also suggest that marketers must develop new strategies with the application of technology, helping Pivotals optimize the process of purchasing, making it convenient and efficient.
The final sections, 3 and 4, focus on actual cases as a way of addressing the Pivotals. The final chapters, 7 and 8, also identify the challenges channel brands will face in the future. These challenges are associated with the influence of attitudes and beliefs held by these young consumers. The importance of creating and maintaining personal connections with Pivotals and getting familiarized with the obstacles they face plays an important role in garnering loyalty, as pointed out in Chapter 7. This chapter also provides ten examples of brands that have done an outstanding job of persuasively reaching Pivotals. These examples include Nike, Apple, Target and Chipotle, noting that these brands have managed to communicate messages such as diversity, inclusion, and have used technology better than other brands to boost the customer experience. Additionally, examples of brands that have failed in this dimension, such as Pepsi and Abercrombie & Fitch, are also presented.
Chapter 8 discusses how young generations can influence others, and the potential challenges this produces for marketing. The authors outline six main factors for a solution. First, brands must build a strong social circle to increase word of mouth. Second, there is a need to create emotional connections with consumers. The third point is that innovation must be part of every brand’s agenda. The fourth factor is to build trust in order to ensure positive relationships with consumers. The fifth is to point out the necessity of having a humanitarian approach to business principles, generating a positive impact in the world. And last, the sixth factor is to work to provide brands that are accessible. In addition to this advice, Chapter 8 notes that global brands will play an important role in the future for young generations. To be successful, brands must be conscious and improve an overall quality of life around the world.
Even though the book characterizes Pivotals and aims at exposing their attitudes and behaviors in a remarkable way, this book may present a limited approach regarding the consumer preferences of the individuals described as Gen Z. Peterson (2007) states, there are two main views that use the demographic variable of age which have been widely used by researchers to understand consumer behaviors. First, the cohort view, which is the one used by the authors of this book, describes groups of people that belong to a certain period of time, have common experiences and symbols, and tend to share preference patterns. On the other hand, the lifecycle view, a second perspective, proposes that consumer preferences change over the course of their lifecycle. Peterson postulates that the two views complement each other because members of cohorts advance together through life stages. Thus other variables such as the economic ones which include income and assets should be taken into account to explain the differences in the preferences between cohorts.
Other researchers such as Chaney, Touzani, and Slimane (2017) have stated that different levels of analysis must be considered when assigning consumers to a specific generation because limiting to biological age could lead to risky marketing strategies. Different dimensions such as the social age, cognitive age, subjective age and perceived age need to be studied. This approach helps to determine things such as the consumers’ status and roles in the society, the age consumers attribute to themselves, or the similarities in consumer interests that a particular age group has with other groups. In addition, Noble and Schewe (2003) suggest that consumers within similar age groups are likely to have different attitudes and beliefs because of peer influences and the way they were raised. Also, these authors point out that historical events do not seem to create unique “cohort effects” that could lead to the differentiation of values among cohorts and that peer influences might predict values better than external events.
Furthermore, the book is not able to display cases in which cohort segmentation could be valid or when it is aimed to be combined with other segmentation techniques to properly predict consumer behavior. Even though cohort segmentation has become a common technique, generational grouping could tend to be more descriptive than predictive of behaviors, making it more difficult to establish the available differential responses existing amongst groups. The use of generational grouping could help in some industries as it encompasses analysis on such as media habits that could vary among cohorts but may not be beneficial in other industries. This could occur because different cohorts could have similar behaviors or media preferences or even because there may be subgroups operating within a broader cohort. For example, cohort knowledge could be useful to determining consumer preferences for the consumption of content in streaming platforms, but cohort segmentation may not show differences in the preferences of home appliances such as ovens or refrigerators.
The book raises multiple questions about whether some of the exposed findings exposed could be applicable in the future. For example, how would Pivotals be affected differently than other generations when facing things such as financial crises, climate change effects or even the implementation of robotics. Additionally, there are questions regarding how the aging factors and peer influences could affect the consumer preferences of these groups. Would other segmentation techniques need to be combined with a cohort segmentation approach in some cases to predict behaviors in a more accurate fashion? It would be highly recommended for future editions of the book that these questions are addressed.
The use of an APC model (Age-Period-Cohort model) could be helpful to satisfy this purpose. As Bourcier-Béquaert and de Barnier (2010) state, the APC model gives a more comprehensive interpretation of time as it proposes a variable that not only incorporates time by assessing a given age, but also considers the temporal effect of the era and aging which allows a further separation of generations into “temporal classes.” This would facilitate the differences of one generation with another.
Something else that could be added to the book is how the implementation of relevant forecasting methods could be helpful to develop marketing strategies aimed at Generation Z. One of the forecasting methods that could be introduced is the one proposed by Rentz and Reynolds (1991) which is used to forecast the effects on product consumption of aging in cohorts.
Marketing to Gen Z: The Rules for Reaching This Vast and Very Different Generation of Influencers is a book specifically directed to marketers. However, it could appeal to any type of reader that enjoys learning about marketing related topics. It could also be used by researchers interested in cohort segmentation who want to focus particularly on understanding Generation
Z. The language that the authors chose throughout the text is not highly complex; thus, it allows those who are not practicing marketers to find it a manageable and pleasurable read.
The subjects addressed are handled in an exceptional way as most of the chapters have numerous case studies and quotes from Pivotals and experts within the field. This reinforces the admirable effort from the authors to gather all the necessary information needed to clearly satisfy the original stated purpose of the book. Besides that, the reader is ably encouraged to create a strong connection between the topics explained and their environment. Nevertheless, the studies upon which the book is based were United States centric and this makes it difficult to reach the same conclusions about Pivotals in the context of emerging markets. It would be recommended that the authors consider studying Pivotals in this international context for future editions of this book.