The elder members of Gen Z are now 26 years old. That means they have considerable purchasing power—and they turn to their fellow Gen Z creators for product recommendations. How can brands tap into that power and meaningfully connect with young creators and their audiences?
Annie Goldsmith, reporter for the The Information, sat down to discuss the topic with three experts who specialize in working with creators:
- Jamie Gutfreund, chief growth officer, Whalar
- Kim Larson, global head of YouTube Creators, YouTube
- Scott Hamlin, vice president of integrated marketing, PetSmart
Focusing In on Gen Z
Goldsmith opened up the session by asking each panelist how they attract Gen Z creators. From Kim Larson’s perspective, “It’s all about the community. These are purpose-driven creators who have passion points. The ability to meaningfully connect with fans is huge.”
For Scott Hamlin of PetSmart, the focus is longevity. “We’re shifting our mindset to partnering with creators over multiple years where there’s a strong value exchange from us through the creator and vice versa.”
Jamie Gutfreund talked about how Whalar is focused on educating brands on how to work with creators, because it’s different from working with other types of partners. “One of our biggest focus points is making sure when you’re creating content with Gen Z, it’s genuine. You can’t just show up in a community, especially with Gen Z, and say, ‘We’re here.’ You have to add value. You have to add education. You have to do something that is legit with the creators.”
Resisting the BS
As Gutfreund mentioned, the key to connection is being transparent, because Gen Z can smell fakery from a mile away. “You can’t buy attention. You have to build a relationship. A lot of what we do is helping advise our brands about how to not get called out for BS, how to tap into communities and really add value. And then the community is your advocate.”
Larson raised the point that Gen Z just lived through Covid-19, and their emotional attachment to social causes is strong. “They just stayed inside for two and a half years. That behavior of being so passionate about things—it just got heavier.”
Don’t Be a Trend Chaser
Counterintuitive though it might seem, refusing to give in to trends tends to be a more successful strategy for brands working with Gen Z creators. As Gutfreund said, “Once you know about a trend, everybody else is doing it. They only last about 12 to 14 days. Jumping on the bandwagon isn’t necessarily a great idea. It’s better to go niche and to be doing something that nobody else is doing. That’s what’s sticky.”
Success Lies in the Scary: Loosening the Reins
The panelists agreed that it’s time for brands to get comfortable with losing control. They need to trust that the creator knows their audience best. As Hamlin said, “If you have a very well-defined brand proposition and brand voice, you can afford to give up a little bit of control of your brand. Have a creator hear your brand, interpret it and distill it to what’s meaningful to their audience. It’s more powerful for a brand to allow for a new stream of meaning and connection to your brand. Only the creator can create that connection.”
Tool Talk
What new tools can help creators grow their audience? Larson was particularly excited about multi-language audio. That allows a creator to upload and dub across 14 different languages. “The ability to open up audiences around the globe and get exposure across cultures is amazing. AI dubbing is a huge opportunity.” She also described another tool she’s particularly excited about: YouTube’s Creator Music. “Rights have been a massive pain point for creators for a long time. This is a catalog where you can buy a license outright, or you can share revenue with the rights holder.”
The New Kids on the Block: Generation Alpha
The lessons brands learn about connecting with Gen Z will serve them well for an even younger group of influencers: Gen Alpha. This under-13 set (on track to become the largest generation in history) is just starting to make content now and will be a force to contend with soon. The marketing strategies and products developed for today’s creators will help this next generation make better content faster—and help brands be part of the conversation.
0 Commentaires