via Ad Week
In my last Adweek column introducing the Post Generation—my
nickname for the under-14 cohort, also variously referred to as Gen Z
or Centennials or the Homeland Generation (among other appellations)—I
discussed how they're coming of age on the heels of unprecedented
cultural and technological shifts.
One of the most profound transformations they're witnessing and also
spearheading is the migration to a digital media landscape. In this
column, I'll uncover some key insights behind the Post Generation's
attitude toward media and content.
All content competes with all content: In an age where
a beverage brand underwrites a GoPro-wearing guy essentially
parachuting from space and a chain department store finances an $8
million concert by popular act Imagine Dragons during commercial time on
the Grammys, what qualifies as an "ad" anymore?
Young consumers don't hate advertising. They hate being bored. And with
the ubiquity of their favorite content, they don't have to be. What
should you do? Break the :30, disrupt the display unit and recognize
you're going head-to-head with what's on everywhere else. What this
means is you have the same chance of capturing an audience—and achieving
subsequent virality—as does "programming" anywhere. You also have a
greater chance of being ignored entirely, but nobody said advertising
superstardom is supposed to be easy.
Video is the vanguard: As we've all seen by now, young
consumers continue to consume more video than ever before. In an age of
high-bandwidth handsets that feature relatively small keypads and
character sizes, video will remain the medium of choice for consumers
bent on consuming (and, increasingly, creating) content. You don't have
to be Michael Bay to shoot a Vine or start a Skype. And you don't have
to be a TV network or an ad agency or a professional actor or a director
to captivate an audience. Start with video. Wrap the rest of your media
around it.
Content feels abundant and persistent: FOMO (fear of
missing out) is supposedly a bedrock sentiment among modern youth,
except when it comes to content, the mass of which feels, well, massive,
not to mention pleasantly persistent. Of course the antidote to being
taken for granted and/or queued for later is creating urgency, as
happens with a live broadcast of a music or entertainment event like an
awards show or "special." For now, don't assume anyone under 30 is a
by-appointment viewer, unless and until you create immediacy that far
surpasses the average show.
Kids are playing passenger to parents: While speaking
with real, live kids recently for a TV project, we asked them what shows
they watched, when and on what channels.
Most seemed perplexed, sneaking glances to nearby parents. The same
held true when we asked them about weeknight or weekend plans. Under 14,
and under the tutelage of Gen X parents who themselves are massively
adept at calendaring and multitasking, these Post Gen kids have given
over the planning reins entirely, content to reside nose first in their
devices until someone tells them otherwise. Want to capture kids on a
specific night at a prescribed time? Try talking to parents first,
selling them on the educational or social benefits you and your content
might be able to provide for their progeny.
Go long on short form: With Vine videos briskly
becoming the favorite media snack of primary- and middle-schoolers
everywhere (alongside similar smallish product from Snapchat and
Instagram), the time for experimentation in low-commitment, short-form
video is now. And with Vessel poised to further the frontier of
exclusive short-form video content, we're going to see umpteen
opportunities for brands to play in this space. Whether this is through
owned or paid channels remains an open question. As with most questions
of this sort, the answer for the time being is likely, you guessed it,
both.
Multicultural is the operating reality: Last but far
from least, demographics define the Post Generation, whose operating
reality and content diet are in lockstep—multicultural by design and
preference. If your content doesn't look like Post Gen, they simply
won't watch. Unlike in days of yore, they simply don't have to.
One glimpse at the patchwork races/ethnicities of today's YouTube,
Vine, and music and sports starscape reveals that Post Gen simply won't
settle for a whitewashing. Neither can you. Getting real means getting
intrinsically inclusive and open.
And quick. Go!
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