?? Gen Z’s quest for truth and the power of stone-age social
Issue #329
This week we’ve had a look at Gen-Z in our own blog. It’s a quick take on the make-up of Gen-Z set to the music of King Krule and how they continue to confound expectations - in a cool way. Happy Thursday, Happy Diwali, Simon.
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Authenticity in a world of connected isolation
Gen Z sure are having a tough time , paradoxically being the most digitally savvy and connected generation, yet also feeling like the most socially disconnected people. It’s no wonder authentic and human-centric content appeals the most to them; this serves as a timely reminder of the enduring importance of human connection, authenticity, and truth in a world that increasingly seeks to manipulate reality.
Size matters again
Influencer-generated content has been the marketing strategy of choice for some time, and we’ve reported about the increasing use of influencers with smaller followings, i.e. macro <500k, micro <100k and nano <5k. There might be a shift afoot as reach becomes more important again. It seems marketers are planning to increase spend on the mega >500k and celebrity >5m categories and drop spending in the smaller categories.
Stone-age social trumps AI
Small businesses usually spend less than US$500 on their marketing a month, and nearly 60% of these businesses have cosied up to AI for their marketing and content strategy it seems. A new report looks at how small businesses are embracing a variety of digital marketing tools and strategies but funnily enough, good old word of mouth, the social of the stone age, is still the most effective tool for most.
Cool Tools
The art snob’s go-to manoeuvre is naming that style that no one else has heard of. No big deal, but for the need these days to have a good creative glossary for writing AI prompts. This database compiles all the various aesthetics and art movements - so you can put a name to everything. It’s helpful for general knowledge too.
Hot Tips
A good no nonsense take on how to use podcasts, mostly, plus some helpful creator tips for LinkedIn and YouTube.
Viral Hits
Gen Z loves being sarcastic. They (yes, not me) love a good plot twist to almost anything, something unusual and unpredictable. This trend, calling out your privilege , serves that - It's being sarcastic in a good way, many ways in fact. The main message is to encourage audience to see the bright side in any situation. e.g. "the privilege of being in a traffic jam". People might see being in a traffic jam as something bad, but on the bright side, you still have a destination to go, sheltered from the rain. Gen-Z have a good sense of their mental wellness.
Stuff from us
Nowhere else is the use of AI more double-edged than in cybersecurity. Our latest work with Titanium Ventures discusses the challenges and opportunities AI presents to businesses in the context of data defence. I think organisations just need to enforce more transparency and cultivate close collaboration to turn AI into something that works for them.
Happy Thursday
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This week’s newsletter was written by Tim Colman and Simon Kearney , and edited by Andre Howson . Gifs produced by Ilka Tishia D. .