The Three Cs of Marketing to Gen Z

In my keynote address at the Association of National Advertisers' Masters of Marketing conference in Orlando, I zeroed in on something I feel passionate about: How to market to Gen Z.

Gen Z are sometimes misperceived to be snowflakes, stuck in FOMO; to be depressed and anxious; or to not really read books. But as a mom to two members of Gen Z, I not only live with them but also work and talk with Gen Z in my marketing organization, at Lenovo globally, and at events. I consume tons of quantitative and qualitative data on Gen Z, how they work, how they think, how they purchase. And what I described above is not the Gen Z I see.

The Gen Z era

Right now, we stand on the cusp of a transformative era.

This era is sparked by Gen Z, the most digitally native generation our world has ever seen. Born between 1996 and 2010, their economic prowess is undeniable. By 2030, they are set to contribute $33 trillion to the global economy - a staggering 27% of global earnings.

But what truly defines Gen Z isn’t just their spending power. It's the way they fully embrace diversity that encompasses a wide spectrum of ethnicities, races, gender identities, and sexual orientations. Their mosaic of voices and values generates innovative consumer trends:

• They place personal health, well-being, sustainability, and social justice at the forefront
• Their purchasing behavior reflects deeper values of social good more than consumerism
• They demand engagement with purposeful and impactful brands

Influencers and snappy content alone won’t suffice. Our marketing must connect to something deeper. Engaging this generation means forging genuine connections with them. Here are my three key principles - the 3Cs - to guide how brands can bridge the authenticity gap when connecting with their Gen Z audience.

Champion the underserved

One sunny afternoon, I saw my daughter Lucy completely engrossed in a game. It wasn’t the game that captured my attention - it was her intensity, her passion. In that moment, she reflected everything I see in Gen Z - genuine, driven, unapologetically herself. I found myself wondering if the gaming world was truly ready for her.

Here’s what Lenovo’s research shows: 39% of Lenovo’s target gaming audience (“immersed gamers”) identify as girls and women across Gen Z and Millennials. 88% of these gamers play competitive games; 75% play action and survival games; 66% play first-person shooters.

However: we also found that 77% of these gamers confront barriers that have nothing to do with their gaming skills. Judgment of skills (70%), gatekeeping (65%) and patronizing comments (50%) were the most reported types of comments women gamers said they received while gaming online. 44% received unsolicited relationship questions.

So while I was wondering if the gaming world was ready for Lucy, with all of her passion and drive, I really should have been asking if she was ready for it.

From these insights, it was clear that if we wanted to tap into the full Gen Z gaming market effectively, we could not ignore what was right in front of us. The tech and gaming industry needs to empower women gamers to feel seen, heard, and to be treated as equals on and offline.

We shifted our narratives in marketing Lenovo Legion to show empowered women protagonists; multidimensional women juggling professional or academic success and a passion for gaming. We sponsor all-women teams, such as G2 Gozen, taking center stage at major tournaments. We also aligned with Esports giants like G2 Gaming and Complexity Gaming, committed to placing women in the foreground of professional gaming circuits. Through meaningful collaborations with the women gaming community, we elevated the profiles of women gamers, and emphasized that inclusivity isn’t a buzzword for us – it’s a mandate.

We're also fostering growth at the grassroots level, such as rolling out STEM initiatives for budding women gamers and tech enthusiasts and carving out safe spaces like #HerLegionClan and Girls Legion, where women can game without inhibition.

To market successfully to Gen Z, champion the under-served and tailor your marketing to resonate with that demographic. Actively identify and uplift under-served Gen Z communities, such as women gamers. Embrace customers that may feel marginalized and could benefit from purpose-driven marketing that welcomes and elevates them into the mainstream.

Collaborate and develop meaningful partnerships

I’ve written about Lenovo’s Work For Humankind project before on LinkedIn, so I’ll just recap briefly here how it applies to marketing to Gen Z. ?At Lenovo, we've felt Gen Z’s profound influence, particularly in sustainability. Their ideals have propelled us to innovate sustainably, showing that profit, planet and people can coexist.

I credit a large part of Work For Humankind’s positive reception among Gen Z audiences to our genuine partnerships with the community. Working with our non-profit partner, Island Conservation, the local island community and council, and the mayor’s office from the earliest stages of planning, we were able to gain a deep understanding of the conservation work already underway on Robinson Crusoe Island. We provided technology, services, software, and solutions they needed and wanted, as well as empowered them to continue to grow once our volunteers had returned home.

This year, Lenovo has teamed up with BirdLife International and local non-profit organizations to bring our technology to the open roads of North America, embracing the digital nomad culture and building a mobile tech lab and environmental research hub on wheels. Across the globe, in Kanthalloor, India, Lenovo is helping to revive the cultivation of millet, a once-thriving superfood that was a nourishing crop for local communities. Partnering with non-profit partners like Dream India Network, Kanthalloor’s local farming community, and students from the IHRD College, Lenovo has set up a digital tech center and support network for the local millet movement.

By working hand-in-hand with local stakeholders we were able to build tech solutions that are culturally sensitive and genuinely beneficial to those on the ground, in Chile, in North America, in India, and beyond. We embarked upon a purposefully cultivated journey, built on partnership and a long-term commitment to bettering the world. To market successfully to Gen Z, kick-off campaigns that lead you to collaborate and develop meaningful partnerships, especially with local communities; that way you can share them with Gen Z with pride and respect, passion and honesty - all things they value deeply themselves.

Create products with purpose

My third takeaway links to Lenovo’s vision to deliver smarter technology for all: when we say ‘for all,’ we mean it. This bold yet simple vision led to the establishment of the Lenovo Product Diversity Office. It’s a dedicated team that reviews our emerging technology to ensure our tech is inclusive, and that exclusion bias is mitigated.?

Consider Lenovo’s ThinkReality AR/VR headset and the Lenovo Legion Glasses as examples. Designers and engineers accounted for variability in the shape, positions and measurements of users’ head and facial features – from their noses, to ears, foreheads, temples and so on. They studied accommodating different hair types, textures, and hairstyles that involve headscarves, people with glasses, people with higher and lower nose bridges, and more. Whether XR glasses and headsets are for work or gaming, they have to be comfortable for every user.

Tying back to collaboration, Lenovo has also brought in diverse consultants from outside the company to ensure our user experiences are as inclusive as possible. A great example is Shaholly Ayers, a global disability inclusion advocate and person with a limb difference. Shaholly and Lenovo’s collaboration started with a marketing campaign that blossomed into a beautiful partnership with our Product Diversity Office, which I’ve also written about here on LinkedIn.

I believe Lenovo’s universal product design has resonated with Gen Z audiences because we’ve backed our words with action – creating technology and experiences with meaning and purpose. From initial product development to their purpose-driven marketing, inclusivity and accessibility are a critical part of every step of the journey of creating products that establish authentic resonance with Gen Z.

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Gen Z or Gen “We”

Gen Z can detect disingenuity from a mile away. They expect companies like Lenovo to do our part in bettering the world together with them. To engage with them sincerely, particularly in any brand investment in purpose-driven marketing, we need to:

• Champion the underserved
• Collaborate and develop meaningful partnerships
• Create products with purpose

Ultimately, marketing to Gen Z is going to take more than just initiatives, products, and partnerships. As brands embark on full scale purpose-driven marketing, we must be genuine, sincere and committed, collaborating with Gen Z as advocates, teachers, and partners in joint efforts that leave our communities and our planet a little better off than we found it. That’s why you might have seen me refer to marketing ‘to and with’ Gen Z before. I like to call them not Gen Z, but ‘Gen We’ – because together we can change the world.