What do Gen Z look for in an advert? | Gen Z Marketing Insights - 24th April

Welcome to Gen Z Marketing Insights,?where we showcase the latest news, trends, and insights into student and Gen Z marketing. Be sure to subscribe to stay up to date with everything that's happening in the youth marketing space!

Today we bring you the latest brand collaborations between two well known names, updates on AI influencers, and what grabs the attention of Gen-Z when it comes to adverts.

?? Marketing News - Fun Food Collabs

This week, you may have come across a unique Heinz bottle featuring a bright pink sauce. Heinz and Mattel have teamed up to produce a vegan BBQ mayo named 'Barbiecue' as a special edition for Barbie’s 65th anniversary. This collaboration continues Heinz's Barbie-inspired creations following last year's film. 5,000 bottles will be sold on the Heinz website, and supermarkets like Tesco will also carry this distinctive pink sauce. We saw a huge number of fun food collabs last year, and the trend doesn't seem to be stopping yet. The big question is, will you be tempted to try it on your vegan hot dog this summer?

TikTok is reportedly developing an AI feature that enables advertisers and brands to create their own virtual influencers for promotional purposes. These AI avatars can be customized by brands and will deliver scripted messages to promote their products and encourage audience engagement. The avatars will be accessible on TikTok's main platform and TikTok Shop. This initiative reflects an ongoing experiment to blend virtual and real influencers together, aiming to enhance brand growth. TikTok has noted that initial tests indicate real influencers are (as expected) currently more effective than virtual ones, although this dynamic could evolve over time.

Actor Glen Powell has credited actress Sydney Sweeney for the role she played in the marketing campaign for blockbuster 'Anyone But You'. The film was hugely popular on Gen Z, and saw a huge marketing effort pre-release, with flirtatious interviews and games being played by the co-stars, longing looks on the red carpet, and more. It appears more and more films these days are utlising the stars to act as 'influencers' for the moive, with podcasts, interviews, and viral clips helping to create a buzz around the film, rather than a simple/traditional trailer. A similar thing was seen with Barbie last year. It appears movie studios are finally understanding what Gen Z are interested in, and are changing their marketing efforts accordingly.

?? Student News - Legal Battles & Job Cuts

A student has lost a legal battle against ‘Britain's strictest school’ over its ban of prayer rituals. Michaela community school in London enforces a series of strict rules on students, including a ban on conversations in corridors and groups of more than 4 anywhere on site.

Sheffield Hallam University staff are to vote on possible strike action over ‘scandalous’ cuts that could lead to 225 academic jobs being axed. This comes after Kent uni staff voted to strike last week, and Swansea announced they are cutting 200 jobs as well. The university funding crisis is certainly causing major problems at the moment.

?? Trend of the Week - Gen Z Ad Preferences

As we've been seeing recently, brands are having to alter their marketing strategies pretty significantly when it comes to targeting the Gen Z market. Traditional methods are no longer working, and this tricky audience require their own dedicated marketing strategy in order for brands to keep up with the competition. But what do Gen Z look for in an advert? We asked our audience to find out more...

More than anything else, Gen Z value humor and casual language in their adverts. Whilst other generations have seen ads focusing on strong visuals or stories, Gen Z prefer something quick and personable. TikTok ads are a prime example of this, with a quick, fun, and casual approach to marketing, combined with some sarcasm or banter, often being the best approach to engaging a younger audience.

But what else do Gen Z value in an advert?

The high-production and narrative-led adverts, such as those seen from Hovis or John Lewis in previous years, no longer seem as popular. Instead, Gen Z prefer a 'to the point' ad, usually on social media, in order to give them the information they need.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, diversity and inclusivity is seemingly more valued amongst Gen Z than with other generations, with 1/3 of our audience stating this as 'very important'. Young people want to feel represented, and they want to see a brand with values, and this all needs to come across in the marketing efforts.

That's all for this week, see you next time!

Freshers Festival Group