People are not market segments or customers — they’re just people. Somewhere between all the retargeting and cross-device tracking and micro-fencing, the online marketing industry forgot this. Luckily the industry has a new wave of younger and savvier consumers to remind it. Next-generation consumers aren’t naive about how their personal data is used and they don’t want to make themselves easy targets. With endless apps competing for their attention, greater awareness of the ways major platforms operate, and a higher disposition to avoid advertising, they are now the most difficult audience to reach.

The rise of browser extensions such as Ad Blocker, Incognito Mode on Google Chrome and Fluff Buster on Facebook are a sign of the skeptical times. The reach and speed with which microtrends and microbrands spread across social media are a threat to complacency and a reminder that even the most fashionable brand today can fall to the bottom of the feed tomorrow.

Consumer trust in marketing needs some TLC. Generation Z are hungrier than ever for brands to become more ethical with data, to use media in surprising and creative ways and for more independant, honest and relevant information at their fingertips. The rise in online reviews and a greater reliance on the opinions of peers are symptoms of this growing consumer appetite.

A recent PricewaterhouseCooper study found that “80% of consumers look at online reviews before making major purchases and have a strong influence on the decisions people make.” Customers turn to platforms such as Amazon or TripAdvisor to find a solid encouragement or confirmation of brands. Your average consumer is now practically a genius when it comes to digital goods. Furthermore, a recent study published by Kantar Millward Brown’s AdReaction which interviewed nearly 24,000 people aged 16 to 49 in 39 countries concluded that, “Generation Z — or those aged 16 to 19 — demand humorous commercials, like to co-create with brands and want to watch videos that are less than 10 seconds long.” They also discovered that, “most challenging of all, they (GenX, Y and Z) are most likely to physically avoid ads, with 69% doing so, versus a global figure of 50%.” This illuminates that the younger the consumer audience, the less likely they are to pay attention to ads on their screen. This is the paradox of the digital world; we have more ways than ever to reach our customers but it is becoming increasingly difficult to actually connect with them. The customer experience is becoming more important than technology and marketing. This suggests, that if someone has an expectation of a negative experience, feels that the content is irrelevant, or if the they are skeptical towards the advertising message or medium, they will actively avoid the advertising in a social media context and could even become ‘brand repulsed’.

Social media has had an adverse impact on consumers, creating highly autonomous and idiosyncratic thinkers instead of the ‘average’ consumer. In turn, this has ‘transformed targeted buyer demographics into cult like gatherings that fit into a larger frameworks that are brand independent, brand agnostic, brand loyal, or brand repulsed.’ A good example of a campaign which respected consumers’ time and interests, is the recent “Truth” campaign from The New York Times. Simplistic yet respectful, this campaign seemed to speak to thoughtful subscribers in an increasingly complex and false media world. Media placements in a mix of traditional TV, out of home and digital world seemed to reassure and speak directly to the concerns of the public about ‘fake news’. Pipes and subscriptions seem to have a list of advantages over brand ads and huge marketing campaigns. With benefits such as more consistent income, lower marketing costs, flexibility and control over customer experience, better quality data, potential for AI and better access to capital the decision seems like a no brainer. Equipped as they are with mental and digital ad-blockers, GenZ are an elusive audience to reach. Begging the question, how to source authentic, engaging material? How to facilitate and measure macro and micro trends through rapidly changing content across billions of devices?

Who better then to turn to than GenZ themselves? The typical teenager didn’t need to study marketing to learn how to build cross-channel communities with sky high organic engagement levels. Not to mention a regular feed of funny, honest content delivered in an authentic voice. Tomorrow’s customers won’t be reached via high profile celebrity influencers or professional affiliate marketers. The honest, authentic content people share with one another has more relevance, reach and resonance with their peers than unsolicited ads on social media ever could. The next generation might be elusive to brands but they are listening to one another. And they are happy to get involved in marketing and recommend the brands and products they love — providing they are recognized and rewarded for their work.

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