A common misconception is that everyone 18-35 is a Millennial. That may have been the case a couple years ago, but as the Millennials are growing up, the Gen Z’ers (AKA Post-Millennials) have been dubbed their own generation based on a few qualities that are worth defining. Generation Z is constructed by those born in 1995 or later. While Millennials are made up of the early 80s and mid-90s babies. Knowing the difference between the two, helps you understand how to shift your experiential marketing efforts, and adapt to the way these generations interact with products and brands better.

Luckily, with experiential marketing we are able to constantly evolve, and find ways to keep the consumers in these categories engaged. Here are some ways:

– Shoot it straight and keep it quick: In the world of Snapchat and Insta-stories, the attention span of these generations is rapidly on the decline. But- don’t assume they aren’t paying attention! Although Gen Z is a lot less focused than Millennials, they’re still paying attention to what’s going on around them because they are better at multi-tasking.  One way to tap into this during a promotional activation is to have engagement pieces and interactive elements that not only grab attention, but can be completed quickly.

– Brand loyalty gets reversed: Gen Z did not have the same upbringing as Millennials. Millennials can look back to a time where they grew up as technology improved. Gen Z was born into an oversaturated technologically advanced world; and because of that they expect everything to come to them. “They expect businesses, brands and retailers to be loyal to them. If they don’t feel appreciated, they’re going to move on. It’s not about them being loyal to the business,” said Marcie Merriman, executive director of growth strategy at Ernst & Young.

– Stay social: Find ways to integrate a social media tie-in to your experiential campaign. Gen Z’ers are some of the most socially equipped consumers out there. Tap into that to encourage a brand presence long after your activation has ended.

– Speak to your audience: When creating experiences regardless of the generation, we cannot stress enough the importance of having the right staff executing your activation. Here at Hype!, we pride ourselves in identifying the ideal Brand Ambassadors to reach the target demographic of the program.  As a staffing partner, we utilize our extensive talent database and are always actively recruiting new staff to ensure we always find the right fit based on the brand!

Ready to get started on your next promotional or experiential marketing campaign? All it takes is a call, a quick email or even fill out our proposal request.