GEN Z ZING7 WAYS TO PUT THE
ZING INTO GEN Z INNOVATION
PUTTING ZING INTO GEN Z INNOVATION
Generation Z is the next big opportunity for brand
innovation. How will we create products and services to appeal to
this cohort of kids who are post-Millennials, second-generation
digital natives born at the turn of the century? Under-researched, Gen Z is still a generation in the
making with formative experiences yet to fix generational
traits. Nevertheless innovation opportunities are emerging along
with a distinctive set of Generation Z needs
1. DIGITAL DNA
If Gen Y ‘Millennials’ were the connected generation, then Gen Z is hyper-connected. Gen Z’ers rely on no fewer than five screens for their digital fix, and 40% of their free time is dedicated to screen-time. Digital is not merely native
to Gen Z, it is innate. Consuming, communicating and creating their lives via connected screens, digital
connectivity is the new oxygen for this cohort of hyper-connected
kids
Gen Z Opportunity #1: deliver the connectivity fix Gen Z
crave and expect
2. CREATIVITY CALLING
Gen Z are growing up into a new ‘Maker’ movement where
technology is not just about consuming and communicating, but creating. From productivity apps to 3D printing and self-
publishing, Gen Z are bathed in a culture that increasingly reveres
creativity, and the technology that can now deliver it. For Gen Z, it’s
as much about making stuff as consuming stuff
Gen Z Opportunity #2: help, inspire and enable a new generation of Gen Z creatives
3. REALISM RULES
If Gen Y were relentlessly upbeat and optimistic, Gen Z are shaping up to be more realistic about the
world and their place in it. Technology is not seen as the
panacea to all ills, and this cohort takes its technology with a dash of
Hunger Games-style dystopia. Realistic about the dark side of
technology in limiting freedoms, privacy and opportunities, Gen Z
are digital realists
Gen Z Opportunity #3: help Gen Z win against the System
and deal with digital dystopia
4. SHARE NO MORE?
Gen Y were open and compulsive sharers, but Gen Z prefer private
and selective sharing through Ello, SnapChat, Secret and Whisper. Growing up in a world of Big
Data, Big Brother surveillance and identity theft, privacy is shaping up to be a matter that matters
massively to this generation
Gen Z Opportunity #4: harness the renewed desire for
privacy and confidentiality
5. BUBBLE-WRAP ME
Sometimes dubbed the 'bubble-wrap generation’, Gen Z are being
brought up protected and safe from the world of recession,
corruption, volatility, and insecurity. As they grow out of the
bubblewrap and into an unsafe and threatening world, Gen Z may seek refuge in a new 'safe place’
Gen Z Opportunity #5: bubble-wrap the lives of Gen Z by offering
safety and security
6. LIFE AT LIGHT SPEED
Gen Z has a need for speed. Living in an accelerated culture, real-time is the new prime time
and there is a need to communicate with speed. Instant, on-demand technology, rapid-fire communication and a culture of
instant-obsolescence is shaping a now-or-never generation who
need satisfaction faster or not at all. Less patient than Gen Y elders, Gen Z hate to wait
Gen Z Opportunity #6: help Gen Z live and love life in the fast lane
7. RENT IT
Why own something when you can rent it? With values being forged by streaming technology, digital feeds, subscription services, and an emergent ‘sharing economy’ Gen Z is shaping up to become ‘generation rent’. Having all the
benefits of ownership without the hassle of ownership makes smart
sense to this generation
Gen Z Opportunity #7: find new ways to consume, share and enjoy
without owning
‘GEN Z’ ZING
1. Digital DNA… deliver the connectivity fix they crave
2. Creativity Calling… help, inspire and enable creativity
3. Realism Rules… help them deal with digital dystopia
4. Share no more?… deliver on privacy and confidentiality
5. Bubble-wrap me… offer safety and comfort
6. Life at life speed… helping live and love life in the fast lane
7. Rent it… new modes of non-ownership consumption
WHY THE ‘GEN Z’ ZEAL?
Generations, like people, have personalities. While there are many differences within generations, not
least across cultures and regions, our connected world means global cohorts increasingly share key influences; from a common life-stage, to global media and the shared experience of major
events and trends. The result is a generational mindset that is more
global than ever before: Generation Z - second-generation ‘digital natives’ -
are at tomorrow’s cutting edge of this shift
We believe that by collaborating with lead Gen Z (and Gen Y) thinkers and
influencers, future-focused brands will identify exciting new opportunities that are internationally relevant & scalable
RESOURCES
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