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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