Weekly
Digest
#14
"What are we doing for social?"
Dr. Alex Lickerman called the Internet “an electronic drug that often yanks us away from the physical world.” While correlation doesn’t always equal causation, this specific issue arose with the emergence of the internet and social media, theoretically meant to help us connect. The truth and irony in this is more accepted and widespread than ever.
The sentiment is reflected in the world of marketing, specifically in the effectiveness of social media marketing. Brands hoped social would help them engage and converse with consumers. But across platforms, the top followed accounts are often celebrities and sports personalities. And for every Apple or Pepsi, there are plenty of others struggling to make noise in the cluttered space of online media.
The research confirms this: only 11% of a company’s followers see an organic Facebook post and only 0.22% engage with them. While brands vie so desperately to establish a relationship, it’s fair to wonder if it’s one consumers ever even wanted. After all, brands are not friends, even if we have bothered to “like” them on Facebook.
Living in the attention economy we do, our time is our most valuable asset. Social media metrics try to define engagement, but no concrete measurement exists because we can’t (yet?) measure attention. Is watching exactly a few seconds of a video online the same as giving your undivided attention to something, maybe even sharing it with friends? In English you say, “pay attention,” whereas in French, you say "faire attention," which poses attention more as an action you do. Whether you’re doing or paying, both structures suggest attention is either a currency or a process—neither of which are untrue.
Social media is a powerful tool and one that has been in its prime for the better part of a decade. Yet we’ve still figured out how to render it sustainable and meaningful in a non-intrusive way… not yet at least. As we move forward in this digital age, brands have no choice but to be smarter about their social media practices. Whatever ideals of transparency and authenticity millennials have introduced, the next generation of consumers, Gen Z, are making them a purchasing prerequisite.
Gen Connect
The internet has spoken about millennials ad nauseam. Advertisers love them for their buying power while others find them to be entitled and demanding. But while we’re focused on today’s biggest consumers, tomorrow’s are already queuing up for the takeover. Gen Z, those born in the mid-90s to early 2000s, are expected to comprise $44 billion in buying power by 2025 according to a study by Sparks & Honey Culture Forecast. It’s no wonder brands are paying attention.
So how is Gen Z shaping the future of the connected consumer? The biggest way is in who they consider influencers and what they expect from them. Gen Z tends to value radical transparency and conscious consumption more than hyper-constructed branding and celebrity spokespeople. Where other generations have looked to their favorite athletes and actors for product endorsements, Gen Z seeks and trusts messages from influencers their own age. They want content produced by and for their age group, those they can trust know them best.
What else do they want? Responsiveness and loyalty in new and paramount ways. If a brand doesn’t anticipate their needs or respond to messages on social media within approximately six hours, they’ll consider switching. They believe loyalty is earned and they want to do business with brands that give it as much as they expect it. Lastly, they’re looking to brands not to influence a conversation, but provide the platform upon which to have it. Leaning into that truth and going with the flow of the conversation will bode better for companies than clamoring for a sense of control. The times are changing and only those who are willing to unflinchingly adapt will thrive.
Photo credits: Rami Al-zayat (top post) and James Bak (bottom post)
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