Why Gen Z Marketing Agencies Are Your Secret Weapon 

TL;DR 

A fun-sized summary of this article

The best way to know Gen Z, is to be Gen Z - that's why it's best to work with agencies that can give you a direct line to us. 

Our generation is not a monolith, and brands that want to reach us should account for our differences (and contradictions) in their strategy.

To be loved is to be known; while traditional advertising is not really our thing, we love it when brands connect with us in personalized ways.

Gen Z’s vibe is… a bit contradictory. 

Our generation is well accounted to crave individuality, authenticity, and self-expression; we’re the most diverse demographic on the planet and celebrate the differences that come with that, alongside freedom of choice and social responsibility. 

…On the other hand. 

Behaviorally, it is also well accounted for that Gen Z spends a massive amount of our time indulging in hyper-categorization, fighting over pop culture takes on the internet, and adopting trends at a rate so fast we’re churning out new vocabulary to define it. 

We love sustainability - and microtrends. We are picky customers, nearly frugal - except we do love our ✨little treats✨. 

Simply put, Gen Z isn’t monolithic; brands shouldn’t expect our behavior to be either. But the dichotomies in our demographic can be a challenge to execute around, and an even bigger one to cater to. That’s where Gen Z marketing agencies come in - the missing piece of your brand strategy. 

The New Rules

The worst thing you can do to reach Gen Z is what you already know. We hate - and I mean hate - traditional marketing approaches. Our brains have practically developed internal ad-blockers to thwart them. Anything that breaks through will have to feel custom-made for us, individualized through an understanding of how to take user data and translate that into engagement. 

Identity Online

Gen Z puts many of ourselves online (many have debated too much, but whatever). Social media is our *very public* outlet of self-expression. Whether it be focused on community, content creation, personal branding, or shit posting, what you post says as much about you as where you do it; brands aren’t the only ones thinking of how they should live online. 

Marketing to adolescents in the age of online identity has flipped traditional advertising strategy on its head. We’re not looking for brands that simply sell a product; we’re searching for brands that help us curate our individual and collective personas. 

We live in niches, and want you to join us there; today’s content marketing agencies need to account for that. Yes, this degree of fragmentation is difficult to navigate - but it’s also so worth it. Gen Z is highly engaged, and wants your brand’s attention as much as you want theirs. 

Why Gen Z Marketing Agencies Are Essential

So going back to that idea of ‘throw away what you know’ - that’s also going to include what you hear, unless it's from a specialized source. The truth is that much of today’s generational research on Gen Z is flawed. Conducted by outdated experts who are detached from the actual culture they’re studying, no one knows the right questions to ask - never mind the implications of their answers. Misinterpreted data = misguided strategies. 

Gen Z marketing agencies are the missing part of the equation. We know Gen Z, because, in part, we are Gen Z.  Thus, our methods are designed to engage peer-to-peer and our approach is culture-first. Centering Gen Z as co-creators allows us to position brands with insider information, and provide strategy that is targeted, actionable, and deeply rooted in the real experiences of our generation. 

Gen Z agencies aren’t interested in retro-fitting old strategies into today’s landscape; we’re here to redefine youth marketing, because it's clear Webster needs a refresh. 

(inserts exasperation face emoji).