iGen Marketing

By Katherine Williams

The generation born between roughly 1996 and 2012 is often called Generation Z, but there’s another name for this group of young adults: iGen. Because most members of iGen haven’t known a world without Apple products and the internet, the name is quite fitting. With so much of iGen culture happening through social media and entertainment platforms, understanding iGen’s virtual world is key to tapping into this new market.

Not only do iGen members interact with their peers online, but they also turn to the internet to find new brands and follow their favorites. Members of iGen are 59% more likely than older generations to connect with brands over social media. Social media offers a way for iGen users to collect all their favorite brands in one spot, shop for new items, and find small businesses. 

Additionally, 85% of iGen learn about new products via social media. Social media channels now often include a shopping feature on their apps, providing an integrated social-shopping experience that iGen loves. This means that setting up profiles across popular apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat is key to marketing to iGen consumers.

iGen also looks to influencers more than traditional advertising for product recommendations. Because 76% of iGen users follow an influencer on social media, brands should tailor their marketing strategies for iGen accordingly. Reaching out to influencers to support your brand is key in order to establish trust with iGen consumers and gain popularity on social media.

Most importantly, members of iGen care about social justice and equality. 77% of iGen say that they feel more positively toward a brand when they promote equality on their social media, and 71% of iGen want to see more diversity in advertising. Marketing content should show iGen that a brand is worth supporting. Because these young consumers want to know that their money is going to a progressive brand, marketing to iGen is most effective when incorporating messages of social justice into social media content.

As the name suggests, iGen lives and breathes on the internet. Therefore, marketing to iGen needs to prioritize social media content creation and influencer relations. Social media is everything to iGen, and marketing should reflect that. iGen is quickly becoming the most powerful consumer base in the U.S., making it especially important to understand how to personalize marketing strategies for this generation. 

Adolescent Content, a global marketing agency run by Gen Z for Gen Z, can help tailor your marketing strategies to attract your target consumers.