Why Companies Must Adapt Their PR Approach When Targeting a Generation of Digital Natives
By Danielle Gober, Account Strategist — Otter PR
In today’s ever-growing and ever-evolving digital world, attention spans are becoming increasingly shorter as viral trends come and go at lightning speed. As a result, businesses and organizations seeking to reach Generation Z through content that resonates with that demographic are presented with a unique set of challenges.
Gen Z — those born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s — are the first generation to grow up completely immersed in the digital world, as smartphones, the internet, social media, and constant connectivity have always been the norm. This has led Gen Z to have both an innate digital fluency as well as a natural distrust of traditional advertising methods, which has posed issues for businesses, influencers, and thought leaders seeking to gain their attention and build trust among members of this generation.
Here are some strategies and approaches to keep in mind when leveraging PR to engage with Gen Z. By applying some of these strategies, brands can not only connect with this unique demographic but also develop a community of loyal followers.
Stay ahead of trends
Gen Z is always “in the know” about the latest trends, so brands have to stay on trend (or better yet, ahead of trends) if they hope to have their content resonate with this generation of digital natives. If your content or products are not TikTok-worthy, Gen Z is likely to lose interest easily and move on to the next piece of short-form, funny, and engaging content.
Highlight sustainability initiatives
According to recent studies, 3 out of 4 members of Gen Z care more about the sustainability of a product than the brand name. With this in mind, businesses and brands need to appeal to the empathetic side of this demographic if they want to leave a positive and memorable impact.
Compared to past generations, Gen Z cares far more about what big corporations are doing to tackle issues such as climate change, wage gaps, and DEI, as well as the philanthropic efforts those businesses contribute toward. If you want to resonate with Gen Z, be sure to highlight how your initiatives are addressing these concerns through your PR efforts.
Beware the tropes of yesteryear
Gen Z is not one easily fooled by old-school PR tactics that may have worked well in the past. For example, when Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner announced their split, Jonas’s PR team went on the attack, attempting to paint Turner as a party girl who was essentially abandoning her children. Gen Z went on the offensive, immediately digging up old videos that stood in stark contrast to how Jonas’s PR team was portraying Turner, and took to TikTok to expose the real story.
In the end, Gen Z shut down the old trope that a woman currently going through a divorce cannot be seen out on the town or doing anything for herself without her children in tow. The bygone approaches to crisis PR will not work on a generation that is socially savvy and brings receipts.
Transparency is key
It’s been said that any content published on the internet is there forever, and Gen Z is also aware of this. Since members of this generation have been watching glimpses of other people’s lives on the internet for over 20 years, they know how to do their research and navigate the digital online landscape to get to the truth of a story.
If the media is attempting to spin something a certain way, Gen Z will typically have little trouble digging up the truth in a matter of minutes. Businesses and brands would be wise to keep this in mind throughout their PR efforts to ensure they remain honest and transparent about any potential or apparent issues Gen Z may have to avoid triggering a crisis response scenario.
Decades ago, it was much easier for a company or brand to push a specific product or narrative with little (if any) resilience from consumers. Gen Z, however, will not be open to a new weight-loss campaign that doesn’t include body positivity, nor will they simply accept the word of supposed “self-made” millionaires or billionaires without double-checking for nepotism.
This is not to say that Gen Z is constantly seeking to catch people in lies, they are simply holding the brands that are competing for their attention accountable. If the standard they seek is not met, they will be the first to let those brands know — often publicly and without pulling any verbal punches.
Brands that want to stay relevant and successful must carefully navigate the modern PR landscape when targeting Gen Z. As the first digital-native generation, Gen Z seeks authenticity, truth, and meaningful connections in their engagement through content that resonates with them and speaks to their values on a more personal level.
By staying flexible, authentic, and attuned to trends, brands can reach Gen Z, building lasting relationships that will stay with them as they age.
— Danielle Gober is an Orlando native and a graduate of Rollins College where she earned her Bachelor’s in communication and public relations. She loves connecting with people and believes interpersonal communication is the best way to accomplish anything successfully. She loves creative writing, finding ways to make her fashion obsession more sustainable, and learning new public relations strategies. Gober’s work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Forbes, Better Homes and Gardens, and CNN Underscored.
