When discussing Gen Z, it’s easy to get caught up in the discussion around mass versus niche targeting.
As a brand manager or marketer, the question as to whether brands should create a single ad, with mass reach intention and a broadly appealing communication style, or rather tailor their messaging specifically to Gen Zs is not easily answered.
As it stands, I advocate for leveraging both mass and niche styles of communication – not as an either-or approach, but as complementary strategies – both of which can work as well as the other.
Marketers in this space know that technology and the internet have created a fragmented digital word, necessitating brands to be everywhere, all at once. However, different channels and pockets of digital communities operate differently, demanding that brands adapt accordingly.
This brings us to the rise of niche communities, which are abundant among this digitally native generation. In fact, it may very well define Gen Zs.
The rise of niche communities
I am willing to posit that the emergence of niche communities are a result of a growing desire for self-expression and self-reflection. This signifies a shift from demographics to psychographics, whereby groups of people no longer identify by their age or gender but rather their shared values and interests.
This evolution is critical when discussing the pursuit of this generation.
Though Gen Zs live in a hyperconnected world, at the same time they are telling us that they feel more and more disconnected from the world around them. In fact, research points to the fact that Gen Zs might just be the “loneliest generation”.
Lonely generation
A loneliness survey conducted by Cigna reveals that 73% of Gen-Zs report feeling alone. More specifically, among workers in the age group 18-22 years, 73% report that they sometimes or always feel alone, up from 69% a year ago.
The same study found that there is a greater feeling of loneliness among people who use social media more frequently – and that it is younger workers who are experiencing loneliness more than their older co-workers.
This concurs with another study conducted by the American Psychological Association showing that when adolescents spend more time on social media, while neglecting physical connections, they become significantly more lonely than those who spend less time on social media.
It’s important then to know how Gen Zs work to resolve this. While they might not go out into the real world to fill the void, they actively pursue the online world as their ‘go-to’ place to make deep and meaningful connections.
To accomplish this, they are not gravitating to mainstream avenues, but rather finding refuge in niche digital communities, based on shared experiences, backgrounds, or passions that may not be widely represented in mainstream culture.
These communities offer them a sense of authenticity and belonging, compared to mainstream culture which they experience as impersonal.
Self-expression is the driver
To further understand how self-expression became so much more important over time, let’s dive deeper into the evolution of technology and how it has fundamentally impacted our behaviour and expectations from brands.
The entertainment and music industry illustrates this well.
Before the advent of high-speed internet, we all had limited access to resources to create, distribute and consume content. We also had a far more limited selection of media we could consume, and places and spaces to consume it.
Some of us will remember waiting until 20:00 on a Sunday night every week to watch the blockbuster movie on one of the four available channels, waiting to listen to the latest Top 10 countdown on our favourite radio station and buying vinyls, cassettes, and CDs to build our music collection.
Let’s call this the “less options, more patience” era, when we patiently and happily accepted a limited number of music choices, ads, movies and TV shows, many of which wouldn’t warrant the time of day now.
Fast forward to the new reality
Fast forward to our new reality where access to infrastructure, like high-speed internet and innovative tech extends to cellphones, personal computers, iPads and tablets – opening a world of endless choice for the consumer.
Top this off with the introduction and rise of social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and a myriad streaming services, all aimed at democratised content creation, distribution, and consumption – and it’s evident that ease of communication, searchability and discovery are far, far more accessible than ever before.
This is most relevant to Gen Z in the context of content creation. Where once upon a time, the most likely way to get your music heard by millions of people was by signing a record deal, now any youngster in their basement can record a song, post, publish or perform it across streaming platforms and generate a million views – or even create a TikTok dance – which can lead to the song going viral.
Consumers now have the power to curate their everyday experiences based on what THEY want, and not what someone else thinks they want and need, and this has fuelled a furious desire for self-expression.
This is the world of the Gen Z, where self-expression is a core value, deeply linked to a sense of belonging and satisfaction with life.
And this integrally informs the mass vs niche marketing debate.
Self-reflection and product-lifestyle fit
Most brands have numerous competitors, including start-up brands, that can create products, and provide services that are very similar – making a clearly defined brand identity a critical differentiator.
It’s important that marketers understand that Gen Zs are more concerned with their own personal brand, than your brand, and how their world is a reflection of their own brand – representing their aspirations, beliefs and values. They seek out and purchase from brands that they view as an extension of self. Hence, self-reflection.
Edelmen’s 2024 Trust Barometer succinctly encapsulates this. “For Gen Z, brands are how they use their voice; their choices and preferences of brands serve as a testament to their values and actions.”
To earn Gen Zs’ trust, brands must ensure Gen Z consumers hear, see and believe their values and intentions.
At the end of the day, when a Gen Z purchases from a brand, they’re looking for a product-lifestyle fit; in other words, they evaluate their choice by the degree to which a brand and its products align with who they are, their values and their lifestyles.
This product-lifestyle fit is most effectively achieved through storytelling – a realm where Gen Zs live comfortably, both as creators and audiences.
Mass vs niche
Figuring out when to employ mass or niche marketing is the key to successfully reaching your audience.
A good analogy would be to liken mass reach communication to a group chat, and niche communication to the personal DM.
Mass reach communication can be leveraged to push out a unifying message that delivers a human truth shared by everyone, which all can relate to and resonate with regardless of age. The key goal would be awareness of brand intent.
Once the brand intent is out, niche communication would then be leveraged to continue the conversation and have a deeper, and more meaningful discussion relevant to specific targeted audiences.
Adidas’ latest brand campaign, You Got This, gets it right. The main ad features a diversity of sports, held together with a unifying message which is “When you play sport on your own terms, pressure doesn’t stand a chance”. This is the ‘group chat’.
Niche marketing is then employed to get consumers across the line. The Adidas campaign’s storytelling narrative then dives into specific sports and tells a relatable story that resonates with specific audiences – that’s your ‘DM’.
The MMA’s own research provides valuable insights into both strategies and advocates adopting a balanced approach. Findings show that, while mass marketing can build brand awareness, integrating niche marketing strategies ensures deeper engagement and loyalty among Gen Zs.
For more detailed insights and case studies, you can explore the MMA Global website here.
Also known as The Blck Sparrow, Anesu Malisa, Samsung Africa’s Gen Z marketing lead, and the newly elected vice-chair of the MMA SA Youth Development Board, is a multi-hyphenate creative, who loves to express himself through music, TikTok comedy, scriptwriting, and more. With prior experience as a youth mentor, content creator, and a tech start-up founder, this cultivated Malisa’s deep love and passion for technology, storytelling, connecting brands to Gen Z, and most importantly, raising the next generation of creative innovators.
- Instagram/TikTok: @TheBlckSparrow
- LinkedIn: Anesu Malisa
