BBDO’s Sadie Gatchalian is a Gen Z whose research offers valuable insights for brands and marketers eager to connect with this generation of true digital natives – straight from the source’s mouth.
Over the years, as brands shift their attention to capturing Gen Z, many articles have been written to try to uncover the mysteries behind the generation that popularised baffling new terms like “cheugy” and memes mocking people that part their hair on one side. So it’s very likely that this isn’t the first article you’ve read that tries to understand Gen Z. But it's most likely the first moment you'll come across research about this generation that was totally made done and served up by the actual person you're curious about.
As part of our BBDO Voices series, “Pinoy Gen Z on Gen Z”, it lays out the details on the group of young Gen Z Filipinos, with valuable insights not just for marketers seeking to capture the attention of Gen Z in the Philippines but also worldwide.
The internet has us meme-ing to deal (with our anxieties)
You’ve read it before, we are the first generation of true digital natives. Most people skim over this fact when reading studies and articles about Filipino Gen Z because it seems like a basic piece of information that’s already known. However, what our research reveals is how this particular fact sets the context for how we young people relate to the world, cope with it and ultimately form our connections with brands.
As digital natives, 72% of us learn about societal and political issues through social media. This exposure has made us apprehensive about the future, with one in two Filipino Gen Z believing that it has increased our fear and anxiety about the world.
To deal with this anxiety, 65% use humour as a coping mechanism, highlighting the importance of memes in our lives. Brands that get our humour and can utilise it effectively have the chance to establish themselves as a relevant presence in our imaginations.
An example is Clean & Clear’s ad, “This commercial doesn't understand you at all”, by BBDO Bangkok. It hits the nail on the head, ironically endearing itself to young people by adopting a tongue-in-cheek approach, openly acknowledging that it’s just one of the many brands trying very hard to capture the attention of the Gen Z audience to resonate with them. It’s a shining example of how to use self-deprecating, self-aware and absurdist Gen Z humour.
Same-same but different
While globalisation and access to information have opened us up to different world views, we still feel that we share a lot of the same values as the older generations. These values just manifest a little differently for our generation.
For example, for older generations, independence at a young age might have meant leaving the nest early or getting married and settling down young. But for Gen Z, this is something entirely different. For us who grew up in the age of YouTube how-to videos and TikTok tutorials, independence at a young age has meant that we didn’t have to wait for grown-ups to swoop in and teach us how to do things. If we wanted to learn how to tie a Windsor or how to make full meals with just a rice cooker, we turned to our phones before we thought to ask someone else for help.
Of course, there are still values that we find unique to our generation, such as self-awareness of mental health and well-being, open-mindedness, and inclusivity and diversity. Unfortunately, we feel misunderstood and judged for being “weak” or “soft” because of these differences. We wonder at the disdain that some older people have about being soft because this is what allows us to be more compassionate to ourselves and others. We actually think that this is what makes us strong.
And because we see the brands we use as extensions of ourselves, they have a huge role to play in being able to bridge generational gaps by reflecting these values out into the world. In fact, three in five Gen Z believe that brands must stand up for meaningful causes relevant to our lives.
BBDO Asia’s study on Brand Purpose in Asia reinforces this point, especially in developing markets like the Philippines. We seek out brands that work to alleviate big picture issues, intensifying our desire for a meaningful brand purpose. This is why campaigns like Selecta’s Happinas campaign, in which the brand offered a “buy one, share one” promo in order to connect people through the isolating ordeal that was the COVID-19 pandemic, touched a chord with many young people who are aware of how loneliness can affect mental health.
You don’t need to dress (like us) to impress (us)
It’s not a secret that authenticity particularly matters to our generation. Our own study shows that one in two dislike it when brands come across as inauthentic, especially when they come off like they’re trying too hard to appeal to us. Instead, we found three key elements that help brands connect to young people in a way that feels genuine to us:
- Consistency
- Honesty
- Personality
Among the three, it’s important to note how a brand’s ability to endear itself to young people by leaning into its strengths through a clear and unique brand personality can go a long way. This Mountain Dew ad is a great example of how the consistently adventure-charged personality of the brand lends itself well to growing affinity with an increasingly Gen Z Filipino gaming community.
Solid communication is based on solid understanding
Ultimately, we are a generation savvier about being marketed to. We can easily see through marketing gimmicks and we hate it when brands rely on the age-old celebrity endorser marketing tactics. We are harder to please. Thus, any effort to market to our generation must be based on a solid understanding of who we are as people, first and foremost, before being about what’s trendy and new.
As Gen Z continues to gain spending power, it is now more essential than ever for brands to take steps towards establishing meaningful connections with us to maintain their relevance in our lives as we slowly but surely take charge of the world.
If we learned one thing from this study, it’s that many of us young people would jump at the chance to tell our stories so that institutions can do a better job of reflecting our presence in society, such as in ads. Brands and marketers alike would do well to invite us to those conversations.
