The coronavirus chronicles: how millennials and Gen-z differ

Part 2

IN last week’s column, we must have surprised many readers when we started discussing the differences between Millennials and Gen-z’s whom many of us seem to lump into one generation. Citing an Inc.com article, 10 Ways to Understand the Difference Between Gen-y and Gen-z, by Phillip Kane, CEO and Managing Partner of Grace Ocean, we shared the remarkably different attitude between these two groups. And what this could possibly mean for your business.

To better understand them, Kane turned to Ypulse and then a host of business professionals for help. Knowing the differences, he says, “will help those who hire them, lead them, and sell to them to make farther better decisions.”

Millennials, according to Ypulse, were born between 1982 and 2000. As mentioned earlier, the oldest of this group have just turned 40. There are some 88 million of them in the United States and are said to have a spending power of US$30.2 billion.

This generation, Kane says, “witnessed the tech explosion, which included the commercialization of the internet and the mobile phone, the introduction of the laptop and the ipod, and the launch of social media.”

Gen-z, on the other hand were born between 2001 and 2019. There are 77.9 million Gen-z’s with a combined spending power of 10.7 billion—a figure that will grow as they mature.

This generation “cannot remember a time before the internet or social media and has had their childhood interrupted by a market crash, racial unrest, and a global pandemic.”

Given the dramatically different backdrops in which these generations grew up and matured “have impacted who they are and have contributed to the clear distinctions that exist between them.” We listed Kane’s first five differences in last week’s column:

1. Millennials were raised in a boom. Z’s in a bust.

2. both generations are stressed out, but gen-z is far more anxious.

3. Millennials are diverse, but

for Z’s, diversity is a cause.

4. gen-z is challenging definitions of sexuality in the ways Millennials have not.

We continue with the next five differences in this column:

6. Millennials have finally cut the cord, but Z’s never had a cord to cut.

Advertisers and prospective employers wanting the attention of Z’s must understand that they are definitely not like Millennials. And in wanting to develop a meaningful relationship with them, they must first create a connection with them.

When it comes to media consumption, for example, Ypulse found out that 21 percent of Millennials are still on cable, while the majority of Z’s hang out on Youtube. It’s what they grew up on, 64 percent of Z’s get their media content on, and it fact, it’s the first place they go to find information about anything. Millennials, though are catching up and using more of Youtube.

7. Millennials started social media, but Z’s are driving what’s next.

While it is true that the social media phenomenon initially exploded during the adolescent and young adult years of Millennials; Gen-z’s are writing their own social media chapter.

The single biggest difference between the generations: Millennials prefer text-based platforms, while Z’s prefer visual-based media. And their social media preferences tell the story: Tiktok is now the platform where trends start.

Alex Ma, co-founder and CEO of Poparrazzi, has a pretty good take on this: “Millennials grew up seeing the internet as a tool. Genz grew up on the internet, so they see this as a place.” Employers and advertisers seeking to reach these generations need to go where they hang out.

8. Millennials watched the first online creators; Z’s are under the influencer effect.

Kane says that Z’s are far more likely to both follow and buy something created by or endorsed by an online influencer than Millennials. Y-pulse has found out that 60 percent of Z’s follow an online creator versus just 42 percent among Millennials.

While Kane acknowledges that the Covid-19 lockdowns may have facilitated this connection, he believes that this goes beyond this. He believes that there are success stories that Z’s want to emulate and role models they look up to and learn from. Besides, “50 percent of Z’s now see social media as a viable side hustle. This phenomenon promises to have significant impact on both advertising and investment trades for the foreseeable future.”

9. they value different brands

While both generations share a number of common brand preferences, their buying habits are different.

As lifestyle influencer and fashion veteran Amanda Maxwell told Kane, “Gen-zs care more about the emotional appeal of the article of clothing and don’t care whether it’s designer or not. To me it’s a big deal and will affect luxury companies in a big way.”

Maxwell, a Millennial, goes further: “in my generation, women always have a nice bag. It’s always a designer, or LOOKS designer. Now, with Z’s no longer caring about designers, most of them carry around a cotton tote bag that’s usually been given to them by some organization.”

With this, Kane believes that companies should pay attention to this shift. “We now have luxury designers creating tote bags for hundreds of dollars,” Maxwell observes. “By and large, only Millennials buy them.”

10. Millennials grew up gaming, but Z’s are playing in the metaverse

While both Ys and Zs grew up gaming and continue to game as adults – Ypulse says it is 88 percent of Z’s and 70 percent of Millennials—what makes Gen-z different is the way they have embraced the metaverse.

According to Tina Mulqueen, CEO at Kindred PR, “Gen-z has grown up socializing in the context of video games. They are more likely to spend money on status symbols in these environments, like skins for their avatars that serve a social proof function and to adopt new technologies for communicating and socializing.”

Kane also highlights the independent nature of this generation, adding that Z’s are far more inclined to be alone and to work alone than their Millennial counterparts. This, he says, “is a fact that employers must not fix, but accommodate and deal if they are to be successful in the future.”

We hope that we have established that Millennials and Z’s are two distinct generations and it would not be fair to lump them into one group.

Generation Z, the new gang in town, is a fiercely independent group, intent on making the world a better place, less concerned with status than with equity. While they are cautious and anxious about their futures, they are not afraid of technology or speaking the truth to power.

Courtney Miller, EVP at Edelman says that, “the cultural forces shaping Gen-z’s beliefs have affected them in positive and negative ways, but as a result has created a highly sensible generation—they value realism, safety, and security, and solving real problems.”

This is something for communicators and brands to keep in mind as we reach out to this new generation.

5. both want to make a difference, but gen-z thinks their generation needs to speak up!

PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the senior vice president for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chair.

We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.