Gen Z is undoubtedly revolutionizing the consumer landscape. Growing up in a digital world, this generation has distinct preferences and expectations that brands need to understand in order to effectively engage them.
As brands build out their chance-to-win promotions, attempting to draw in shoppers with sweepstakes and contests, it’s important to consider what will actually appeal to this extremely influential audience with an estimate of $360 billion in spending power (and growing). How can brands develop successful consumer promotions that actually draw in the often-elusive Gen Z shopper?
Understanding Gen Z Shoppers
To build effective promotions for a Gen Z audience, it’s important to understand who they are as shoppers and as people.
These shoppers are digital-obsessed; they grew up with technology and are comfortable with digital platforms. They spend a lot of time online, particularly on social media platforms. With so much information at their fingertips, however, their attention spans have grown short – they tend to prefer quick, engaging content (see the success of TikTok!).
Gen Zers value authenticity, seeking genuine interactions and transparency from brands. And they’re great at spotting inauthentic marketing – which can turn them off to a brand immediately. They’re also socially conscious, preferring brands that align with their values and even take a stand on important social issues rather than remaining passive. Gen Zers speak up for what they believe in and like to support brands that do the same.
Gen Zers also place a high value on community and peer recommendations, often trusting influencers, reviews, and other forms of user-generated content (UGC) over traditional advertising.
What to Consider When Crafting an Engaging Promotion for Gen Zers
Digital experiences are at the heart of Gen Z’s interaction with brands. With all this in mind, how can brands tailor their chance-to-win promotions to make sure they’re building sweepstakes and contests that Gen Zers actually want to enter?
Ease of entry
Ease of entry is always important, but especially so for Gen Zers, who consistently value convenience and simplicity – they’re not going to want to enter a chance-to-win promotion that isn’t easy to participate in. Lower any barriers to entry by appealing to their short attention spans with simple mechanics. Keep the entry process straightforward and quick, and try to avoid lengthy forms or complicated steps that could deter participation. Make sure to provide clear and concise instructions on how to enter to keep things intuitive.
Additionally, make sure your entry forms and promotion content are fully optimized for mobile devices, as Gen Z primarily accesses the internet on their smartphones.
Leverage social media
Where do you go to find Gen Zers? Social media! So it only makes sense to leverage social media when running sweepstakes or contests. How you do this will vary depending on your goals for the promotion, but one way to use social media is to use it to promote the contest. Make sure to look into the rules for promotions on specific platforms to ensure compliance, but sharing your contest or sweepstakes to your brand’s social media account can be a great way to encourage entries by meeting Gen Zers where they’re already at.
Also, make sure to tailor your content to the platform you’re on. For example, you may want to use Instagram for visually appealing images, stories and Reels, TikTok for short, fun videos, and Snapchat for real-time interactions.
Encourage creativity
Gen Zers are creative and love expressing themselves – tap into this by designing promotions that allow for creative input. You might do this by creating a hashtag challenge on a platform like TikTok or Instagram, where you encourage participants to create and share content using your branded hashtag. Creative contests are a win-win; they lead to UGC for your brand and let Gen Zers unleash their creative potential while sharing your brand with their network.
You also could host some kind of design contest where participants can design their own products, create unique artwork or submit their ideas for your brand. Reward your favorite entries with prizes or feature them on your brand’s social channels.
Partner with micro-influencers
Micro-influencers, with their loyal and engaged followers, can be incredibly effective in reaching Gen Z; 61% of Gen Zers report that they trust the social media influencers they see online. When choosing micro-influencers to partner with, search for people whose values and content align with your brand. Remember, authenticity is key; Gen Z can quickly spot inauthentic endorsements.
Also, keep it collaborative, and work together to craft content that feels organic. That being said, give influencers the creative freedom to present your brand in their unique style. This once again ensures that the promotion feels genuine and relatable to their followers.
Targeted prizing strategies
Prizes are probably the most powerful draw for any promotion, so it’s crucial to tailor your prizing strategy to appeal to Gen Z. This is likely the main reason they’ll enter your contest or sweepstakes!
You may want to consider experiential rewards; Gen Zers tend to value experiences over products. This could include concert tickets, travel vouchers, celebrity meet and greets or exclusive event access, to name just a few ideas. Gen Z especially loves experiences they can share on social media!
If you don’t go the experience route, you could also appeal to their tech-savvy nature with the latest gadgets, like a new smartphone, gaming console or high-quality pair of headphones.
You may even want to offer personalized rewards that cater to the individual preferences of your winner(s). This might include custom merchandise or personalized experiences that make the winner feel special and valued by your brand.
Developing successful consumer promotions for Gen Z requires a deep understanding of their preferences and behavior. By following these recommendations, brands can build a better chance of creating a promotion that resonates deeply with Gen Zers to foster brand engagement and advocacy. Embrace these strategies as you build your next chance-to-win promotion, and watch as Gen Z shoppers become loyal advocates for your brand.
Josh Ginsberg leads the Breaktime Media team as President, working with Global CPGs including General Mills, Mars Inc., Mondelez International, Nestle, Unilever and more. He is a final judge of the Shopper and Commerce Marketing Effies for his expertise and thought leadership in the CPG and Shopper Marketing space. Ginsberg is a Co-founder of the company, and prior to building out what is now Breaktime Media, he had been focused on technology in the commerce marketing and shopper engagement space and developed his CPG background in the beverage industry at the Boston Beer Company. His most important role is dad to his two daughters and husband to his wife.
