Younger generations are taking over in marketing and advertising on social media, and it shows.

Whether actual members of those generations get hired in the roles and start creating content or others simply play into the trend, many companies produce what the younger generations look for, as the younger generation has taken center stage for marketers in the 2020s.

I, for one, enjoy it, but maybe that’s because I’m a part of those younger generations.

According to an article on Digital Marketing News, “Gen Z is a generation that demands authenticity, transparency, and social responsibility from the brands it supports. Born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, this digitally native generation is shaping online trends and behaviors, making it a critical audience for marketers.”

Gen Z is looking for authenticity, but shouldn’t everyone?

Advertisements previously have been an over-exaggeration of a product, making it look like the hottest thing on the market, or making a brand outshine its competitors.

But I think seeing simplicity and truth can have a more powerful message.

I’ve noticed the change in marketing and advertising strategies progressing over time, seeing it gradually come into play, but, this week, I happened to notice it in a post on Grand Valley State University’s Instagram.

The post was a slideshow featuring GVSU campus photos, with various texts layered on each slide. The post claimed that the texts were responses they received after sending out a GVSUAlert! notification announcing that classes were remote for the day because of weather conditions.

The slides featured messages like, “Bet thanks,” “Thank you! Imma kiss you when I see you,” and, “I love you Louie,” as if the alert was sent from the school’s mascot.

It was one of the most non-serious posts I’ve seen, and I noticed it’s a great example of what’s becoming more of a pattern and trend in today’s marketing. It shows a kind of authenticity and humor that Gen Z can be known for.

It’s smart, really, playing into the content we’re looking for when scrolling through social media: something visually compelling, shareable, and relatable. The more people who enjoy the post, the more likely they are to share, therefore increasing the number of users who see the post.

When we open apps like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc., we’re searching for entertainment, something to capture our attention and encourage us to keep scrolling. Why shouldn’t marketing and advertising play into that content?

Agencies also take into account the short attention spans of younger generations.

Keystone Education Group reported, “Research conducted by Microsoft in 2015 found that the average attention span of Gen Z individuals was only about eight seconds, four seconds less than that of millennials. The study attributes this decrease to the generation’s constant exposure to digital content and multiple screens.”

Whether the short attention span is a good thing or bad, it has been proven in multiple studies to be true.

With that truth comes knowing how to use it for whatever goal you might have.

It means creators should be paying attention to the first few sentences of an article or those eight seconds at the start of a video, knowing how critical those are in capturing the audience.

Those factors show that a brand knows how to connect with its audience, or at least part of its audience.

All that makes me curious about what other generations think of those tactics, because, despite how funny I thought GVSU’s post was, I’m sure it wouldn’t have resonated the same with older generations.

It made me realize, though, that, perhaps, that post wasn’t meant for them. GVSU’s target audience is younger generations, so their content is made to reflect that.

Also, social media itself is certainly more popular with younger generations, but, either way, each user’s feed is geared toward them. It’s based on an algorithm, showing you more content that you’re interested in based on the posts you interact with, content you search for, what you share, etc.

So, older generations might not even see the posts that younger generations might see, and, instead, they are seeing advertisements that better suit their interests, focusing on what they would rather see in an ad or post.

It’s all a part of the role technology and digital marketing play in our lives.

It’ll be interesting to see the way marketing and advertising will continue to develop as it plays into the hands of various audiences.

Torianna Marasco can be reached at 989-358-5686 or tmarasco@TheAlpenaNews.com.