What is going on inside younger people’s minds? What motivates them the most and draws their attention? These are questions that this session intended to answer. Joeri Van den Bergh, a Future Consumer Expert from Belgium, along with other speakers, gave a deep insight into the mental-based needs of the younger generations and what we can do so as to approach them successfully.
The key to the successful connection is to narrate a story clearly and rapidly with facilitated context, the way Parastoo Saeidi tries to do in her international projects on difficult and fragile themes, such us “Unsafe pregnancies and child births”. On the other hand, the second speaker, Lo Lill, a 16-year-old radio and video producer from the Netherlands, tries to raise awareness and confidence within the listeners by sharing emotions and stories through conversations between her and her celebrities guests.
How to approach Gen Z, though, considering the mental state they’re in during that transitional stage of life?
Are you BrOKen?
Gen Z has to deal with a lot of sources of high stress and discomfort, including studies, jobs, financial worries and mental health. They are in need of radio or podcast content that distress them and help them enjoy “me-time” with mindfulness and less loneliness. Younger people need chances to embrace their emotions through- physical or online- connection with radio stations or brands. Great example of it is the campaign of MacDonalds campaign “good employer” that promotes the embrace of all moods, far away from toxic positivity.
Are you JOKey?
What’s best other than humour and playfulness, as a way to escape from the above-mentioned stresses? When the connection between Gen Z and radio stations is based on fun music and community physical experiences and gamified processes, it helps the youth feel relaxed and part of a bigger society.
Are you WOKey?
It is considered essential for the radio stations to bring up topics and radio/podcast products that Gen Z may be interested in, driven by equality, diversity, sustainability and uniqueness… matters of modern society. ‘
Are you BespOKe?
‘This is the great challenge!” Joeri said…and he was right. 39% of Gen Z want to pay more for brands that are on trend or that set the trend, since they fear being bored or being boring in the eyes of their peers. Thus, it is crucial to hyper-personalizing their needs under the umbrella of what is trendy nowadays.
image © Hedda Axelsson
