Catch some Zs: How to make your thought leadership appeal to Generation Z

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Picture the ‘typical’ reader of thought leadership, and they’re probably not in their twenties. But assumptions and generalisations are dangerous. What if the younger audience – Generation Z – is receptive, but brands are ignoring them? Can you afford to disregard a large and growing group of potential customers and employees? Probably not, so how do we make thought leadership appeal to younger readers?

Defining a generation
Loosely defined, members of Generation Z were born between 1995 and 2010. In 2018, Bloomberg predicted that they would comprise 32% of the global population by 2019, surpassing Millennials.

Those born in the mid-1990s are well into their professional lives. And while they could venezuela mobile phone numbers database be some years away from occupying the roles that are traditionally targeted by thought leadership, members of Generation Z already make up 24% of the global workforce. This is a group whose career aspirations and job prospects have been hit hard by Covid-19, but members of Generation Z are powerful consumers and prospective employees whose buying power and career choices will decide the long-term future of many organisations.

These consumers also represent a great test of brand authenticity: they can quickly spot any kind of ‘washing’, and have zero tolerance for corporate rhetoric that is unsupported by action. They are a tough crowd, but a crucial one: members of Generation Z are expected to account for 40% of all consumers in the US by 2020, with buying power of $44 billion – up to $600 billion if you take into account their influence on their parents’ shopping. So how can companies forge a relationship with this new audience?