Founder of Trope, Luiz Menezes says that generalizing the habits of this generation is a mistake
Generation Z consultancy, Trope was born by the hands of Luiz Menezes, a 24-year-old digital native, who found an opportunity in the increasingly necessary relationship between the brand and young people who are part of this generation.
A big problem brands make is putting the entire generation Z in a single box, generalizing the behavioral habits of millions of people, he said.
Recently, Trope founded InstitutoZ, a branch specialized in studies of consumer behavior of generation Z, carried out through the eyes of digital natives, which Luiz Menezes comments on in the interview.
start
Today I’m 24 years old, but I like to say that when I entered the communications market, 7 years ago, I was supposed to work behind the scenes on the internet and the creator economy, when that term didn’t even exist. I started working at a pop culture and geek event production company, and at the age of 16 I was already responsible for curating and hiring guests and artists. There were more than 300 attractions and 50 events organized. In 2016, at the beginning of my career, I heard from older people that working with the internet was crazy, that I would need to adapt to market standards. However, this did not demotivate me from starting my entrepreneurial journey, and I was able to help develop the careers of Instagram and TikTok creators (at the time, Musical.ly), who were also starting out and had no experience in how to develop commercial relationships.
Gerao Z
In Brazil, there are more than 51 million people who are part of generation Z, which includes young people aged 13 to 27, those born between 1996 and 2010. With 25% of the country being made up of digital natives, it is clear that communication plans en masse are not effective, given so much diversity and plurality. Which Gen Z do advertisers want to impact, and which communities? We cannot generalize an entire generation, and want to give a voice. We already have a voice, we just want to be heard and considered at the business strategy decision-making tables.
Generation Z and brands
Some factors are usually taken into consideration by generation Z when deciding to become loyal to a brand: transparency of values; demonstration of belonging without asserting oneself; If you make a mistake, admit it and fix it. less about the perfect brand, and more about highlighting the process. Generation Z is currently the one that produces and shares the most content in the world, so it’s worth remembering why: what made short video social networks grow the most in recent years was the emphasis on vulnerability and the internet as a means of connecting with consumers.
Or not to speak as Gen Z
A big problem for brands is to place the entire generation Z in a single box, generalizing the behavioral habits of millions of people. The Brazilian population lives in different socioeconomic and educational contexts. The age and generational group is just one of the filters and demographic sections, there are others: gender, age, education, profession, occupation, family income level and marital status. And, in addition, the most relevant thing: consider the community that this group is part of, and what values and principles they share among themselves. The older people of this generation have different references and experiences than those born from 2004 onwards, in other words, this only reinforces that brands need to see that Gen Z is not just one thing or a single persona who thinks and acts in the same way. It is important to keep in mind that there are several generations Z, and part of them did have memories with Xuxa, Castelo R-Tim-Bum, Kelly Key, push-button cell phones and many other millennial references.
Read the full interview in the November 13, 2023 edition
