How do Gen Z want to change the marketing industry?

But that can’t be helped. For a long time, it was thought that millennials’ obsession with avocado on toast was holding them back from buying a home. These days, it’s Gen Z’s turn. They are said to have strong opinions on representation and sustainability. They hate hard labor. Their concentration was lost by TikTok.

Let me be clear: all of these are oversimplifications and most of them are not true. To get (some) Gen Zers to speak their minds, we convened Drum Network’s semi-regular panel of Gen Zers entering the marketing industry to find out what they’ll actually do in 2024. We investigated what they are concerned about.

Lauren Bantock, 2Heads Junior Project Manager: “I want to help companies grow their employees from the bottom up and develop their talent. Often companies hire mid-career and promote from mid-career. Rather, agencies hire people with no experience. I want them to seize the opportunity to enter the industry and grow to the top.”

Chelsea Mutada, Amplify Creative Strategist: “I want to see more marginalized communities in executive and director roles. I want everyone to use the Black Lives Matter hashtag and say, “We support marginalized communities.” Remember Black Square’s pandemic, where they said, “We’re supporting you.” And when June rolls around, brands everywhere are now waving their pride flags. There is a lot to be said for in the corporate space when it comes to how marginalized communities are represented and supported. It’s depressing to look at all the interns from the black, gay, or Asian community and then look at leaders and directors where that diversity doesn’t apply. And of course, those executives are the real decision makers. They are the barriers to real change. The more women, gay people, and people of color we can get into these roles, the better. Otherwise, young marketers looking in from the outside may feel like there is no room for them. ”

Laily Mansourpour, Content Creator, Agency UK: “It’s great to see more diverse educational opportunities coming into the industry. It’s great to see more apprenticeships and internships, but a lot of that depends on luck, friends and family. I’m an apprentice I was really lucky to get an apprenticeship, while my friends had a really hard time finding an apprenticeship. But university isn’t always the way to go. I did a 6 month training course here. I learned a lot just by taking classes and being in an office environment.”

Jamie Cooper, Spin Organic Account Manager: “Marketers and brands should be sensitive to the beats of socio-political moments that truly reflect their brand values, especially now that people are increasingly buying from brands. , because there are changes in brand values ​​that really need to be reflected.” Brands with specific social values. ”

Josie Wakefield, Insights Analytics Manager, Cloud: “We need more opportunities for daily, continuous learning and teaching, especially across generations. Younger generations have grown up with technology. We use social media every day. , older generations have years of advertising experience, and we don’t necessarily know that. So I think that conversation should be kept open. My grandmother I don’t use it, but I trust everything I see on TV. I don’t know how to market on TV, because I don’t do it every day. But I would love to learn. Similarly, people who have done display advertising may not understand what I do every day. Keeping the conversation open will appeal to all generations.”

Christina Sugimoto, Associate Manager, Accounting, Wasserman: “Growing up as an Asian American in a majority white neighborhood in California and then attending a majority white institution in Boston, I often felt like I stood out. As companies strive to hire more diverse talent, it will be exciting to see what kind of growth they will see in the future. However, while the workforce may be more diverse, we There’s no diversity in the content they’re producing. Every time I see an ad, I still feel under-represented. Companies say they value diverse hiring, and that’s great, but… is not reflected in work. I have yet to see someone who looks like me in an advertisement. I have never seen someone who looks like me in a big screen movie. That is very important.”

Sophie Birks, Digital Marketing Analyst, Search Laboratory: “In fact, my company has a very good internal team that deals with cultural differences, something I have never experienced at other workplaces. Having a well-established internal team helps us talk to clients and tap into different markets. For example, during Ramadan, we can learn more about Ramadan and how it affects our employees. There will be intensive events, and I think it would be great if that becomes more ingrained into the day-to-day of what we do and how we support our clients, who say they want to go into different markets. I still see them, but really I just want to copy them. I can take their English campaign and translate it into another language and hope I get the same effect.”

Jess Farnham, Connective3 Senior Marketing Executive: “I think a lot about the stereotypes of Gen Z. Sure, we’ve grown up on social media, but in some cases, companies automatically assume we know how to make a viral TikTok.” Sometimes, there’s a lot of pressure on Gen Z. should I know how to do those things. Your hobbies and interests other than using your cell phone are almost non-existent. That’s just how you are seen sometimes. It would be great to have a wider appreciation for other things we do in life, rather than being held back because of how we are portrayed. ”