The Importance of Having a Good Social Impact Strategy When Marketing to Gen Z
Article Highlights
- Why is this important for reaching Gen Z?
- What impact can a great marketing campaign have?
- Putting your target market at the heart of everything you do
- Case studies: Impact marketing and Gen Z
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If you’re a brand wanting to attract and retain the attention of Gen Z, then there’s one key thing you need to be championing: social impact. This young generation favour the brands that support the sociopolitical causes they care about, and having a strong social impact strategy is vital for those wanting to make it big in 2023 (and beyond!).
Brands, youth marketers, and places of education hold an immense amount of power when it comes to making a lasting positive change in the world, and this cannot be overlooked. As Leila Fataar, Founder of innovation and culture marketing agency Platform13, shared with Voxburner: “Brands can change narratives, transform industries, shape futures, break stereotypes, empower communities, and challenge the status quo.”
But who are the organisations championing and supporting young people today and how are Gen Z demanding more social impact initiatives from the brands they buy from? In this blog post, we’ll be sharing why having a strong social impact strategy is so important, discussing the causes Gen Z are passionate about, exploring some great case studies, and hearing from some of the expert speakers appearing at YMS London.
Why is this important for reaching Gen Z?
When it comes to reaching your target market authentically and having a positive business output, social impact couldn’t be more important. Gen Z is a caring and empathetic generation, aware more than ever before about the environmental impact that they/brands can have. As Leila shared, they’re “very vocal about the causes they care about”, meaning that “brands need to demonstrate a genuine commitment to making a difference.”
But why does this responsibility fall to brands? Appearing on the Social Impact track at YMS stage for the session Demystifying Campaigns for Social Good That Can Really Make an Impact is John Gilbert, Managing Director at Eski Media, who spoke to Voxburner about the importance of social impact. “Let’s face it”, he said, “the social challenges we face require investment and ingenuity way beyond the resources of the public and third sector alone. The private sector has a key role in the development of campaigns and initiatives that make a real positive change.”
Driving change to better the lives of young people and their communities is an important part of every successful Gen Z marketing strategy (and will also help you generate revenue!), and you can hear more about this at the YMS session Championing Youth: Best Practices for Powerful Brands and Non-Profit Collabs.
What impact can a great marketing campaign have?
Great campaigns driven by a strong social impact strategy can have a host of positive outcomes, from engaging new audiences and earning their loyalty to making a true difference in the world and standing the test of time.
But in order to retain these Gen Z consumers, brands’ social impact work must be genuine, authentic, and driven by belief in the cause. “The best campaigns will be a true partnership of people aligned to achieving something not only because we feel we must, but because we want to”, says John Gilbert. You can hear more from John, alongside Rebecca Roberts (Founder of Thread & Fable) and Rachael Smith (Youth and Early Intervention Partnerships Officer at the OPCC for Humberside) during the YMS session Demystifying Campaigns for Social Good That Really Make An Impact.
Putting your target market at the heart of everything you do
It may sound simple, but it can be difficult to engage Gen Z and make a positive difference in their lives. One top tip, according to John, is for brands to work in collaboration with those impacted throughout campaign projects. “Involve customers, employees, management, ownership, and leadership together through a combination of social listening and straight up engaging them in conversation to define the social challenges that are relevant and meaningful to the brand”, he explained.
Furthermore, the sociopolitical issues that Gen Zers want brands to talk about can often result in difficult or uncomfortable discussions, making it even more important to seek young people’s guidance. These young people are, according to John, your “key allies”. “You must not reinvent the wheel”, he said, “and it is your responsibility to figure out what you can bring to the table that is new and valuable.”
Case studies: Impact marketing and Gen Z
Two of the most important things to Gen Z right now, shared Leila, are social and environmental responsibility. They’re issues that are linked to topics relating to “both their identity (their whole authentic self), a new work mindset and the de-stigmatisation of mental health and for wider world topics like climate change, sustainability and social justice”. You can hear more from Leila at YMS, where she’ll be hosting Day One of the event.
Check out three great examples of brands supporting social and environmental sustainability below.
Platform 13 x Dr. Martens – #OneStopDocs
A brand loved by Gen Z thanks to its timeless style and ability to transcend trends and gender, Dr. Marten’s teamed up with Platform 13 to celebrate the release of their SS21 sandal on TikTok. The challenge: How to authentically promote this product whilst encouraging slow fashion and low waste culture?
‘Haul culture’ is a trend that’s reached viral status on TikTok – it encourages users to showcase their bundles of cheap clothing. Platform 13 took this idea and reinvented it, communicating the campaign in a way that felt relatable for the audience but that still embodied the brand’s message.
The result was #OneStopDocs, a global TikTok campaign that involved eight creators sharing how they style their DMs, promoting slow fashion in the process.
Ditch the Label x ASOS – #StopAsianHate
Marketing agency Ditch the Label’s core aim is to help young people aged 12-25 navigate the modern world and all of the issues it presents, from mental health and bullying to identity and relationship issues. Providing toolkits and donating 87% of all donations straight into driving impact, they’re a valuable support network for young people.
The #StopAsianHate campaign has been running since 2020 and was launched in response to the tripling of hate crimes towards Asian communities. Ditch the Label worked with ASOS to create the movement. People can access a hub that pulls together essential information, sharing the stories of those impacted and offering support. You can read more and access the information here.
Ditch the Label’s Global CEO Liam Hackett will be hosting the panel Championing Youth: Best Practices for Powerful Brands and Non-Profit Collabs at YMS, where he’ll be joined by senior members of ASOS, TikTok, and Maybelline.
Lottie London – Consent to Kiss
Gen Z beauty brand Lottie London teamed up with UK charity Brook to celebrate Valentine’s Day 2023 with their Consent to Kiss campaign. Created to ‘raise awareness of unwarranted attention, love bombing, and sexual harassment online, whilst educating our community on issues like consent’, the campaign saw Lottie London donate 10% of all February sales from their Valentine’s collection to Brook.
Brook works to support the sexual wellbeing of young people by educating them on issues of safety in relationships and the importance of consent – an issue that’s more important to young people than ever before thanks to the complicated world of online dating.
Lottie London’s range is totally on-brand thanks to their iconic Gen Z-esque packaging, but the supplementary marketing was educational and engaging. News about the campaign was posted on their website in poster form, where key information about the charity and campaign was shared in the form of a text message thread.
You can hear more from Lottie London’s Global Marketing Director Nora Zukauskaite over on Voxburner+.
So there you have it: an exploration into the importance of having a strong social impact strategy and actionable takeaways when it comes to building out your marketing plan. We can’t wait to see what positive impact your brand will have in the future…
Supercharge your marketing strategy and join us at YMS, where we’ll be returning to London to unite the youth marketing community, share relevant industry news, platform the most inspiring speakers and share the freshest insights. Make sure you secure your tickets today!
