A marketing and public relations consultancy focused on advising brands and organisations on how to market, communicate and engage with Generation Z has launched this week.
MarketZ will form part of the Platinum Live group and is spearheaded by 17-year-old Lake District entrepreneur Oliver Hodgson.
Hodgson said: “This was a clear and obvious step to take, as we noticed our USP wasn’t only being youthful and fresh-faced, but actually, the understanding we have of our Generation. The consumer behaviour of Gen Z is exciting and interesting yet strange, difficult to understand and unique to previous generations.
Generation Z, often referred to as ‘zoomers’, is the demographic that succeeds Millennials. Gen Z is the mid-to-late 90s as the starting birth years and the early 2010s as the ending birth years.
“I often find people calling us out for having very minimal or a lack of attention span” says Oliver who founded his firm during the global pandemic, “but actually, we will sit and watch YouTube, Netflix and so on, for hours. What really matters is how organisations communicate with us, through what means with what content and with what kind of spokesperson. This is particularly important for those organisations who are traditional and perhaps ‘stuck in their ways’.
“Not that we are limited to our service area, but in Cumbria there is a real struggle when it comes to engaging with young consumers, prospective candidates and voters. We see so many examples of businesses just shunning away our generation, crossing us off as too hard to understand. Not only are we powerful but we are interested and engaged when you show us the right content, collateral, and information.
The 17-year-olds thoughts on his generation’s power is backed up by a recent study by McKinsey & Co that shows Gen Z have around £113bn of spending power.
Market Z is backed by urban disrupter Andrea Winders, who is the managing director of Disruptieve, she said: “Working with Oliver has been a revelation, and at times he has been teaching me a new language – that of Gen Z.
“The nuances and methods of communicating with this next working age generation are so different to the old ways that it requires one to know one (so to speak), and the services Oliver is putting forward with MarketZ are unique. Oliver is knowledgeable and provides great results – crossing the boundaries that block traditional businesses and leaders from reaching this powerful audience.”
An area of key interest for MarketZ is the political arena and local government, as Oliver explains: “Speaking with fellow Gen Z’ers, who don’t engage in politics and local government greatly, I can see why they don’t, so many authorities and politicians are failing to communicate ‘on the ground’ through modern avenues and with visually enticing content, so many young people just turn off, which is a real shame. It’s more important than ever to be relatable, reactive and relevant.”
MarketZ is already on a hiring hunt, as they look to expand their team of consultants to work on their new client accounts. The consultancy is based out of their office in Whitehaven, remotely and with their first two clients being in Manchester, plans are underway for expansion into the North’s ‘powerhouse’.
