BRAND VALUES
Focus On Gen Z Values To Make Your Brand Resonate With Consumers
By Enock Wandera
In today ’ s competitive world where consumer consciousness is defining purchasing trends , brand perception is a key element for business success . What people think or feel about your company is what determines whether they will prefer your brand , products , or services to those of a competitor .
Customers will undertake research , read reviews , compare available options with their acquaintances , or reach out to salespeople before they create informed perceptions about brands . This fact-finding mission has become much easier in the digital age where people take to social media platforms to speak about brands . A touch of the button will reveal a lot about a business and its operations to potential customers and this will determine their perception .
At the core of brand and consumer perception is the brand identity and values . Brand identity and values are what make people seek to purchase from and interact with companies . Customers will want to engage with businesses they have emotional connection with .
The challenge for businesses , therefore , is how to align brand identity and values to create a stronger emotional connection with customers and to achieve a desired consumer perception .
Once a company recognizes its customers ’ values and how they shape their perceptions about the business , it can successfully enhance the brand ’ s appeal by actively engaging and incorporating
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Given the huge influence they have across other generations , incorporating Gen Z values into a brand identity and values can enhance your brand ’ s emotional connection with the customers and further the reach in a consumer-driven market . the values in its operations and marketing strategy . A brand ’ s reach and success in the market can only be strengthened when its identity and values are well aligned to consumer ’ s values and communicated through right messaging and channels .
When this is firmed by creating products and services that allow consumers to express their feelings on issues of concern , a brand stands a better chance of converting potential business leads into sales and revenues .
A 5W Public Relations ’ Consumer Report in 2020 highlighted the vital role that brand identity and values have on the purchasing decision of consumers . It stresses that the younger generation wants to buy brands , products and services that resonate with their values and beliefs .
The Consumer Culture Report revealed that young people will not only purchase products that demonstrate their social or political beliefs , but also , that two in three have boycotted a company they previously purchased from because of its stance on an issue .
When marketing to younger consumers , it is important that businesses send the right messages out and in so doing , align their own values with the customers they are trying to target .
In a market that is dominated and largely influenced by young people born between 1995 and 2010 , strategies targeting this demographic popularly known as Generation Z will undoubtedly yield results .
Gen Z is the largest demographic in the consumer market with roughly 900 million people and accounts for the largest transactions annually . Population Reference Bureau ( PRP ) projects that by 2030 , young Africans are expected to make up 42 percent of the world ’ s youth and account for 75 percent of those under the age of 35 in Africa . The African Continental Free Trade Area ( AfCFTA ) boasts of a market of 1.3 billion people with a combined GDP of US $ 3.4 trillion .
The rise of Gen Z therefore offers an exciting as well as a massive growth opportunity for businesses , brands , and Africa as a continent .
Businesses positioning themselves to disrupt their industries must seek ways to convert this demographic into assets for their
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