Native advertising could be a way for advertisers to break through digital clutter instead of adding to it.

Though Millennials are well known for killing a number of industries, members of Generation Z are the consumers businesses and advertisers should really be aiming to please.

Generation Z is a demographic with immense buying power, and—with a population of 2 billion—will make up 40 percent of consumers by 2020. Right now, they make up 26 percent of the U.S. population and spend $44 billion.

As audiences become increasingly fragmented, advertisers won’t be able to take on a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing. Generation Z is picky about their content. This audience is much more brand aware than any other generation. This means it’s important to understand the demographic in order to reach them successfully.

Here are three three trends specific to Generation Z, and three reasons why native advertising has the potential to use these trends to break through the digital clutter of Internet marketing.

1. Generation Z is hostile to digital ads.

It seems counterintuitive that a generation who spends up to 10 hours per day online would have such distaste for digital ads. When surveyed, most of Generation Z said they prefer traditional ads to digital. Digital ads are significantly more intrusive and interrupt the online experience. This is especially true if the ad can’t be skipped or plays automatically.

This is why native advertising is such a strong contender in the fight to capture Generation Z’s attention. It’s a digital strategy for a digital generation. Because native advertising is contextually relevant to the site it appears on, it’s significantly less intrusive and disruptive to the user experience.

2. They’re huge mobile users

Generation Z is the first to be total digital natives, having been immersed in technology since birth. Mobile shopping dominated other trends during the 2017 holiday season, and while Gen Z still shops at brick-and-mortar stores, mobile retail traffic increased more than 15 percent.

Mobile shopping has become increasingly refined, between brands developing apps and streamlining their mobile site experience. The rise of mobile presents new advertising opportunities, as well. Pop-up and banner ads are invasive, distracting, and detract from the mobile experience, leaving users frustrated. Generation Z is also exceptionally receptive to mobile app rewards.

Native advertising works especially well on mobile because it appears as in-feed social, in-feed content, or in-feed commerce. Native ads have a higher click-through rate, and mobile native ads typically perform 20-60 percent better than traditional banner ads in terms of clicks, shares, and other similar metrics.

3. Gen Z appreciates authenticity

Brands that have an authentic personality perform better with Generation Z than brands who don’t. It’s becoming increasingly important to demonstrate a unique personality and willingness to interact with customers online.

Generation Z values one-on-one experiences with brands, and companies who offer more personalized experiences are more appealing to younger consumers.

Brands with candid, quirky, funny, or “real” social presences give Generation Z traits to relate to. They value innovation and ads with humor, story, and entertaining music.

Native advertising is the perfect opportunity for advertisers to show off their branding skills. Native content gives advertisers a place to cultivate that authentic voice, and create content that uses humor or story to connect with the Gen Z audience.
Have you experienced trouble connecting to Generation Z? What methods have helped you break through the digital clutter? Let us know in the comments!