Debunking Gen Z: Targeted Advertisements

Hannah Alohaid
Apr 6, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Apr 30, 2020

"Gen-Z is finally taking the spotlight from its more well-known predecessors. It's making big waves in the news this month. According to research from Bloomberg, Gen-Z will surpass Millennials in 2019 as the most populous generation, comprising roughly 32 percent of the population." - Anne Gherini, Head of Marketing, Affinity

The Good

Brands everywhere are taking a stand and becoming increasingly more vocal about beliefs and values. Advertisements by Nike (Colin Kaepernick), Bumble (Serena Willams), and Playtex (Like A Girl) help sway the hearts and minds of Gen Z individualists to stand for something bigger than themselves.

In turn, these Public Relations campaigns are swaying the hearts of Generation Z everywhere and revolutionizing the way they're able to put their differences aside for the overall greater good. In a way, this inclusive and diverse generation has taught media professionals a thing or two about the value of unity for just causes.

The Bad

Gen Z is already estimated to influence $143B in spending in the US alone. With such a high degree of buying power, this audience is constantly bombarded with advertisements telling them how to look, feel, and think. Brands like Flat Tummy Tea, Curology, and JUUL all target a predominantly Gen Z audience. These quintessential brands are full of ambiguity and prey on the innocence of youth.

False hopes and empty promises fuel these campaigns and feed off Gen Z's desire to stand out amongst the noise.

The Ugly

It is no secret the world has become oversaturated by media. According to Red Crown Marketing, each day a person is exposed to approximately 4,000 to 10,000 advertisements on average. Many of the advertisements seen on a daily basis have been photoshopped to give a more desirable allure to products or services without clearly stating the images have been altered.

Gen Z's are impressionable and can give into the pitfalls of deception like any other generation.

Ethical Conflict

Should all brands be allowed to advertise to Generation Z? More specifically, is it ethical for fitness brands to target Gen Z on social mediums?

Pros

All brands should be allowed to advertise to Gen Z regardless of what they're trying to sell. Certain exclusivity would be unfair to companies also targeting Gen Z's. Since the majority of brands advertise ethically, none should be punished for the wrongdoings of their constituents.

Cons

Not every brand should be allowed to advertise to Gen Z. According to Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative (pg. 11), not every brand should have an equal opportunity to advertise. The Golden Rule states, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". This rule of thumb can be used to determine the ethicality of certain brand's motives to advertise to Gen Z.

The Solution

Advertisements targetting Gen Z are definitely acceptable. Actually, many members of the Gen Z audience say that they enjoy being targetted by brands as it helps them make informed decisions. Fitness, fashion, and lifestyle brands should stray away from using deceiving photos or explicitly state the photos have been altered in some way.

Brands should not be told whether or not certain audiences are off-limits. Caution should be enforced to some degree by the media platform being advertised on during the review process. If a brand targetting Gen Z is found to have used excessive editing by the platform involved, the post should not be allowed to run.

Advertisers are truly missing the mark if they think photoshopped photos of weight loss products are what this audience wants to see. Gen Z is the world's most diverse population and they want to see people as diverse as they are. One fashion-forward brand that was an early adopter of this trend was American Eagle. This retailer does an incredible job of telling Gen Z's everywhere that "you don't have to change who you are to wear our clothes".