Happiness is the goal of human thought and action, Aristotle once said. But while the word “happy” recorded an average monthly search of 2.3 million globally over 2023-2024, “Gen Z” recorded 2.4 million. As the world steps into welcoming Generation Beta in 2025, Gen Z stands out as the generation that everybody wants to know more about.
How to market for Gen Z is one of the major billion-dollar questions most marketeers today are trying to answer. Only it’s worth much more. According to a report published by the World Data Lab in October 2024, Gen Z will be the largest, wealthiest and highest-spending generation ever by 2030.
Prolific research is continuously produced on Gen Z, in an attempt to unlock this highly influential generation. Ironically, it is the generation that seems to have shared the most about itself. Unlike its predecessor, the millennials, Gen Z grew up surrounded by technology at a very young age and have access to a wide range of ICT tools and platforms. But it is this oversharing that seems to have tinted a confusing image of this generation.
What makes Gen Z tick?
If I had to put in my two cents’ worth, then I would say that Gen Z is a diverse community that we need to engage meaningfully with; but it is critically important to filter out distortions, generalisations and fallacies when approaching this generation.
First, technological change has shaped up this generation’s lexicon. Gen Z’s language includes internet slang and abbreviations, “reflecting their comfort with fast-paced, digital-first communication.” But this should not be mixed with weak communication skills. On the contrary, this generation is open to socialisation and appreciates clarity in communication. In that respect, an important aspect of socialisation that is largely marred with stereotypes and distortions is “gaming”. To Gen Z, gaming is a socialisation and entertainment channel. Gamers are not necessarily loners. We could easily say for this generation… Gaming is the new social.
Second, Gen Z is not very much concerned with “being part of the crowd”. According to latest data published by the Global Web Index, individualism among this generation is on the rise, where around 60 per cent of Gen Z “don’t feel it’s important to be accepted by others”. The implications of this to marketing strategies is significant. Gen Z appreciates personalisation at all levels, and they dislike lumping them in one group. They seem to be comfortable in their own individualistic skin and – if approached sensibly – are willing to open up even about sensitive issues. For example; around 41.7 per cent of this generation are comfortable talking about mental health (GWI)… a topic that has been a taboo for all generations before them.
Third, Gen Z is a curious generation; and this extends to other cultures. Data pulled from the GWI shows that more than half (at 56.7 per cent) of this generation is interested in other cultures and countries. The digital and virtual space feeds and fuels this curiosity in unprecedented ways.
Understanding Saudi Gen Zs
But how can one interpret this global outlook when looking at the GCC region, and more specifically, Saudi Arabia; given that the latter makes up 66 per cent of the GCC population?
As a marketer with more than twenty years in Saudi Arabia/the region, I keep a vivid eye on the changes that the Saudi generation is experiencing, and how these changes differ from that of its peers and the average Saudi.
This generation is defined as the generation born between 1997 and 2012. And 1997 is the internet year in Saudi Arabia, with the licensing of internet services in March 1997. That’s why in my mind I like to refer to Saudi Saudi Gen Z as the i-Generation. This is a decisive year for the Saudi society; and it has shaped the generations to come.
According to GWI, less than one-third of Saudi Gen Z describes itself as traditional (22.4 per cent), but this is relatively comparable to the one-third of the average Saudi.
This generation is also keen to explore the world (57 per cent) compared to the average Saudi of 52 per cent but remains family-committed, where 62 per cent of Saudi Gen Z likes to spend time with family.
Multi-level channel of engagement
There are many brands who succeeded in striking a good balance when engaging with Gen Z, but one needs to operationalise a multi-level channel of engagement to remain relevant to this generation. I refer to these channels as the “three R’s”.
One is rebranding. Some brands will aim to have a more youthful makeover. This happens more often within the CPG sector. Telecommunications has done well in that as well. But there are other sectors that are prime candidates, such as banking and finance.
Repackaging is another. Here CPG brands excel. Think of changes in size, format, product description, and the list goes on and on. I cannot think of a sector that has done this better. But the learnings can be extended to other industries.
Reinventing is a third channel. This is probably the most common but the trickiest of the R’s. Although Gen Z want things that are personalised and different, they react negatively and feel repulsive towards some changes. Unexpectedly, this generation remains loyal and nostalgic about certain things that have been passed on across generations. The best example in my mind is Laban in KSA. Despite its traditional label, Laban records one of the highest penetration rate after water; in a country that is predominantly Gen Z.
Now how to navigate across the 3Rs: rebranding, repackaging and reinventing? I say that we need to listen well and engage genuinely with Gen Z across different platforms. There is a lot more that we need to learn about this generation. An effective start is to have them onboard and ensure they take part in the marketing decision-making process and that their voices are heard.
By Nabil Sleiman, Head of Marketing Communications, Almarai Company
