Keypoint Intelligence recently published a buyer persona analysis of Gen Z consumers for OEMs looking to market to this audience. The report looks at what channels this demographic interacts with, values as it relates to brand selection and loyalty, and what marketing tools can be effective in reaching a Gen Z audience.

Social media as a marketing tool is well established as a means of reaching vast audiences and converting sales. Most brands in a variety of verticals successfully use channels such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and, more recently, TikTok, to deliver their message to their target audience in the hope of building a long-lasting, transactional relationship.

Recently, print and imaging OEMs have been considering adapting their social media marketing strategies to appeal to younger audiences. Gen Z, the generation born between 1997 and 2012, is their target. Gen Z is now the world's largest population cohort, with 2.5 billion people and a collective income forecast to reach $33 trillion by 2031. This trajectory will mean Gen Z will long surpass millennial earning potential by that time, and that how companies will interact and message to this demographic will have a greater importance on the communication strategy OEMs have.

"Eighty-five percent of Gen Z in the U.S. believe brands should be about more than just profit," said Mark Davis, editorial analyst, Keypoint Intelligence. "Gen Z consumers will not show loyalty to a brand that does not espouse their values, emphasizing the belief that, for Gen Z, brands should be more than just about profits."

The Buyer Persona and Social Media Strategy analysis can be purchased separately or as part of a subscription to other research provided by Keypoint Intelligence's Customer Communication Advisory Service. To receive more information about the report, click here.