Marko Stavrou, the Gen Z Guy, CEO and Genlink (Image supplied)

“Each Gen Z is so different - there are conservatives and liberals, people who love sports, and people who love music, so if we can break those down into such detailed and hyper-focused groups, then we can create content that is relevant to them. And relevance at scale is becoming important.”

The #NedbankIMC conference took place on Thursday, 19 September at The Focus Rooms, Johannesburg, where a lineup of international and local experts shared their knowledge with 2,000 delegates who attended virtually and in person.

Bizcommunity chatted to some of the speakers and sponsors.

Stavrou runs a training training business called Genlink, which helps large organisations better connect to Generation Z, specifically employees and consumers.

He explains who and what GenZ is and how to influence them.

“While Gen Z is an incredibly difficult generation to influence, there are a few behavioural sciences and behavioural patterns that we can look at that can influence our decision-making and strategies.”

One of these, he explains, is understanding defining moments in their life such as the 2008 crash, and the first smartphone in 2007, which influence how they think and the decisions they make.

Optimise the nuances

“We need to understand these nuances and then also try to optimise for them.”

He makes two points to take note of. One, that their attention span is only eight seconds and two, they are no longer buying as individuals but as a community.

“Social comparison theory states we make decisions based on the opinions of other people, not on ourselves,” he explains.

“Companies need to target communities, as we are no longer going to buy just because we love something.”