• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, December 22, 2017

Well, here it is the day before the eve of Christmas Eve and most people are wrapping it up for the week and getting ready for the long holiday.

That’s what I want to do too. But first I have to fill this column and this new report from PSFK just came over the transom — and looks like it will fill the bill quite nicely.

It’s called the Forecast Z report and purportedly highlights how brands can connect with Gen Zers via purpose-driven platforms.

Here’s a quick data dump from the report:

• Gen Z is the first generation to live comfortably and simultaneously on and offline, utilizing digital, physical and hybrid tools. 
• While only 31% of respondents say they are always online via their smartphones, 60% believe that online friendships can be just as powerful as real-life ones.
• Nearly half of Gen Zers (46%) believe they can contribute to changing the world, a 6% increase from Millennials.
• Compared to Millennials, Gen Z are 10 times more likely to anticipate brands providing them with educational platforms and content, and 22% are more influenced by peer recommendations than corporate advertising.
• 69% of Gen Z respondents believe that brands should help them achieve goals that are important to them.

Here’s what PSFK President Piers Fawkes had to say about the research: "Engaging Gen Z is like entering a multi-sensory, multi-player world of possibilities. These kids are hard to pin down, developing various avatars to project multiple imaginative expressions. Brands need to learn to level up, by offering platforms for these consumers to connect around purposeful activity and to develop communities to create real change.” 

Fawkes added, “Stand aside millennials, a new era of empowered and enabled multi-taskers are ready to take on the world, whether analog, digital or blended.”

Hmmm, not sure we’ll see millennials standing aside anytime soon. But now is certainly a good time for marketers to try to fathom what makes Gen Z tick. You know, before they start earning (and spending) real dough.

More on the report can found here.

Enjoy your long holiday weekend!