• by Les Luchter , December 20, 2023

 

 

“Is the Party Over?”

That’s the title of a new Havas “Prosumer Report” which finds Gen Zers around the world turning from FOMO (fear of missing out) to FOGO (fear of going out) -- with more than half (52%) agreeing that “On a typical weekend night, I prefer to stay home and watch Netflix rather than go out.”

Yet, 80% of “prosumers” -- defined as people who “influence the behavior of others and predict emerging tendencies” -- are willing to go to parties hosted by brands, compared with just 56% of non-prosumers, or the “mainstream.”

Why?

“I love when brands host parties because they have the means and money to make them unforgettable,” agree 74% of prosumers vs. 48% of the mainstream.

“A brand-organized event suggests some level of security, financial investment, and preparation,” says the report. “There’s also a widely held expectation that brands will go big, producing unforgettable events.

“To get GenZs off their couches, the event had better be worth bragging about,” the report continues, adding that brands get “extra points for memorabilia to take home and show off on one’s social channels.”

As an example, Havas cites Hulu’s Huluween event in Los Angeles, which featured costumed actors and characters from such shows as “American Horror Story,” “Goosebumps,” and “The Boogeyman,” along with a “possessed” contortionist, plenty of photo ops, and a chance to score branded merchandise like hoodies.

Havas also reports that two-thirds of prosumers and more than half of Gen Zs and millennials (versus just a quarter of boomers) prefer to buy from brands that sponsor concerts and other big events. “And around the same percentages would prefer to see marketing budgets spent on organizing events rather than advertising.”

An example given is American Express’s “Outside the Court” activation at last February’s  NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, “which featured an outdoor block party; a shop where fans could customize jerseys, sweatshirts, and other merchandise; meet–and–greets with NBA players and legends; outdoor firepits and ice sculpture carving; musical performances by Wiz Khalifa and Chloe Bailey; fan competitions and interactive games; and a speakeasy-style Dirty Soda Shoppe serving Utah’siconic beverage.”

Other party trends pointed out in the report include: 84% of prosumers agree that a party “can happen whenever and wherever” and 49% prefer to party with people like them because they feel safer.

“At first sight, questioning the role of partying in our lives appears frivolous,” said the report’s authors -- Clément Boisseau and Sébastien Houdusse, global chief strategy officers of Havas’ Paris-based agency BETC. “But we believe it’s the other way around: partying is a fundamental subject that puts into perspective our relationship to time, space, and to others. The dilution of party we observe in the research is, for instance, the symptom of people afraid of the unknown and tired of living in a polarized society -- people who withdraw in the safety of their homes and the comfort of relationships with their closest ones.

“It doesn’t help to lament about the loss of the traditional party spirit,” they add. “Rather, we want our research to explain how people are looking to new forms of celebration to reignite excitement and enchantment in their lives. And guess what? Brands have a strong role to play.”

Havas’ Prosumer studies, conducted several times a year, survey 13,000 people  -- 17% prosumers and 83% mainstream -- across 33 countries including the U.S., comparing sentiments of the two groups.