The centennials constitute the youngest generational group, taking over from millennials as the digital generation more expert. They represent a generational leap from their predecessors and are expected to be the demographic with the sweetest tooth for advertisers in a few years.
They are the generation of young people who are beginning to enter the labor market and, together with the millennials, they will represent the Majority of the population World Cup back in 2020. That’s why we want you to know them in detail.
Generation ‘X’, generation ‘Y’… and generation ‘Z’
The term ‘centennials’ was coined in 2015 by the Kantar Group consultancy, The Future Companyto differentiate adolescents who were born in the midst of the digital explosion, specifically between 1994 and 2009. Until then they were known as generation Z: the next after generation Y (millennials) and generation X.
Although they share traits with millennials – they are both digital natives – it would be a mistake to consider them from the same perspective. Keep in mind that centennials, unlike millennials, they don’t know life without smartphones or the Internet, and this greatly influences the way they see their existence and also the way they consume products and services.
What characteristics distinguish centennials?
Join the consultant dare and of Deusto Business School describes them as “the first generation that has incorporated the Internet into earliest stages of learning and socialization.
In addition, “they like to learn on their own, they are creative, innovative and overexposed to information.” Thus, many consider centennials a generation “high value”
From their only perspective, in which they do not conceive of an analog environment, they would be unable to interact in a world without screens. In fact, it could be said that the screens are extensions of themselves. They can alternate several at the same time (up to 5and many of these young people who take their devices to bed) because, like millennials, being constantly connected is a necessity.
Your affinity with brands
One of the most important things advertisers need to consider about centennials is their relationship with brands. Centennials are the first generation to perceive brands as a concept. They care, above all, about brands that, in some way, fit and adapt perfectly to their lives and connect them to the things that really matter to them.
How to differentiate centennials from previous generations
The most important difference between centennials and previous generations is the type of devices or technology used by each of the generational groups, as we can see in the following table.
In general, there are many points in common between centennials and millennials due to the close relationship between both generations with new technologies and . Still, there are details. very important which causes them to be considered as differentiated generations.
centennials vs millennials
- For example, centennials have grown overexposed to information, and perhaps for this reason they are more connected to reality and are less ambitious and dreamy than millennials. Likewise, the economic and political crisis has marked his personality to a great extent.
- Generation Z or centennials make the majority of purchases from their smartphones because they have grown up with one in hand. The online shopping and reviews of other users influence this generation considerably more than in the case of millennials.
- There are big differences in the way generations interact on social networks. Centennials are more likely to share their own images. In that sense, they identify more with Instagram than with other platforms like Facebook or Twitter.
- The attention span of millennials is 12 secondswhile that of centennials is reduced to 8 seconds. They are used to sensory overload by handling several screens at the same time (smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) so they need less time to filter the stimuli or information that comes to them.
- Centennials and millennials have an unequal conception of new technologies and social networks. While for the former, technology is one (more) means of consumption along with the alternative of the analog world, for the centennials it is the single tool that makes it easy to access to communication, education or entertainment.
Centennials, a great challenge for brands
Today, centennials represent 35% of the population – the oldest in this group are already over 21 years old – and they increasingly have a greater weight in consumption and the economy. In fact, one of Kantar, ‘Centennials at 21’reveals that the future growth of brands depends on their ability to connect with “the values, beliefs and expectations” of this generation.
The report in question is dedicated to analyzing the behavior and expectations from centennials around the world with the aim of helping marketers and brands redefine their marketing strategies so that their campaigns better connect with them. Director of Youth Insights at Kantar, Kate Turkan, warns that centennials are Changing the market and that it is important for brands to start “reading signs and making predictions” about how centennials will have a significant influence in the future. As:
They are digitally dependent (and they know it)
More than a third of centennials admit that they use their smartphone too much. Specifically, the research indicates that centennials use their devices a 30% more than the rest of the adults. These young people, especially those from , and the USA, spend an average of 2.40 hours a day connected to their phones, compared to millennials who do not spend almost 2 hours.
It is important to note that centennials highly value the experience offered by brands and do not hesitate to look further if a firm does not provide what they want or need at that moment. For example, a 62% of centennials would not use an app or a website that made it difficult to navigationand other 63% of respondents say they have installed a ad blocker on any of your mobile or desktop devices.
They are users identified with the RRSS
Kantar’s report also highlights that centennials are identify more with their profiles on social networks than previous generations. In particular, more than half of the respondents (61%) state that the content they post on their social media says a lot about who they are.
One of the differences between both generations and perhaps one of the most striking occurs in social networkswhere Instagram is already positioned as the second favorite app of Generation Z, only behind youtube and widely surpassing Facebook; unlike Millennials or those over 35, who continue to prefer the latter after YouTube.
Netflixon the other hand, is the application that dominates the TV & Cinema sector, not only with its market penetration, but also by analyzing what it generates, while My TV grows in the two young groups, Gen Z and Millennials, and Movistar+ in the rest of the population over 35. also get a great result among these usersalready surpassing the music player as the first option to listen to music among the youngest, who also listen to the radio to a lesser extent.
They are domestic influencers
Best of all, thanks to its status as digital specialistsa 75% of centennials work like home when it comes to taking important decisions related to family spending. It is becoming more and more common for families to ask their younger members for advice in order to collect information or compare reviews about products. This trend is best embodied in food and beverage items (77%), furniture (76%) and household products (73%).
How to plan your marketing campaigns for centennials
In order to impact centennials, it is no longer enough to consider them as an intense version of millennials. They need to be seen with perspective of a new generation which must be understood and reached. Here you will find a series of clues so that marketing strategies are more effective with them.
1. Address each individual
Centennials are the generation that controls technology the most. Sales and engagement strategies should start where these young people feel most comfortable: mobile and social networks. Offer multiple points of contact, with individualized direct messages without detours using various formats if possible (videos, posts, stories, etc.). Traditional advertising no longer works here.
2. Get to the point
It is important to communicate the message clear and fast. Centennials have a very short attention span and are used to making decisions quickly, so communication is necessary how do they communicate They are more receptive to short and frequent messages with a more intuitive visual language than previous generations.
3. Entertain your target
Centennials are not as averse to advertising as millennials, however when it comes to interacting with messages expect something else than a traditional user. They positively value authenticity, surprise. pleasant interactions and experiences that give them something of value.
4. Focus on the benefit
Sometimes all you need is a change of perspective on the message and promote profitability of a product. Centennials care more about the benefits of articles than the articles themselves. This way, you can more easily connect with them and put advertisers in a privileged position as experts who truly understand what their audience needs.
5. Do not forget: neither to inform, nor to mobile marketing, nor to update your technology
Centennials will always approach brands that are transparent. It is important to share the company’s message with users and offer as much information as possible about the products that are offered. Likewise, marketing strategies should be based, above all, on mobile platforms to make them more effective. Of course, it is vital that the technology offered by companies is attractive and meet expectations of centennial consumers. Otherwise, buyers will not take into account brands that are not updated in this regard.
Images: ShutterStock and DepositPhotos
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