When I was home sick from school as a kid, I planted myself in front of the TV and got a great education in daytime television programming. Live with Regis and Kathy Lee preceded the Price Is Right, and then when the soaps started, I’d take a nap until Jerry Springer came on. 

What I remember more than the iconic “You are NOT the father!” episodes of Jerry Springer are the stark differences in advertising that ran in daytime versus primetime. Primetime ads were slick, highly produced, and sometimes even entertaining. Daytime ads, by contrast, were low quality and often showcased ambulance-chasing law firms, reverse mortgage options, or medical devices I knew little about. What I did know, however, was that the same guy who starred in The Walton’s was pitching diabetes testing supplies…Wilfred Brimley. 

The days of simple endorsements were soon replaced by what we now know as “influencer marketing.” In fact, due to the ubiquity of social media, this type of niche marketing grew to the point that influencers became famous for nothing more than being influencers and brand ambassadors. 

Herein lies the problem: If one’s job is simply to endorse products, then the supposition is that they are paid to do so. And if that’s the case, then how genuine is the endorsement? This disingenuity comes not only with fabricated reviews but also with other issues such as fake followers, bot technologies, and, yes, the pandemic, too. Influencer marketing was once a genuine voice providing educated and trusted recommendations but has now become hijacked by the drive to monetize every possible thing on the internet (read: greed). 

As it turns out, Wilfred Brimley, the actor who starred in The Walton’s reruns I watched, had type 2 diabetes and did use Liberty Medical for testing supplies, which made his endorsement of the company genuine. This allowed potential customers to trust that he was endorsing the product without bias. Unfortunately, today, the knowledge that an online influencer’s motivation is driven by endorsements or sponsorships—regardless of whether they truly believe in a product or service—has turned audiences off. Influencer marketing once felt like advice from a friend. Not like someone trying to sell you snake oil. 

Although they’re not quite dead, some companies are pulling the plug on online influencer campaigns, as many consumers are turning to comment sections and favored forums (subreddits, TikTok trends, and Discord servers, to name a few) and scoffing at the idea of influencers as trusted sources of information. Instead, we now favor a more authentic approach that prioritizes both listening and talking and can be applied across the social media landscape based on who we want to speak to. 

All this is not to say there is no longer a time and place for influencer marketing, as it can be powerful when used appropriately. Rather, it shouldn’t be used as a blanket solution for every advertiser. And regardless of whether or not we employ an influencer, or use any other tactic for that matter, we must remember three key tenets of engagement: 

HUMANIZE YOUR BRAND 

Join the trusted online communities that exist across the internet and go beyond the obvious social networks. While there, be a person and have two-way, authentic conversations with the most engaged members. As trust is established with key members, the rest of the community is more likely to follow suit. This takes time and patience, but that’s how genuine trust is built.

RESEARCH RULES 

Each generation favors different networks and communities across the social media landscape. Whom we are looking to reach will absolutely define where we focus our efforts. Getting this wrong can upend good intentions; getting it right is more powerful for a brand than any influencer. 

RESPOND AFTER LISTENING 

If you’re going to engage an audience, make sure you’re really listening before responding. This means hearing and accepting audience/consumer feedback and making contributions to the community in response. Being a genuine part of the community can’t be faked. 

The endorsement of a product or service (be it blatant or implied) when thoughtfully executed can still be a useful tactic in certain scenarios for certain goals. Just know that, while the rules of engagement have changed greatly over the years, being authentic and genuine will never go out of style. 

Are your parents using social media the same way you do? What about Grammy? The answer is likely “no.” 

If you’re a millennial, you may be posting Instagram stories of your sublime dinner at that pop-up in the Seaport. Meanwhile, your mom is probably scrolling through Instagram and is just a little bit jealous you went to that pop-up without her. She’s active on Facebook, though, since that’s where her various friends and community groups connect.

As for Grammy, you may have helped her set up a Facebook account a few years ago. All your friends thought that was awesome, friended her, and still love seeing her posts but can’t understand why she writes exclusively in ALL CAPS (even though she’s not yelling).

Broadly speaking, we have unique generational priorities, and our media usage patterns are no different. By following these patterns, we can reach a broad section of a given generation based on when they were born and the law of averages.

Silent generation (born 1928–1945): This generation grew up during the Great Depression and World War II. They tend to be conservative and loyal and value hard work and discipline. They  stick with traditional media, which is where advertisers will find them. Broadcast television, cable, talk radio, and print can all effectively drive reach.

Baby boomers (born 1946–1964): Baby boomers are known for their work ethic, loyalty, and love for traditional advertising. They’re typically conservative in their spending habits, but they do appreciate high-quality products. They tend to favor traditional media outlets but haven’t shied away from embracing digital versions of the content they’re already loyal to. 

Generation X (born 1965–1980): Gen Xers are independent and self-reliant. They value diversity and are often skeptical of traditional advertising methods. However, as the in-between generation, they remain active using offline and online media alike. Reaching them is easy. Convincing them is not. 

Millennials (born 1981–1996): Millennials are tech-savvy and environmentally conscious individuals. They value experiences over possessions and are more likely to make purchases based on social and environmental causes. As the audio generation, millennials are easily reached on streaming platforms offering music, podcasts, and audiobooks.

Generation Z (born 1997–2013): This cohort is known for being highly connected, diverse, and open-minded. They tend to be tech-savvy and value individuality. Hit ’em up on all their devices where they’re multi-tasking: talking to friends, streaming content, gaming—all of it. 

Generation Alpha (born 2013–): This generation is the first to be fully digital from birth, and it has yet to define itself in earnest. But as today’s 10-year-olds begin to establish their voices, there’s no doubt we will hear them in new ways we haven’t yet visualized.

Do you fall cleanly into the definition of your generation? I’m guessing no—and neither do I. That’s where the house of cards begins to fall. Way too many campaigns start and end there, assuming there are clear cut lines between each generation, rather than assuming the law-of-averages dictates a summary of beliefs, desires, and media usage patterns, among many other things.

Using myself as a focus group of one, I’m on the younger end of Generation X, and many of my characteristics follow those of my fellow Gen Xers. However, more of my habits align with my millennial friends. I’m a hybrid. By age and some attributes, I’m Gen X, but in mindset, general life outlook, media use, and other attributes, I’m more millennial. A geriatric millennial, if you will.

Beyond the reality of blurred generations (especially for those on the cusps), pitfalls include overgeneralization (stereotyping), evolving habits (Grammy didn’t own a computer until she was 75 and got her Facebook account at 80), and ethical considerations (discrimination and ageism).

For this reason, we look at generational targeting only as a starting point in the early stages of planning to identify the broader cohorts we want to reach. From there, we narrow down our audience universe from everyone to a couple of key cohorts, with a focus on the vast other considerations that further define who it is our clients need to reach. We do this through:

• Behavioral targeting: Focus on targeting consumers based on their online behavior and interests, rather than on their age or generation.
• Contextual targeting: Target consumers based on the context of the website or app they’re using. For example, an ad for a fitness product could be targeted to users of health and wellness websites and apps.
• Psychographic targeting: Reach consumers based on their personality traits, values, and interests. We use surveys, social media activity, and online behavior to create targeted campaigns that resonate with consumers on a deeper level.
• Geo-targeting: Location, location, location. We take advantage of data such as IP addresses, GPS coordinates, and ZIP codes to create targeted campaigns relevant to consumers in specific geographic locations.
• Influencer marketing: This involves partnering with social media influencers to promote products or services—but you better keep it authentic.

Although a good place to start, there are several more approaches and alternatives to generational targeting in advertising that can help advertisers connect with their best prospects. Be it by behavior, interests, or values, or by using data and insights to create targeted campaigns that resonate with consumers, marketers can increase the effectiveness of their advertising and reach a more engaged audience.

Full disclosure: I sent this blog post to my Grammy and asked for her feedback. She replied, “IT’S NICE FOR YOU. WILL YOU SEND ME THE MAGAZINE SO I CAN READ IT?” So, yes, generational preferences and habits exist, but stopping there limits us as marketers.

Last November, Google Analytics released GA4, a new tool that lets you track customers across mobile apps and websites. Unlike Universal Analytics, which tracks users by sessions, GA4 is “event-based.”

What does that mean for you?

Now, instead of creating a new session when users return to your site, GA4 consolidates all the events they complete in a single set of reports—allowing you to perform cross-platform analysis. And with new features such as Enhanced Measurement, you can automatically collect data on scroll depth, outbound clicks, site search, embedded YouTube videos, file downloads, and more.

GA4 makes time measurement more useful, too. Instead of just flat time-on-page-type data, you can measure how long it takes a user to watch a video, fill out a survey, or complete a defined set of steps.

Here are some other things to know about GA4:

• It only collects data from the time of creation and won’t import past data for UA properties.
• This will become the standard, so it’s good to start using it now and collect as much data as possible.
• It doesn’t impact the use of UTM codes.
• When moving from UA to GA4, historical data won’t be lost, but it will live in a separate platform.
• UA and GA4 will live in harmony for a certain period of time, so pixels can coexist on the landing page.

Get an in-depth look at G4A

As companies continue to grapple with how to identify with and relate to millennials, the first members of a new generation—kids born between 1997 and 2013—will be graduating from college this year. By 2020, “Gen Z” will make up 40% of our US consumer base. How quickly time flies.

You may be asking, “What do we have to look forward to with the Gen Zers?” And, “What will be the differences between the millennials—who grew up being taught, everyone gets a trophy, who have been espousing that they’re going to quit their job and pursue their dreams since they joined the workforce, and who were the first generation born as digital natives—and the Zers?

Below is an overview of who these rising leaders are. This may help ease your mind knowing the coming generation’s priorities—and possibly scare you a bit as a marketer.

CONNECTED SINCE BIRTH TO 24/7 DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT

Gen Z is the first generation to have been exposed to social media at birth, likely pictured on a social channel within 48 hours of coming into this world. They’ve upped the stakes for digital nativity, being the first generation born with personalized computers in their pockets, literally connected 24/7 to the information exchange. They do not consider if or when a store is “open.” It’s a 24/7 world to them. By the age of three, many of them were digital pros, and by the age of 12, they were online influencers busy building and attracting audiences. Their life centers around their smartphone. It’s their key communication tool to establish and maintain friendships, their primary shopping tool where the bulk of their spending happens, their primary source for news and information, and often their source of entertainment. Their world centers around this one device.

SOCIAL ACTIVISM IS AT THEIR CORE

Imagine the impact of having age-appropriate role models like Malalla Yousafzai, who at just 18 years old became the world’s youngest ever Nobel Prize recipient. Or Jack Andraka, a high school student who invented a test that can detect early onset pancreatic cancer. These are just two examples of who Gen Z is looking up to. And they have a plethora of other social influencers who are making their voices heard through online channels that amass millions of followers and amplify voices in ways we never dreamed before.

60% of Gen Zers want their jobs to impact the world, and 76% are concerned about humanity’s impact on the planet. These kids aren’t here just to talk about changing the world. They’re committed to it. Look no further than the recent national school walkout organized by fed-up students from Florida and the attention it has fostered.

THEY DON’T SEE BOUNDARIES

In 2020, half of all US children will be part of a minority race or ethnic group. Gen Z has been in classrooms far more ethnically and socially diverse than their predecessors, and these kids have come of age with Caitlin Jenner and an African American president. The meaning of gender has shifted, and subjects like same-sex marriage and transgender rights are easier to talk about. These kids are inclusive, accepting, and more open-minded. They appreciate individuality and seek it for themselves. They’re not as bound to perceived notions of marriage and role expectations, and, for them, living across the globe doesn’t mean losing connectivity with the ones you love.

Considering that Gen Z will be 40% of our consumer population in 2020, what do we, as marketers, need to think about when trying to appeal to Zers?

THEY SEE A BRAND AS A PERSON, LIKE A FRIEND.

Gen Zers have grown up “liking” what a brand is saying, as they’ve connected with brands on a personal level from a young age. They feel connected to brands they believe in and seek brands with shared values. They appreciate personalized branded content and are natural brand influencers and ambassadors. Brands are friends and extensions of their own personas.

BE REAL, COMMIT, AND BE WELCOMING.

Gen Z is more likely to befriend and identify with a brand that is less focused on aspirational messaging and more focused on being realistic without any stereotyping. They like it when brands use real people vs. models and celebrities. 60% support brands that take a stand on issues they believe in regarding race, sexual orientation, and human rights. To really create a connection, your messaging needs to be authentic, thoughtful, and inclusive. It’s about including everyone together and not being judgmental.

AN EVEN SHORTER ATTENTION SPAN, AND OLD IS OUT.

Gen Z has an eight-second attention span to “get” the full story. That’s right: nab them online in eight seconds or they’re gone. These folks don’t waste a second. They want it all and they want it fast. And if your brand isn’t technologically up to par on their mobile device, they take that as you not caring about them as a customer. They won’t give you the time of day.

DEMONSTRATE THAT YOUR BRAND IS SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE.

They want to see that you’re like them, authentically committed to bringing about change. You can’t just talk the talk. You need to walk the walk. And when it comes to joining a company, they will expect you to provide a higher purpose to keep them connected to something bigger than the “job” and “paycheck.”

Gen Z is bringing a lot of positive change to the world. They have weathered a lot and have been patiently watching as Gen X has found their footing. Now, they’re here to make their mark, and it’s our job to find a way to their hearts and souls.

Engaging your audience is key – but what happens when you receive a negative online review? Learn tips on how to respond to negative posts on social media.