Marketing in the 21st Centaury-The Rise of Gen Z's

What goes into your mind as a brand or business when the word marketing is mentioned? What would be your first reaction? Well, to me when this word is mentioned anywhere, I spot an opportunity or rather a chance to strike a conversation. I don't know about you but to me there is always a window of opportunity that always presents itself. Is it because of my career path or is it just positioning myself at the right place and the right time? Actually, I really don't have an idea how to place this. But all in all, instantly I know that I'll either get a chance to learn something, strike a business deal, market my brand or help a brand grow and maybe market itself. In this age and era, information, interaction and making new connections in business is everything.

Last week I attended a business summit in one of the most prestigious hotels in the leafy suburbs of Westland's Nairobi. The opportunity had presented itself and immediately my mind was positioned, I had to swim with the sharks or back off and be called a coward for not grabbing an opportunity. I wasn't ready to be called a coward, so I swam. It was an open marketing brief whereby we would interact freely, have a cup of coffee and make new connections with other entrepreneurs, business owners, marketing professionals and business consultancy professional. Sorry! My bad, I had forgotten that the Gen Zs where also represented and my oh my it was mind blowing. I was able to borrow one or two things from Gen Z's. Interestingly, this generation has no chills, but they speak their minds and do what they want to do regardless of the circumstances or opportunity presented to them.

Walk with me here, if somebody where to ask you today, "Who is a marketer in the 21st centaury?" without using the usual answers we got from business school, Google or maybe Chat GTP, would you have an answer for this? Gen Zs are naturally marketers of their own brands. In everything they do, everywhere they go and anything they touch, they create a memory, an impression or an invention to be presented to their targeted digital audience. They have the power of technology at their fingertips, they have embraced it and using it to their advantage. While I was trying to connect, interact with other people and maybe be lucky to get a useful contact from the summit that I would use to seal a deal in future, I couldn't hesitate to notice this young lady who was constantly on her phone. Taking picture, videos and interacting conversations by asking questions on camera each and every step she made. We bumped into each other several times at the event, and she didn't put her phone down even for a minute. She was constantly filming. So, to cut the long story short, I approached her, and we finally had a conversation because I was very curious with what she was filming all that time. She was gracious enough to share her knowledge with me.

Let me tell you, the amount of knowledge I harnessed from this young lady imminently sent me back to school. This is stuff that can't be taught is school, at least not at this moment but maybe in future. You see while we try and find better ways, strategies and maybe efficient ways of putting or marketing our brands out here, this generation has already figured it out. They are doing that daily life. They just identify what they want to do, what's their strength and what is next. Their only big question is, where do they start? But most of the time they already have this answer. First, they create a digital presence, then constantly create content and finally upload to their relevant channels. In short, they have created a digital footprint which defines them as a brand, their interests, knowledge and what type of a business or brand they are.

Well, you see as a business or brand, there are two things that should be always considered. As a business owner, brand identity and positioning your brand or business is key. There is no way you will successfully achieve your goals, vision and mission in business and for your brand without constantly marketing and positioning yourself. This is something we should learn from Gen Z's. While we are busy criticizing what they are doing with an outspoken term that they are technology and gadgets addicts, lessons should be learnt here. Successfully, Gen Z's have beaten all odds to become very successful in their early 20's because they have broken the norms and did things differently.

They have constantly put themselves, their brands and business out there while we are here looking at them like lost sheep's. My take home of that interaction was just simple, constantly be on the move, market your brand out there. Put as much content as you can to stay relevant and update your audience on what is happening in your brand, business or even your life. You never know that client, customer and prospect where he/she is watching from.

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