There has never before been a group of people as unique as Gen Z. Known for their fervent social media usage, Gen Z views companies and businesses in a drastically different way than any consumer before.
To them, companies are made up of authentic people and therefore need to act as such. Part of this requires implementing a new range of communication tactics such as influencers and content marketing in order to have genuine conversations via social media, while also focusing less on the bottom line.
No one likes a friend who only cares about money and always asks for favors, but never offers help. Similarly, Gen Z does not like companies who think about themselves and not others. As companies better develop their personal brand story, to relate to and engage with Gen Z, it is crucial to begin to incorporate social responsibility.
CSR lets companies reveal a new side to consumers, one that is more compassionate and evocative. When companies spend the effort to compensate for any damages of their operations, use their specialties to help others, and overall try to make the world a better place, Gen Z will be more likely to buy into the grander picture and understand what kind of lifestyle the brand espouses.
Generation Z furthermore has an unprecedented access to crowdsourced information. As a result, missteps by companies are easily noted and virally shared. Acting with integrity has become the only standard. If companies pollute, cause cancer, use unethical labor, etc., this information will spread and tarnish the brand image.
More than anything, since Generation Z can spot a contrived post from a mile away, authenticity is crucial. Social responsibility should not be treated as a box to be checked on a list of corporate activities. Rather, tailor it to fit with your particular company, its actions, and what you stand for. As you explore options for how your company can help others, these are some of the best instances of social actions utilized for building a Gen Z brand.
SUAVS Shoes x Soles4Souls
SUAVS Shoes is a minimalist footwear company based in Austin, Texas that wants to empower people through better-designed footwear. A believer that we should do everything, including retail, with purpose, the company donates any slightly imperfect products to Soles4Souls rather than throwing them out.
Soles4Souls is a non-profit that provides people in developing countries with shoes either for personal use or to sell as a means of generating a livelihood. Over the past 1.5 years of SUAVS lifetime, the minimalist company has donated over 1,300 pairs of shoes to the organization. Since minimalism is currently a strong trend among Gen Z and this social action fits in well with that larger brand story, SUAVS CSR campaign has resulted in massive success and customer support. Maintaining a fluid brand story is pivotal for developing a concise brand image for Gen Z. Social responsibility offers an opportunity for companies to put their money where their mouth is and demonstrate a brand story in a way that benefits society.
Patagonia
Patagonia operates as one of the premier outdoor brands. However, they are distinct from their competition because this company also aims to leave an almost invisible footprint on the environment. Since their target demographic, people who buy outdoor clothing, also love the outdoors, Patagonia knew it made sense to prevent a detrimental impact when creating their apparel. Therefore, they conducted an intensive ecological survey of all of their business operations and have made results public so people can know what buying Patagonia means for the planet.
This example is one of the more intensive social campaigns out there. It encompasses fair wages for workers, proper environmental conduct, and steps to encourage the restoration of the outdoors. One of the most key components to all of this is utter transparency. People no longer trust companies or advertising, and Gen Z takes this paranoia to an extreme, since they have not only seen a plethora of scandals but also know how easy it is to fake it on social media. This means often times a large-scale CSR campaign needs to implement large effort to increase transparency and effectively communicate the actions taken and results achieved.
Starbucks
Starbucks knows that one of the core components of their brand experience is the barista who seems to never be able to spell a name correctly. This has led them to develop a social responsibility campaign that is much more internal. Food service has a reputation for being an underpaid occupation that over works people trying to pursue other dreams. Starbucks challenges this perception with better compensation and a number of benefits for their baristas, including help with covering college expenses, company stock offers, and a range of health benefits.
Gen Z, in contrast to Millennials, prefers and looks forward to face-to-face interactions and so the pep of the barista directly translates to the taste of Starbucks in a Gen Z mouth. Starbucks is changing the way food service employees are treated to help encourage better wages and foster their individual passions. This approach not only allows characterizes Starbucks as a wholesome coffee shop that cares about its employees, but also ensure every barista is energetic at work and eager to have a positive interaction with their Gen Z customers.
No matter what product or service your company offers, nor whether you are a public corporation or budding start-up, you need to act like a person. Take the time and effort to help out others. Now more than ever with the growth of Generation Z in terms of consumer market share, corporate social responsibility needs to find a way into the structure of your business’s brand story.
This article was taken from here.