By Adonis Fryer

In the prehistoric age before social media, when dinosaurs known as “fax machines” and “dial-up internet” roamed the Earth — or January 1996 as some call it — Bill Gates published an essay entitled, “Content is King”. 

In it, he proclaimed that content creation would be lucrative, predicted the downfall of print publishing and said:

“Those who succeed will propel the Internet forward as a marketplace of ideas, experiences, and products-a marketplace of content.”

Just like his prediction of a coming pandemic, Gates was right and one doesn’t need to look far for proof.

Youtube, a platform for sharing video content is the second most visited website in the world with only Google ahead of it. The platform isn’t just powerful for content, but is also responsible for launching popular internet celebrities 

Facebook and Twitter, two platforms for networking and sharing informational content are the source of more Americans’ news than the Sunday paper. Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and HBONOW, platforms for consuming film/television content, are more popular than cable and traditional theaters. To capitalize on these trends, brands of all sizes have set sail into the endless sea of content creation. 

Firms have created all different types of content. There have been sassy tweets between burger joints, clapbacks from streaming companies and an endless array of influencers stepping in to promote brands. All of these different avenues of content are important, but simply creating content isn’t enough anymore

People of all ages are bombarded by endless promotions, videos and social media posts but Generation Z interacts with content differently. We’re technologically innate and we have a famous attention span of 8 seconds because our filters are far more refined. We don’t respond as well to too  perfect, inauthentic big brands like our predecessors and traditional forms of marketing often fail with us.

So how should firms try to capture our attention?

To reach Generation Z, the great companies don’t just focus on creating content. Instead, they focus on forging communities. By communities, I obviously don’t mean setting up houses, parks and such. Instead, I’m referring to the conversations, the hashtags, the Tik toks and memes that great content inspires.

For a prime example, look at Netflix’s latest hit, Tiger King. The endlessly memeified series’s success is a prime example of the power of GenZ’s marketing power. 

While there are obvious factors in the show’s success like it’s real-life premise, bizarre & intriguing characters and truthfully, an unusual boredom inducing quarantine -- social media still reigned supreme. The conversations branched from celebrities like 2Chainz, Chrissy Teigen, Kim Kardashian to neighbors, friends, family, coworkers and everyone in between. Even my grandmother knew about it! Truthfully, the only topic as hot at the time was quarantine itself.

Some of the conversations attacked the show as being a by-product of boredom while others lauded the show as a masterpiece of absurd documentaries. Either way, the media frenzy inevitably led to new connections amongst those talking about it, because it gave people something of an icebreaker.

Great content does that. 

It’s not just about selling your product, but it’s about creating conversation around it. This value of creating communities and experiences aren’t just exclusive for entertainment brands, but for all modern brands. 

For instance, consider clothing brands. The best brands don’t just sell designs, innovative fabrics and promotions -- they sell experiences. People don’t wear Supreme clothing because of how it feels. They wear it because they want to send a message that they  fit into a certain community or fit a lifestyle.

This trend is wide reaching. Apple users buy their products, not just because of the functionality but because of the feeling of  community built around iMessage games, the ability to facetime, and a phobia of green textors. When people go out to eat, we’re not just attracted to the food, but the ambiance, the lighting and the fellow patrons.

It’s not just what we buy, but it’s who we buy it with. 

To market to GenZ consumers,  brands need to understand the key principle around content creation. Content should be created with the bottom line of creating a long lasting community, as opposed to just selling a product. In the end, a GenZ consumer will always prefer the product that has ties to a community rather than a product that simply gets a job done, whether it’s a t-shirt or  next gen cell phone technology 

It’s no secret that folks are more divided than ever. It seems as though everything is political from your choice of social media to even the clothing brands you endorse. 

If you can market your product as something that’s both valuable and has strong values so that people regardless of their political beliefs, gender, race and anything in between can stand behind then you’ll be primed for this new generation. 

Don’t just create content, but create communities for people to enjoy and be a part of.