Generation Alpha will outnumber the Baby Boomer generation within the next four years, according to Mccrindle. These numbers are significant as the Boomers were listed on Pew Research Center at about 72 million in 2019 and, according to HubSpot, Gen Alpha is expected to grow to over 2 billion by 2025. Why does this even matter when currently the oldest Gen Alpha is merely 12 years old? It matters because when these little guys and gals grow into adults, they will be the ones that advertisers will be trying to appeal to on top of Gen X, Y, and Z. it will be important to understanding what things makes this generation unique in order to properly advertise to them.
Generation Alpha is anyone born from 2010 to 2025 and is also known to be called the “Mini Millennials,” since they are the children of that generation. They tend to idealize with their parents’ values since it’s believed that they have a tight nit relationship with them. This generation will be the first to be born entirely in the 21stCentury. Therefore, they will have grown up in a fully digital environment. This will contribute to even shorter attention spans and their digital literacy is how they will stay informed and connected with others. Like their parents, they will also care about environmental issues, be health conscious forward, fight for social justices and lastly, it will be crucial to them that brands that they choose to purchase from will have values aligning with their own. It will be important going forward for marketers and advertisers to take these considerations into account. Here are some things that can be expected from Gen Alpha.
1. They are visual. Video content will remain as the top way to advertise. Games also play a large role in learning for them. The rub here is that their attention spans will suffer even more than the previous generations before them. Think about it, the average attention span of a Gen Y is 8 seconds. What does that mean for Alpha? How much shorter can it get?
2. Hyperconnected and tech savvy. They will be experts in technology and social media outlets. This is how they will want to connect with others. The downfall here is that they will not make real in person connection as much and there will be less creativity and imagination.
3. They will require authenticity and transparency. Just like their parents, they will only support brands who are honest! They will only support brands who are conscious about their impact on society and climate change.
4. They want personalization. They do not want to be “sold” to. They want interactive experiences with meaningful content. UGC is a great way to do this. Interactive advertising is another. They want connections to brands virtually.
As we look to the future, it seems brighter as this new Alpha generation is more conscious of issues that have needed addressing for quite some time. It seems that the way brands will have to go about marketing and advertising will require positive changes company wide. It will not merely be enough to say you care about social issues and climate change, but brands must act to show their audience that they can not only talk the talk but walk the walk. Gen Alpha might be just what this world needs!
