Brands need to understand and adapt to the preferences of Gen Z and Millennials in the evolving social media landscape. YPulse’s Chief Content Officer, MaryLeigh Bliss, explores young consumers' behaviors on social media and the opportunities for brands.

Key Topics:

1. TikTok's Growth: From its beginnings as Musical.ly, TikTok's growth has been extraordinary, with user rates among young people jumping from 5% in 2019 to 53% in 2022.

2. Generational Preferences: TikTok is the preferred platform for Gen Z, with nearly 75% using it, but it's the third choice for Millennials.

3. Twitter's Limited Effect: Twitter is less influential, with only 25% of Gen Z and 30% using the platform. Not an optimal choice for marketers targeting young consumers.

4. Generational Definitions: There's confusion regarding the definitions of generations like Gen Z and Gen Alpha. An understanding of age ranges and life stages is key for accurate insights.

5. Social Media as a Search Engine: Youth increasingly use platforms like TikTok and Instagram as search engines. Brands need to optimize their content for this shift.

6. Active Engagement: Young consumers are active on an average of six social platforms.

7. Advice: Establish an organic presence on TikTok, tap into YouTube's dynamics, and engage with comments.

Understanding these dynamics offers brands the opportunity to connect authentically with their target audience on their preferred platforms.

YPulse is the leading authority on Millennials and Gen Z: tweens, teens, college students, and young adults. We provide strategic insight to companies and organizations via our subscription-based syndicated research content as well as our custom research and consulting services. Staffed with a cross-functional team of researchers, marketers, writers, and technologists, we give our clients a 360-degree view of what it’s like to be a Millennial or Gen Z in America today.

Patrick Esposito, author and CEO, illuminates the path to entrepreneurial success. His book, "The Structure of Success," serves as a practical manual for small and mid-sized businesses. In today’s interview he flips the script, diving into failure — and how entrepreneurs can avoid it.

Highlights from the interview:

• Factors leading to Business Failure: Esposito identifies five major causes for small and medium-sized businesses' downfall:
  • Disputes between co-owners.
  • Inability to evolve the business model.
  • Execution failure during a merger, acquisition, or sale.
  •   Inadequate internal infrastructure.
  •   Ineffective disaster management.
•  Tackling the challenges: Esposito provides sage advice for each business challenge, such as drafting clear shareholder agreements and staying receptive to customer feedback.
• Understanding the Complexity of Scaling: Emphasizing the essential role of delegation, Esposito advises businesses to acknowledge personal limitations and employ specialists for critical operations.
• Dealing with Ambiguity: Esposito advocates for swift and diligent decisions rather than waiting for perfect data, allowing for necessary adjustments later.

Click here to purchase the book   

In the ever-evolving field of marketing, the challenge has always been optimizing the marketing mix. We were fortunate to discuss this complex topic with Prof. Koen Pauwels, a renowned marketing expert at Northeastern University and co-founder of the Data Initiative. His insight provided us with valuable guidance on how to approach and refine our marketing strategies.

Topics discussed: 

The Power of a Framework: Input, Throughput, and Output Use a basic framework for marketing mix optimization: input, throughput, and output. Align marketing goals with business objectives to chart a path to success. Understand business goals like growth or resource constraints and adjust your marketing efforts accordingly. Track hard metrics like sales to ensure alignment with these objectives.

The Myth of ROI as a Silver Bullet Metric Avoid solely relying on ROI; it's an efficiency metric that can mislead you into reducing marketing investments and harming growth. Look instead at effectiveness metrics like profits and sales, which offer a better benchmark.

The Role of Content and Creativity Creative content is more important than the channel used for its delivery. A well-crafted message is a primary driver of advertising effectiveness.

Content Marketing Alignment of your content with the consumer's purpose for the website visit is key. In-depth integration can effectively boost your campaign.

Frequency and Timing: A Delicate Balancing Act No universal rule for frequency and timing in campaigns is available. The traditional wisdom of minimum exposures has evolved with today's digital consumer behaviors. Testing and data collection can help identify the optimal frequency and reach.

In this interview, Dr. Kyle Murray details how sustainable behavior can be effectively promoted through an understanding of values, energy, and consumer experience. By leveraging these insights, we can motivate greater engagement in eco-friendly actions.

Key Points:

• Value and energy dynamics: Sustainable behavior hinges on consumer values and energy level. Grasping this interplay enables us to motivate eco-conscious actions.
• Energy-effort correlation: High energy levels combined with genuine willingness reduce perceived effort in sustainable practices.
• Energizing consumers: Creating energetic environments can facilitate greater consumer participation in sustainable behavior.