Brand Love & Ad Nausea
Why Young Consumers Follow Brands But Avoid Ads
Lots has been written about the characteristics of Gen Z and millennials— they’re incredibly diverse, socially aware, mobile-first and hyper digital.
They also have strong opinions and aren’t afraid to vocalize them on social media. More than any other generation, young people follow and interact (both positively and negatively) with brands. Yet, those interactions are totally on their own terms given the prevalence of ad blockers and the ability to click-away at will.
Understanding young people’s relationships with brands and ads proves more difficult. Why will they retweet for free nuggets, but unfollow a brand for shading their favorite YouTuber?
DEFY Media’s Acumen Report, Youth Video Diet, reported that, although young people don’t like watching ads any more than older generations, they don’t object to advertising outright. Advertising is onerous only when it’s a barrier, and in the right context today’s young people are quite willing to consume brand communications.
But understanding young people’s relationships with brands and ads proves more difficult. Why will they retweet for free nuggets, but unfollow a brand for shading their favorite YouTuber?
The study seeks to explain how young consumers’ love for brands can coexist with their decreasing interest in ads.
So, as a brand, how do you fight through the constant refreshing and digital blockers to become a youth connected powerhouse?
To answer this question, DEFY Media and DoSomething Strategic partnered on a study of consumers ages 13 to 25. We looked to understand young people’s interactions with advertising on social media and the nature of their relationships with brands on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube.
The study seeks to explain how young consumers’ love for brands can coexist with their decreasing interest in ads, and how to best reach and successfully speak to this key group on their terms.
Key findings in this report:
Click through to each section of the report below and learn how to more effectively connect with young consumers today.
Section 1:
Section 2:
Section 3:
Section 4:
TL;DR—Have a Voice, Offer Value, and Get Out of the Way
With only 62% of young people following a brand on social, there is plenty of opportunity to attract and engage young consumers. Here are some data-informed tips to more effectively connect with the important (and savvy) young consumer.
- Ads still work to introduce a brand to young consumers, but be mindful of the user experience. Brands must find ways to organically integrate their messaging into digital platforms versus interrupting the young person’s experience.
- Keep ads and content fresh and informative and you’ll keep your young followers (for as long as they still find your product relevant).
- The right kind of brand messaging provides young consumers with insider knowledge tucked into visually appealing content, and a special offer on occasion. Check out fashion, shoe, and tech brands that are doing it right and benefiting from a strong following of young consumers.
- To more deeply connect with young consumers, brands should not only have a social good platform, they should be vocal about their values and beliefs — no matter how controversial they may be — in their ads and social conversations rather than bury it in the “About Us” section on their websites.
Research & Editorial Team
Meredith Ferguson, Managing Director, DoSomething Strategic
Andy Tu, CMO, DEFY Media
Charlotte Horseman, Data and Research Analyst, DoSomething Strategic
Nichole Becker, VP, Research, DEFY Media
Irene Pedruelo, Editor, Director of Research , DoSomething.org
Methodology
Data was collected via an online survey distributed to individuals age 13–25 years old living in the United States. Removed from the analysis were individuals with completion times of less than 5 minutes and those younger than 13 years or older than 25 years.
Results have been weighted to create representations across gender, age, and parents’ education to match those reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. The final sample includes 1,334 observations. With an estimated U.S. population of 59 million 13–25 year olds, this sample size allows for a 2.7% margin of error at a 95% confidence level.
About DoSomething Strategic
DoSomething Strategic is the data-driven social impact consultancy arm of DoSomething.org. We help brands and organizations engage young people for positive social change. We combine proprietary data with a deep understanding of what young people care about to help clients build relationships with this unique demographic and activate them for social good. Our expertise is grounded in moving 6 million DoSomething.org members — ages 13–25 in every area code in the United States and in 131 countries worldwide — to take social action, and we’ve been doing this work successfully day in and day out for over 25.
About DEFY Media
DEFY Media is built on the idea that media should be as meaningful and dynamic as the audiences it’s made for, creating expansive and authentic content brands—Smosh, Screen Junkies, Clevver, AWEME, Break, and Made Man—that young people obsess over. Powered by in-house studios and the most adept talents and producers, DEFY has uniquely scaled its digital sensibility, expanding 75 regularly scheduled programs across more than 25 video platforms, including SVOD, television, and film. In a world where viewers hold the power, DEFY’s brands have earned more than 110 million followers on YouTube and the world’s largest social platforms combined, driving more than 800MM total video views each month through content that matters to young audiences.
