Actions, not words: Stop the mantras, start marketing that matters

Authenticity, inclusion, sustainability, and community: these are all great words. But what happens when those words don’t translate into action, especially with an audience that isn’t afraid to criticize brands and marketing campaigns?

To set the scene: A few years ago, many of us in the “older generation” category (that’s hard to accept, isn’t it?) of Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials had a lot of good, bad, and ugly opinions about brands, marketing campaigns, and creatives—whether it was a boring radio jingle or a poorly written billboard.

Yet most of these opinions were only expressed over lunch with colleagues, at the family table, or at a get-together with friends. Often, people working with brands and campaigns rarely heard the real conversations happening on the ground. Well, those days are long gone.

We are welcoming a generation of consumers who are openly and publicly expressing themselves, both online and offline. Marketers are now facing a level of feedback they have never experienced before.

They must respond to a world that demands co-creation, content, connections, communities, cultural sensitivity and unwavering honesty. Brands cannot afford to fall into communication paralysis, echo chambers and, even less, turn a blind eye.

Two choices: brand loyalty or brand boycott

Gen Z has changed the game, openly expressing the need for relevant marketing, value-driven advertising, and authenticity and sustainability in brand stories.

Speaking to Campaign Middle East, Nay Riachy, Director of Social Content at GroupM MENA, doesn’t hold back.

“Gen Z demands that brands be authentic and inclusive. They have the power to make or break a brand based on how well they deliver on those expectations. They are very good at spotting brands that are lying and can investigate to verify claims. This means brands need to go beyond just saying the right things: they need to truly commit to equity and inclusion in everything they do.”

And that’s the key. It’s no longer enough to have the right marketing pitch. We’re now serving a generation that will hold us accountable for “what,” “why,” and “how” we’re implementing that pitch.

In the Middle East region in particular, where social media adoption and smartphone penetration are near 100%, there is no escaping the extremes of brand loyalty or brand boycott depending on how global and regional brands bring their strategic messaging to life.

Value Based Marketing – “It’s not an idea anymore, it’s a fact”

TikTok recently revealed that users in the MENA region favor brands that lead positive societal change and transparency, which can establish clear trust in the brand and have an open line of communication with their consumers and community.

“Generation Z also expects seamless and personalised digital experiences from brands, whether through mobile apps, e-commerce sites or social media. These attitudes cannot be ignored and as communicators we must respond to these imperatives and align our strategies with the digital preferences and values ​​of this demographic,” said Mary Smiddy, Group Commercial Manager, MSL Middle East.

But we cannot write an article about implementing values ​​such as authenticity without addressing its implementation. And yes, it will not be easy.

Laura Gleadhill, Managing Director of Keyade Middle East, part of GroupM MENA, said: “Brand loyalty is actually very low among Gen Z. I think with so many values ​​to live up to and so many macroeconomic changes impacting people’s personal values ​​and whether a company fits into them, it can be a difficult thing to authentically integrate into your values.”

…and yet, it must be done.

Mohammad El Tayech, a strategic planner at TBWA\RAAD, calls a spade a spade. “I feel like the phrase ‘Gen Z values ​​authenticity’ has become so overused that it’s no longer just an idea, but a fact – and yes, there is a difference,” he said.

“If brands are very demanding, to what extent can they actually meet them? They cannot move away from their own message/identity just to please a certain target group. The only and most important way for brands to be authentic with Generation Z is to connect with them, to connect with the problems they encounter in their daily lives and find a solution, to connect with the situations and show them that they are part of it,” concludes El Tayech.