By: Alyssa Eblen, Samantha Ketter, Shambhavi Mishra, Enhui Su, & Yuxin Zhou

introduction

This research was conducted by a Master of Entertainment Industry Management team. The purpose of this study is to examine how Gen Z, born between 1998 and 2010, appraises social media and interprets authenticity in branded content. Recognizing the significance of Gen Z’s influence, Ayzenberg Group, an advertising agency based in Southern California with a number of high-profile gaming clients, is interested in the role of authenticity as it relates to Gen Z's social media behavior and preference. With 97% of Gen Z relying on social media for entertainment and purchasing inspiration, brands must create genuine and organic content to resonate with this demographic and stand out among the vast amount of existing content online (Forbes, 2021). The importance of the project lies in discovering the values that affect Gen Z’s purchasing decisions and their impact on other generations.

In 2022, 57% of Gen Z, born between 1998 and 2010, felt more empowered to express themselves authentically in a video game than in real life (Razorfish, 2022). This generation is the first to grow up with the internet as an integral part of their culture, with high engagement across virtual spaces. To truly captivate and connect with Gen Z consumers on social media, brands need to prioritize creating genuine and organic content that resonates with the Gen Z demographic, rather than relying on the polished content often geared towards millennials. Furthermore, Gen Z consumers rely heavily on social media for entertainment and purchasing inspiration, with 97% reporting it as their primary source (Forbes, 2021). Even more interesting, Gen Z’s purchasing habits are reported to have affected 58% of purchases made by Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers (Edelman, 2022). Marketers could effectively maximize their ad spending by targeting Gen Z consumers since their influence is so highly valued by other consumers. In fact, Gen Z’s purchasing power made the gaming industry one of the fastest growing markets with revenues reaching $202 billion in 2022 (McDowell & Benissan, 2022). By taking a proactive approach and crafting content that reflects the values and interests of Gen Z, brands - particularly in gaming - can effectively engage with this demographic and forge meaningful connections that result in long-term success and revenue growth.

Brand Influence

A 2022 forecast by Insider Intelligence projected that 89% of marketers will rely on influencer marketing by 2026 (Obolenskaya, 2022). The economy’s response to Gen Z has been escalated by the integration of the internet and social media into modern culture. Gen Z has the unique characteristic of being “digital natives,” raised with the internet permeating their childhood, culture, and education (Parker & Igielnik, 2020). The popularity of the cell phone and the subsequent introduction of mobile internet has heavily influenced culture, education, and the workplace. A portion of Gen Z was especially affected by workplace shifts in recent years, as they are the first generation to enter the workforce following the COVID-19 pandemic. Gen Z is also identified by several landmark cultural, social, and political shifts, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the Me Too Movement, the ongoing concern of mass gun violence, and a renewed call for equal rights among all communities. While every generation is marked with new values and characteristics, marketers are faced with an extra challenge as Gen Z actively participates in a turbulent economic and political environment. Harnessing the power of the internet like no generation before, Gen Z is easy to find, but frustratingly difficult to reach.

Image: Millennials and Gen Z Report: 2021 Trends and COVID-19 Shifts Visit
Image Source: Kibo Commerce

As companies work toward more effective ways to market to young audiences, they are met with the demands of a generation that has consistent access via the internet to find information on products and businesses easier than ever before. In 2022, 95% of American teens aged 13-17 reported having a cell phone, which is 30% higher than in 2015 (Martin, 2022). Phone usage itself is up by over 60% more than pre-pandemic levels, and in 2023 the average Gen Z watched 7.2 hours of video content per day on platforms including TikTok and YouTube (SlickText, 2023). Reflecting this increased access, a 2022 report stated, “82% of Gen Z consumers use social media as a way of finding new brands, compared to 57% of general consumers'' (Smartly.io, 2022). Combined with the fact that Gen Z audiences are now utilizing socials like TikTok as search engines, social content that resonates with them is critical (Huang, 2022). As online access grows, marketers face more challenges in breaking through the oversaturation of social media, gaming, streaming, and other media outlets.

Furthermore, Gen Z holds a high standard for businesses, with 73% of purchases made based on belief-driven buying and brand advocacy (Edelman, 2022). A 2022 World Economic Forum report flagged that “belief-driven buying” motivates Gen Z to purchase from brands that support causes they care about and align with their values. Previous generations were more willing to respond to less connective advertisements, whereas in 2023 61% of polled consumers put their trust in influencer promotions over commercial or celebrity endorsements (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2023.) However, 42% of people distrust messaging coming straight from brands (Geyser, 2021). An over-curated or unintentional online presence won’t connect with Gen Z, so brands must discover what Gen Z values to develop genuine relationships and create lasting brand loyalty.

Background

Existing research on Gen Z was a critical resource in establishing the direction of our own research. Utilizing trade publications available to ad agencies (e.g., Canvas8, Helix, GWI, eMarketer), we were able to study existing research on Gen Z’s unique characteristics, the nuances of the developing gaming industry, and the impact of social media on modern-day marketing. Our goal was to understand what authenticity means to Gen Z and if it functions as the driving value for Gen Z's social media habits, and how to apply the findings to empower gaming brands to better connect with a Gen Z audience. To do so, we had to examine several key factors:

1. A history of authenticity in social media and the culture of the gaming industry

2. How Gen Z identifies content as authentic

3. What “authentic” content looks like

4. The extent authentic content is required from brands

The rise of authenticity has been trending on social media in recent years - as Gen Z grew tired of upholding and consuming a characteristically-curated online persona, and the call to represent reality online grew. A 2016 study found that only 32% of participants were truthful about their life online (Misener, 2016). Instead, users post the high points in their lives: timelines are filled with photos edited to make themselves more attractive, make their life look more exciting, or provide evidence of their attendance at desirable social events. In 2019, social media users began a call for more honesty as studies suggested the pressure for perfection online was linked with a “growth in teenage depression, self-esteem issues, the loneliness epidemic and demand for plastic surgery,” (Lloyd, 2019).

This demand for conscientiously-crafted content has extended from social apps into companies' values as a whole, especially in the gaming industry. This space has a history of struggles regarding sexual harassment with Gamergate and the MeToo movement, employer inaction, and crunch. Previously clouded by misogyny and ethical infringements, the modern gaming industry continues to struggle in creating a culture of inclusivity. Therefore, the gaming industry will need to embrace transparency and implement Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in its marketing to reach the Gen Z audience. As there is a great deal of existing research and curated strategy concerning implementing DEI initiatives, our research did not delve into the topic. Gen Z’s ability to identify the goals behind social content is likely a response to having always existed in a digital age; “it is natural and logical to see that these consumers have had to adapt and build out this ‘authenticity moat,’ simply to survive” (Talbot, 2021, para. 15). These users can easily spot pandering, so “retailers…must establish an environment of trust when reaching out to this unique generation of consumers” (Haller, 2018, para. 4). Beyond authenticity and acceptance, Gen Z tasks marketers with an added hurdle of advocacy, equating the brand’s social corporate responsibility with brand worth.

Heavily polished posts from brands and influencers in the early 2000s that dominated social marketing campaigns have been replaced by more organic content. This relatable strategy has already been used with great success, as seen in clothing and lifestyle brand Aerie’s newest marketing campaign. Featuring women with different body types, skin tones, and aesthetics to highlight the natural beauty of being unique, clothing brand Aerie encouraged followers to post their own content with the hashtags #unretouched or #AerieREAL. Gen Z chooses to support brands that reflect their own values and, with a saturated market, they have plenty to choose from. To compete for Gen Z’s attention - and loyalty - brands have begun to lean on user generated content (UGC) on popular platforms such as TikTok and Instagram (STN Digital, 2022).

Image: #AerieREAL Campaign
Image Source: Business Wire

Research

The following research endeavored to discover the essential elements required to develop profound connections and establish an affinitive relationship with Gen Z for brands. Our research was guided by the following guiding questions:

1. What are the underlying psychological factors that influence Generation Z's preferences and behavior when it comes to social media platform usage?

2. What type of branded content on social media resonates most with Gen Z? Is it authentic content, or is there something else that engages them even more?

3. What can we recommend to Ayzenberg’s video gaming clients to better connect and motivate consumer purchases with the Gen Z audience?

Methodology of Data Gathering

To attain a comprehensive understanding of Gen Z, social media, and the gaming industry, we conducted seven industry interviews. The interviews were conducted with professionals from seven distinct sectors: video game developers, licensing experts, publishers, social media content creators, influencer specialists, and marketing vendors. By gathering insights from experts across different sectors within the social media and video game landscape, we provided a diverse range of perspectives that enriched the research findings.

In addition to the top-down view from experts, the team conducted user interviews to better understand Gen Z’s perspective. The interview questions addressed their social media and gaming habits, and more importantly, the motivations and thoughts behind them. During the interviews, we emphasized asking “why” instead of “what,” as we believed motivation to be more universal and valuable than individual behavior. The information gathered served as a basis for our survey design.

Using qualitative data from the user interviews, we designed and administered a survey targeting US-based Gen Z respondents. We used Qualtrics for survey design, data collection, and analysis. The survey consisted of approximately 20 questions (the number varied based on respondents' answers) and was mainly distributed online. A printed version was also available to be distributed to middle school students as needed. The goal was to recruit 300 respondents, with a minimum requirement of 200 respondents.

The team also conducted extensive research on existing reports and studies about Gen Z, social media, brand marketing, and authenticity. We performed two in-depth studies and gathered professional reports, academic papers, and books to form a comprehensive picture of the research topic. These secondary resources were also a critical part of our research and compensated for the areas that our survey did not cover.

Limitations of the Study

This survey is considered as convenience sampling as it was confined to our personal contacts and community. The survey responses were biased toward well-educated Gen Z audiences in Los Angeles County, and schools along the East Coast. A majority of our survey responses were within the Carnegie Mellon University student demographic and adjacent communities. Through the lens of gaming, we studied the motivations and drives behind this demographic's behaviors in virtual spaces. Our focus was to provide Ayzenberg with practical insights on creating organic marketing content that resonates with Gen Z consumers. In the following chapter, we outlined the groundwork of our research and discussed how authenticity became the focal point of our study.

Survey

The team established an online survey through Qualtrics to measure Gen Z’s online behaviors and motivations, specifically on social media and gaming. The survey was published on February 17 and closed on March 28, 2023, running for 15 days. The main limitation of the survey was the sample size. The team distributed the survey through personal connections and online social discussion gaming channels (e.g., Reddit, Twitch). The survey results skewed towards those living in California, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, where the team’s personal connections are, as well as those who actively care about gaming. In terms of gender, our results skewed female (62%) because the team’s social circles skew female.

In addition to distributing surveys, we also conducted two in-depth studies to further evaluate two different topics: Gen Z’s content preferences and what players value in different gaming communities. Through these two studies, we were able to establish a deeper and more specific understanding of Gen Z’s preferences and behaviors.

Participant Summary

The survey had 227 responses, 159 were Gen Z (12-24), and 78 were non-Gen Z (25-78). Among Gen Z respondents, 54 were male, 98 were female, and six were non-binary. The average age of Gen Z respondents is 20, with a higher concentration of older Gen Z individuals in the age distribution as seen in Figure 1 below.

Survey Results

Our results show that on average, Gen Z spends 3.7 hours on social media daily. Instagram was found to be the most popular platform among them, with 20.1% of the respondents saying they use it daily. YouTube (18.7%), TikTok (11.8%), and Snapchat (10.6%) are also popular among Gen Z.

Facebook and Twitter are the apps that many Gen Z previously used but are no longer popular. Our open-ended questions revealed that the most common reason for leaving these platforms is that "none of their friends are using it." Gen Z widely reported that Facebook is meant for an older demographic, and their presence there is limited, according to one of our user interviews. When asked to rank why they use social media, "I enjoyed the community vibe and seeing what others are doing" comes out as the top reason, with 39.4% of Gen Z ranking it as their first choice (Figure 1). "I like to connect with my inner-circle friends virtually" and "All my friends are doing it" are the second and third most important reasons for using social media, with 16.8% and 14.8% of the respondents ranking them as their first choice, respectively (Figure 1). The difference between the first and second highest ranked reason is more than 20%. Inversely, "I like to follow influencers and celebrities to stay up to date with pop culture" is the least selected reason for using social media, with only 4.8% of the respondents ranking it as their first choice and 34.7% selecting it as their last choice (Figure 1). It appears that for Gen Z, social media is primarily used to connect with their communities and friends rather than as a tool to update them about influencers and pop culture. Nevertheless, it is essential to note that respondents' stated reasons for using social media may not always align with their actual behavior. Further research is needed to explore this potential discrepancy.

Image: *Figure 1*
Image Source: Created by research team

To gauge how Gen Z appraises the content in branded social media posts, we asked the respondents to "like" or "dislike" selected advertising posts from Taco Bell's Instagram. The least liked (67.5% Dislike) post, featured in Figure 2, is the purposefully designed post of two women dressed in high-end attire while enjoying food from Taco Bell, which seems somewhat contradictory. This raises another question - are the dislikes due to the influencers themselves or does the juxtaposition in the Taco Bell content appear inauthentic to Gen Z? While we cannot draw a cause-and-effect conclusion based on our survey, these reactions highlight Gen Z's awareness of curated posts.

Image: *Figure 2*
Image Source: Taco Bell Social Media

Our survey suggests that authenticity in social media is highly valued by Gen Z as 67.8% of respondents somewhat or strongly agree with the statement, "I want my posts to be as genuine and authentic as possible," (Figure 3). However, most respondents (52.1%) still state they want to make their posts look perfect, making that statement about perfection the third most agreed upon among all six options (Figure 3). Since the definition of a perfect post is not defined by this survey and is subjective to each respondent, more studies should be done to understand this result better. Gen Z is indifferent, if not adverse, towards influencer marketing. 37.4% said they neither agree nor disagree with the statement, "I prefer celebrity and influencer recommendations over traditional brand advertisements," (Figure 3). This is also the second least agreed statement, with only 24.4% saying they agree (Figure 3). Even so, this result does not prove that influencer marketing is ineffective. Rather, the content's message and the chosen influencer should be more deliberated. We will discuss this further in the next chapter.

If authenticity is a core value for Gen Z, then sharing their lives with people they care about is a key intention when using social media as 62.6% of the Gen Z respondents somewhat agree or strongly agree with the statement, "I want to share my life with my friends and people I care about on social media," (Figure 3). This was the second most agreed-upon statement overall, which further reinforces the reasoning behind why they use social media. Having as “many followers on social media as possible” is the least important thing to Gen Z, with 60.9% somewhat or strongly disagreeing with the statement (Figure 3).

Image: *Figure 3*
Image Source: Created by research team

Regarding Gen Z's interaction with the content they see on social media, "reading the comments under a post/piece of content" is what 60.2% of the respondents said they always or often do (Figure 4). Inversely, 65.9% of respondents rarely or never "leave comments under a post/piece of content," (Figure 4). There are two reasons behind that, according to our open ended question responses. First, they do not feel the need to comment when they see some earlier comments have already stated their opinion. Second, according to the open-ended question results, Gen Z does not feel comfortable broadcasting their thoughts publicly, as they mostly leave comments for people they know or would instead send Direct Messages to their friends about their thoughts on a public post.

Image: *Figure 4*
Image Source: Created by research team

Regarding gaming, gamer identification among Gen Z is moderately positively correlated with the hour they spend playing video games per week (r = 0.75). However, a weak correlation exists between gamer identification and specific genres, such as MOBA (r = 0.31), Survival and Horror (r = 0.40), and Sandbox (r = 0.36). This suggests that the genre of video games that Gen Z individuals play may not significantly impact their identification as gamers. However, other factors, such as the total time spent playing, may be more influential in determining whether someone identifies as a gamer.

Gen Z uses social media and word of mouth as primary sources for gaming news; this is true for both self-identified gamers and non-gamers. However, there exists a significant difference in the frequency of visiting gaming news websites (e.g., IGN) and official gaming platforms (e.g., Steam, Battle.net) between these two groups. Official gaming platforms are the third most popular source for self-identified gamers, with 50.3% of them reporting its use for obtaining gaming news. Additionally, 25.3% of self-identified gamers visit gaming news websites for this purpose. Conversely, self-identified non-gamers show a reduced proportion of visits to official gaming platforms, and none report accessing gaming news websites.

User Interviews

In addition to professional interviews, our team interviewed members of Gen Z to identify their values and compare our survey findings to their experience. We asked four Gen Z interviewees how they defined authenticity. They responded similarly with "being real" as a part of their definition, further identifying that they value "realness" on social media. This prompted our interest in BeReal, a popular app that requires users to "be real" in showing their day-to-day lives, even identifying if they post late to flag potentially inauthentic content.

Given Gen Z's prioritization of authentic content on social media, we wanted to know more about their opinion of BeReal, founded in 2020 (Goggin, 2022). Since the app launched, over 43.3 million people have downloaded it, but only has 20 million daily active users (BeReal Statistics 2023 +++ Number of Users and Downloads, 2022). One of our 15-year-old Gen Z interviewees reported that he was not interested in BeReal, which starkly contrasted the almost 80% increase in users the app saw from February to August of 2022 (Curry, 2023.) He stated that none of his friends were ever doing anything interesting enough to justify the number of notifications from the app. Another Gen Z reported that BeReal was not different enough from existing apps like Snapchat, whose platform yields more services for users while providing a similar dual camera technology. While BeReal promotes authentic content and an "easy and pressure-free" experience, some Gen Z find it inauthentic and an inconvenient way to connect with their community. This is demonstrated in BeReal’s recent - and rapid - decline in popularity, with a report finding “the app is estimated to have hit 20 million daily active users in October 2022, but that’s since dropped to 10.4 million…its monthly downloads fell from 12 million in September 2022 to 3.3 million in January,” (Perez, 2023).

Image: BeReal
Image Source: The Information

To understand the intersection between social media and purchasing habits, we asked interviewees about their interest in influencers, the alleged authenticity of influencer marketing, and how they engage with ad-promoted posts. Our respondents reported following popular, verified accounts like Ariana Grande, Pelé, and Mr. Beast. While these accounts may occasionally have promoted ads, stars of this level are more likely to have endorsement deals. Since none of our users mentioned following anyone we categorized as a true influencer, with a following between 10K and 500K (Barbod, 2022), we asked how celebrity endorsements affected their purchasing habits. One 13-year-old Gen Z reported that he knew Pelé had a brand deal with the famous shoe brand Puma. Despite the brand awareness and the connection between the popular figure and the brand, it was not enough to draw even a consumer this young to commit to an affinity for that brand. While extensive research provides evidence of the power of influencer marketing, there is a disconnect between our Gen Z interviewees and these high-level, internet-prominent celebrities and actual economic influence. While this Gen Z interviewee was aware of the partnership, he was not influenced to change his brand allegiance to Puma.

Lastly, we asked interviewees about their gaming habits, and all of our respondents hesitated to identify themselves as gamers. Our survey found that 34.6% of those polled identified as gamers, as expected, given the Reddit communities where the survey link was most accessible. Interestingly, 52.3% said they don’t consider themselves gamers, and 13% were unsure about identifying themselves as gamers. Among our interviewees, all matched the survey majority, either definitively rejecting the title of gamer or qualifying why they hesitated to respond yes. Our youngest interviewee stated that he does not identify as a gamer because he does not spend all of his free time gaming. Another quickly rejected the title, yet when asked what games he played, he stated Call of Duty, Madden and other FPS games, often played by hard-core gamers. Therefore, if Gen Z's definition of a gamer differs from the traditional stereotypes of gamers, marketers need to recognize that their target gamer audience may not be defining themselves as a part of their community.

Final Analysis

From our research, we identified four main takeaways. Firstly, Gen Z values long-lasting connections over following a temporary trend. Second, they want more authentic content instead of perfect and highly curated content. Third, they believe in the importance of maintaining a quality-driven community rather than a popular or quantity-driven one. Lastly, Gen Z doesn’t like to identify as gamers, but might be open to the more inclusive qualifier, “the player”.

Importance of Community

We found that Gen Z's use of platforms like Instagram was primarily for interaction within their inner social circle. This behavior implies an essential distinction that Gen Z prefers honest, quality relationships rather than a large follower count. This concept of a close-knit community where users feel comfortable being themselves online was a recurring theme. Three key survey results demonstrated this:

● 39.4% of respondents chose "I enjoy(ed) the community vibe and seeing what others are doing" as their top reason for using social media; "I like to connect with my inner-circle friends virtually" and "All my friends are doing it" are the second and third most important reasons for why they use social media with 16.8% and 14.8% of the respondents ranking them as their first choice, respectively.

● 60.9% of respondents somewhat disagree or strongly disagree with the statement, "I want to have as many followers as possible on social media."

● 67.8% of respondents somewhat or strongly agree with the statement, "I want my posts to be as genuine and authentic as possible."

Our survey and interview data showed that Gen Z preferred not to comment or share their opinions on posts with large audiences including strangers. While Gen Z wants to interact, they mostly engage with core social groups and spaces of comfort to avoid awkwardness and redundancy in an unfamiliar and more public community.

Being authentic in small social groups is critical to Gen Z; honest self-representation by group members enables a sense of community that allows individuals to share confidently. They hold the content they consume to the same standard, and Gen Z intentionally chooses whom they follow to curate their social media community. For example, the survey found that the statement "I like to follow influencers and celebrities to stay up to date with pop culture" is the least-selected reason for using social media, with only 4.8% of the respondents ranking it as their most important reason. The majority, 34.7% of respondents, placed the statement last. This result highlights that popularity does not equate to relevancy, which complicates Gen Z's relationship with influencers and influencer marketing on social media.

Primary research from both the survey and interviews suggests that Gen Z feels impartial to influencers and the products or ideas they promote. For example, one Gen Z interviewee who - despite enjoying the page's content - felt no desire to purchase from the shoe brand Puma, which the celebrity was promoting. This neutral sentiment is reflected through survey data: 37.4% of Gen Z participants report neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement, "I prefer celebrity and influencer recommendations over traditional brand advertisements." Additionally, in a survey question previously mentioned - where respondents were asked to rank hypothetical Taco Bell content - the least liked (67.5% Dislike) option was the 'influencer post,' a staged candid of two women dressed in high-end attire and holding tacos. While the team cannot ensure Gen Z viewed the post as inauthentic due to its influencer style, their response suggests an awareness of unrealistic and forced posts from a brand. This is further supported by Justin Davis' interview as he enthusiastically pointed out that Gen Z knows when they are being marketed to, and when things are fake.

Community Over Influence

Gen Z's indifferent opinion of influencers should result in a decline in influencer marketing when considering how ‘influence' is critical to their value proposition. However, our research identifies the opposite - influencer marketing continues to thrive (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2023). Therefore, we concluded that an influencer's position and personal connection within Gen Z communities might explain this contradictory outcome.

Gen Z's ability to identify inauthentic content is ignored when influencers are involved with their social community. For example, gaming influencers often promote products as a part of their content. At the same time, they also connect with their community over their shared affinity for gaming by leading timely conversations and giving personal updates on their lives. Members of this community who follow and engage with the influencer - identifying authenticity in the content - do not feel inundated with ads and promotions but trust the influencer's opinion and recommendations as they align with the community's interests. These influencers are reclassified in the minds of Gen Z as "community members," and their promotional work becomes acceptable. The term "influencer" is associated more frequently with creators outside the chosen social community. It carries the negative connotation of only creating content for ads, leaving viewers unsure of which brands they genuinely believe in (Influencers vs. Brand Ambassadors | Influencity, 2023).

Authenticity Creates Affinity

With a thorough understanding of what authenticity and community mean to Gen Z, we have realized that a brand could never be a 'friend' in a social community. The relationship between a brand and a customer is monetarily motivated, built on the potential profit of Gen Z's burgeoning spending power. An honest, transparent 'friendship' is impossible when one party is focused on selling a product. However, as interviewee Ben Elliot states, brands can foster affinity by displaying authenticity. Acknowledging a brand's identity will contribute to building productive relationships with Gen Z audiences over the value of honesty (B. Elliot, personal communication, Feb. 27th, 2023).

This relationship can be achieved when the brand is transparent and allows the people behind the brand to be brought to light. Justin Davis emphasized this concept when stating We don't only look for a cool copy that will make Gen Z go crazy, that's the easy stuff. It's the emotional connection that Gen Z has with brands that is really different from what millennials did. It is very much part of their lifestyle. It is part of where they find news and what things are going on. We have to market to that now. (J. Davis, personal communication, March 1st, 2023). A brand's social media is an opportunity to demystify and humanize the company and its work. Therefore, by placing the product's creators at the center of the marketing, Gen Z can learn what the product is, how it was made, and who was behind it, allowing for transparency and authenticity to be established. Featuring the creators behind the product also showcases their individual creativity and skill under the banner of the company's name, effectively placing them in a similar position to create personal relationships with audiences like external influencers. This “fosters an emotional connection, rather than solely a transactional relationship, with customers and employees—a bond that is often much harder to sever,” (Hattar, 2022).

The Rise of the Player

A better understanding of the gamer landscape was necessary to understand how gaming brands could build affinity with their Gen Z audiences on social media. We discovered a disconnect between Gen Z’s definition of a “gamer” and the basic definition. Our research categorized a “gamer” as “someone who plays games.” However, considering the health of the gaming industry and the ongoing rise in popularity of mobile games (Clement, 2022), we expected most survey respondents to be “gamers.” However, only a third of survey respondents (34.6%) categorized themselves as such - even though they did play games. More interestingly, 58.5% of respondents play video games but do not identify as gamers. Our survey results and Gen Z user interviews further emphasized the disconnect between the industry definition and Gen Z’s interpretation of the negatively connotated term “gamer.” Persistent traditional stereotypes surrounding gamer culture and that males are still more likely to identify as a gamer than females (Downs and Smith, 2019) act as an intimidating barrier to entry. Therefore, Gen Z has morphed the traditional definition of a gamer into a trope or an aesthetic and views themselves as players. To gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a “gamer” as part of a modern audience, we conducted a deep dive on Sky: Children of the Light (Figure 5), a game that garnered over 50 million downloads in 2020 and ranked within the Top 20 in the family gaming category of the US Apple store (Sky: Children of the Light - Overview - Apple App Store - US, 2023). We sought to explore the culture and values of Sky's gaming community by examining one of the game's recent events, a virtual concert featuring singer Aurora that drew in over 1.6 million participants (Takahashi, 2022). The game's developer company has a clear mission to create an online community that promotes compassion and generosity. (Sky Economy Q&a -That Sky Game, 2023). Players of Sky value the inclusive and relaxed environment that aligns with the game's mission, and the core value of the community is to provide a non-toxic, genuine human connection for players. By creating a virtual space that doesn’t cater to the stereotypical “gamer” type, the gaming community of Sky has become an accessible and comfortable place for players of all backgrounds to connect, making the game attractive to casual players.

Recommendations

Strengthen Core Identity

Ultimately, a brand cannot be a friend to a generation searching for authentic, human connection. We encourage brands to reflect on their core identity, the qualities they want to personify, who they are as a company, and what issues they care about. While this recommendation might be standard practice, our research shows that Gen Z expects brands to stick to these pillars because overextending into issues outside their scope will seem inauthentic to an audience familiar with virtue signaling. Creating and committing to these pillars forms an identity Gen Z audiences can quickly evaluate and creates a roadmap of authentic, open content. It also guides content creation and decisions for brands; if the content stretches to fit into these specific pillars, it won’t accurately align with the brands’ image.

Strive for Transparency

Secondly, a brand's space on social media should be two-pronged: its internal content and the content made with key influencer partners. We recommend that the brand's channels are used to humanize the company and be transparent about its processes. This content must not be overproduced since Gen Z respects unique, honest stories, and highlighting the employees behind well-known brands will develop authenticity for branded content.

Be Thoughtful When Finding the Right Influencers

Furthermore, brands should carefully choose influencers whose communities reflect their brand pillars. While this may be standard business practice, these influencers need to be seen as audience members within their Gen Z community, and not salespeople trying to convince Gen Z to engage with a product so that the influencer can get more followers and paid promotions.

Influencers that are part of niche communities hold an authentic connection with their audience and produce quality content to keep the community engaged. These smaller micro influencers are the agent acting as a friend to bridge the brand to the consumer. These influencers need to be true fans of the product they are promoting, and their story of why they are using the product must align with their needs and the needs of the niche community. Consequently, it is imperative that this influencer is an authentic voice and representative of the target audience. With the right influencer, a brand can develop an authentic community that Gen Z audiences feel comfortable joining. This will be vital in deepening brand affinity, trust, loyalty, and empathy - all key emotional factors one looks for in forming a genuine relationship.

Choose Social Media Platforms with Purpose

Brands don’t need a presence on every platform to successfully connect with their audience. Gen Z is becoming overwhelmed by notifications and quickly learning to tune unwanted advertising out. Brands should be intentional about which platforms they choose to have a presence on; the community that feels connected to the brand will find them on those platforms without feeling overwhelmed by communications through every network. The recent events at Twitter have highlighted this opportunity; as brands exited the site, their followers found them on social media competitors like TikTok and Instagram.

Redefining ‘Gamers’ as ‘Players’

Lastly, fostering brand affinity will require understanding the modern gaming audience. We suggest redefining the traditional "gamer" audience under the new term “player.” and avoid using the term "gamer" to reach out to Gen Zers. While this is a small change, this adjustment echoes the trends of today's Gen Z community that play video games while encouraging brands to step away from running social campaigns designed for the stereotypical "gamer." Switching to the term "player" instead of "gamer" would create another opportunity for inclusivity in gaming communities, and help to build authentic connection with Gen Z audiences. The broad nature of the term “player” allows marketers to engage a target audience they may miss in current campaigns.

Further Research

Further research in the field should include studying micro-influencers and how they develop dedicated niche communities. We believe that micro-influencers will be in higher demand as more authentic content is produced. Furthermore, given the increase in video game IP expanding into transmedia content such as HBO Max's The Last of Us, Netflix's Arcane and The Witcher, and Illumination's The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it may be interesting to examine how video game IP crossing over to film and TV has altered the traditional relationship between video game companies and an expanded audience of hard-core gamers, players, and film/TV show fans. Will new audiences want to play the game after watching the movies/TV shows? How does that influence brand loyalty among existing and new players, and who should advertising agencies like Ayzenberg prioritize marketing to?

Lastly, with the recent popularity of Gen AI, we know that the influence of AI will start to emerge in UGC (user-generated content). Therefore, what will happen if all social media content becomes AIGC (AI-generated content), and how does the definition of authenticity change for Gen Z if AIGC becomes a standard practice or tool for content creation? We are curious to see how this landscape will continue to alter in Gen Z's future as they grow older and have more buying power and how this will transform once Gen Alpha becomes the new audience of interest.

Conclusion

The ultimate takeaway from our research is that brands cannot be Gen Z's friends. They’re a generation seeking genuine relationships, authentic emotional connections, and transparency in communication. The niche communities they find those needs in not only serve social functions, but as a filter to exclude messaging that doesn’t pass their specific expectations. This means brands that can’t find a clear, consistent identity may not be accepted. To effectively market to Gen Z on social media, it is important for brands to foster authentic relationships with mindful representatives that fit within their niche communities.

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