The Alphas are the newest generation now being “watched” by business marketers. Starting where Gen Z ends, the Alphas were born around [I do wish these dates were exact] 2012, meaning the oldest turn 11 this year, according to InsiderIntelligence/eMarketer.
The older Alphas, now tweens, are “digitally native and pandemic-influenced,” and InsiderIntelligence/eMarketer says businesses need to pay attention to how they differ from Gen Z. They report Gen Alpha:
- Is more diverse than the rest of the US population
- Will be the largest generation in history, with over 2 billion members worldwide by 2025. The demographic already makes up 13%of the US population.
- Over 73% of American kids under 12 use the internet, and nearly 17% are smartphone users
InsiderIntelligence/eMarketer’s analyst says the Alphas will be “immersed in a mobile reality.” And by 2026, 10.2 million kids in the U.S. will own a smartphone.
They’re tuning into YouTube on those phones. In fact, they report, “More kids watch YouTube than TikTok, Disney+, and even Netflix.” For the moment, they’re not watching TikTok, though that could obviously change.
How can you grab their attention? InsiderIntelligence/eMarketer says it’s all about “authenticity, interactivity, and gamification.”
Their advice:
- “Gen Alpha…were born gaming. Marketers need to leverage this by attaching gaming opportunities to brands, the way Lego has on its website.
- Interactivity is important. As true digital natives, members of Gen Alpha can spot paid promotional content immediately. Keep them from scrolling past by leveraging polls or promos.
- Don’t be afraid to go global. For the generation that attended online school at an early age, no distance is too far when it comes to connecting or shopping. Gen Alpha is more than willing to shop globally, so don’t be afraid to think big.”
There’s more info in the post. Next week we meet the Zalphas!
Alphas stock image by Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock