BASIC AESTHETIC
At Kelton, we approach any challenge from a range of perspectives. We mix methods to see what others miss: the pattern that reveals a sea-change or an insight that inspires the next big thing. In the case of Gen Z, we’ve layered traditional lenses with a magnifying glass on social media. In it, we see the core needs underpinning creative self-expression at play.
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There’s no question that Gen Z is today’s “it” consumer. With an estimated $44 billion in purchasing power and influence over another $600 billion, they will dominate the marketplace for years to come. Gen Z’s reliance on social media has already changed the advertising landscape and retail will never be the same. Self-expression is a uniquely revealing form of communication for any generation – it taps into a powerful combination of attitudes and emotions. Digital media has propelled Gen Z self-expression into hyper drive, revealing not only who Gen Z is today, but who it wants to become tomorrow.
Millennials believe anyone can be a star. But for Gen Z, everyone IS a star. Spheres of influence have shifted from mass market celebrities to grassroots influencers. Suddenly there are more people, options, looks, and attitudes to choose from. For every Kendall Jenner, there are dozens of YouTube stars with smaller, yet equally powerful, spheres of influence. These everyday influencers shape the ways Gen Z understands the world.
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Augmented Creativity
In the new world of social influence, anyone can be internet famous by pursuing passions & interests in compelling ways
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Founded by journalists, Kelton is purpose-built for discovery. We ask questions, synthesize information, and put the pieces together to find the best way forward. Our diverse teams marry insight and imagination to help companies innovate, build brands, communicate and overcome strategic hurdles. We are proud to work with many of the world’s most loved brands – from Fortune 500 companies to disruptive startups.
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Gen z x Self Expression | 05
Self Expression
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Values that
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Gen Z x
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So, what exactly makes Gen Z... Gen Z?
Differences in values and beliefs are often the biggest indicator of generational shifts. We’ve all heard many of the generalities about Gen Z: born to a digital world, practical yet optimistic, “colorblind.” Each has a kernel of truth surrounded by a wide swath of generalization. As we look at Gen Z through the lenses of creativity and self-expression, three of these fundamental values come to the foreground.
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Matter
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NEW INFLUENCERS
Gen Z is poised to break past 2 and 3D forms of self-expression, using VR/AR technologies to give form to their imagination
5 Key Trends That Define Gen Z Online
Understanding a Generation
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SOCIAL ACCEPTORS
Demographic and social shifts have broadened Gen Z's definition of 'mainstream.' Gen Z is more accepting of looks, lifestyles and points of view that were once considered fringe. This generation not only grew up with America's first black president, but they've also seen gay marriage legalized and binge watched programming with transgender stars. For Gen Z, diversity is more than just a quota – it's a part of their lives.
Kelton is a strategic consultancy that helps global businesses grow by turning insights into ideas that transform brands.
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The 'It' Kid
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From Avatars to Influencers – Marketing to the “It” Generation
Gen z x Self Expression | 04
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Personal style is a cornerstone of self-expression. Despite a willingness to accept more diverse people into their world, Gen Z has thus far adopted a more reserved, traditional sense of style than Millennials. They lean toward a minimal aesthetic punctuated with small expressions of ‘flare:’ pieces of personality peaking through in surprising ways and unique accents. Perhaps this aversion to fashion risk-taking comes from the the immediacy of feedback on social media, where confidence directly correlates to likes.
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Gen z x Self Expression
Launched in April 2017, SketchAR is an app that lets you draw in augmented reality – or what SketchAR calls 'mixed reality.'
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Gen z x Self Expression | Augmented Creativity
New art forms are often influenced by emergent technologies, and Gen Z – born swiping, zooming and pinching – is already leading the charge into AR/VR creativity. With alternate, mixed, and virtual reality poised to disrupt the entertainment space, Gen Z is already using these new forms of self-expression to break past the constraints of 2 and 3D, creating immersive stories that bring their unique perspectives to life.
Splash’s virtual reality app makes 360-degree videos as easy to make and post as Snapchat.
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With VR and AR, Gen Z creativity is poised to break through limitations of 2D and 3D
Jade Lo is a 16 year old with a YouTube channel, a jewelry line, and 26K Instagram followers. Google tapped her creativity to demo Tilt Brush, a VR lightpainting app that lets users turn their artwork into animated GIFs
Augmented Creativity
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Gen Z is quickly acclimating to 4-D ‘future’ tech, and some brands are already tapping into the potential for brand building. Get ready: form your strategy to infuse AR into your marketing mix (via apps, games, product interactions, and other innovations).
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In the new world of social influence, Gen Z courts insta-fame profitable influence with fully-baked personal brands
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The 'It' Kid
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Gen z x Self Expression | The 'It' Kid
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‘It Kid’ Kevin Poon use their fame to partner with corporate sponsors who support and underwrite their creativity.
Gen Z teen-treprenuers are reaching unprecedented levels of fame and popularity, thanks to the reach of social media. While tapping teens for the next fresh face is nothing new, today’s fresh faces come with an established brand and a built-in audience. Gen Z ‘It Kids’ are also uniquely multi-talented and multi-channel: their status comes from their ability to hopscotch genres, areas of expertise and creative self-expression. And no wonder – Gen Z places a premium on creativity as a way to get ahead in life. From political activism, to singing, jewelry design or film-making, the better the personal highlight reel, the more Gen Z stands to gain.
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Get ahead of Influencers 2.0
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Amandla Stenberg is an actress / activist / musician / comic book writer / fashionista Gen Z icon.
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Gen Z will continue to look to ‘It’ influencers as it matures as a cohort. Today’s multi-modal fashion and lifestyle Influencers should be woven into the mix in more ways than just marketing or new product launches: they can inform Innovation, consumer insights, and internal culture as much as they can promote your product.
What’s Your Brand Avatar?
Gabsee lets users create 3D avatars that can be placed in their videos.
They ignore the people and cultural context that influence brand.
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As visual iconography becomes a language unto itself, Gen Z plays dress up online
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If you’re engaging in a conversation with your customer – and you should be – then take it to the next level. Your brand avatar – distilled, slightly more playful/interactive versions of our corporate selves – will bring the brand to life in consistent ways across channels.
Bitmoji not only lets users create near perfect caricatures, it also lets them pick an outfit, a mood and some serious attitude.
They don't connect to business performance.
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They deliver information without understanding.
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WHAT MOST TRACKERS GET WRONG
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More than any other generation, Gen Z knows that a picture is worth a thousand words. In fact, experts say that selfies are just another form of self-expression, and an incredibly important way for teens to negotiate identity. Selfies let teens control the way – or ways – they appear online. But Gen Z selfies aren’t the same Photoshopped perfection their Millennial brothers and sisters post. With apps, masks and filters, Gen Z modifies its images in a way that is stylized but still authentic and real. Their digital avatars communicate more than looks – they communicate multi dimensional aspects of identity: thoughts, feelings and a sense of play.
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MEME:
Mocking SpongeBob, also known as Spongemock, refers to an image macro featuring cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants in which people use a picture of SpongeBob to indicate a mocking tone towards an opinion or point of view.
MEME:
Source: Know Your Meme
Mocking SpongeBob
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Gen Z has access to a lot of great resources, but nothing beats the exposure that a mainstream brand can bring. You can bring a layer of legitimacy to these new communities in ways that range from advertising to product placement and sponsorship. Creative Communities will capture Gen Z attention for years to come. You can join in – or be left behind.
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Roll Safe
Source: Know Your Meme
Gen Z seeks the collaboration and feedback of digital communities for creativity and self- expression
Creative Community
Yeay combines entrepreneurialism with creativity for a self-expression double whammy: it’s a global marketplace that lets designers sell products using video.
MEME:
A screenshot featuring actor Kayode Ewumi portraying the character Reece Simpson (a.k.a. “Roll Safe”) in the web series Hood Documentary. The image is often captioned with various jokes mocking poor decision making and failures in critical thinking.
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Redbone
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Dank Memes: the most random, viral and creative form of self expression.
Gen z x Self Expression | Creative Community
Source: Know Your Meme
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MEME:
Salt BAE
Cash Me Ousside / Howbow Dah
a memorable quote uttered by 13-year-old Danielle Bregoli on an episode of The Dr. Phil Show, during which she challenges the show’s audience to a fight with the phrase “Catch me outside, how about that?” in a thick accent.
MEME:
SO WHAT?
Redbone is a song by hip-hop recording artist Childish Gambino off his album Awaken, My Love! It became the subject of remixes in May 2017.
Salt Bae is a nickname given to Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe, who was widely discussed on social media following the circulation of a video in which he flamboyantly sprinkles salt on a carved steak.
Source: Know Your Meme
Self-expression differs from other creative pursuits in that it craves feedback. Gen Z expresses itself within digital communities, where feedback is plentiful, addictive, and sometimes damaging. Gen Z creative communities like Musical.ly are breeding grounds for new influencers. Others, like AwesomenessTV, provide a platform for Gen Z video distribution. Even Twitter has emerged as a creative community of sorts for Gen Z, with ‘dank memes’ operating as the social currency of self-expression. These Gen Z creative communities offer three critical elements: entertainment, interactivity and – increasingly – privacy controls.
Baby Ariel found insta- fame on Musical.ly. According to Ariel, “any Musical.ly is a good musical.ly as long as you’re being yourself.”
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Truth to Power
Gen z x Self Expression | Truth to Power
Gen Z self-expression takes on the status quo
Brands can learn a lot about Gen Z’s anxieties, passions and values by listening to their voices. And they can achieve a lot by reacting: with social impact strategies that add to Gen Z’s momentum and with innovations that address its concerns. The social and political leaders of tomorrow are sharing opinions now; brands that listen will thrive alongside Gen Z.
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Gen Z is coming of age in an era of political division, renewed activism and social change. More engaged in political discourse than their Millennial counterparts, Gen Z teens are actively participating in public discourse through social media. They challenge institutions, push back on the status quo and call out injustice across both ends of the political spectrum. Self-expression for Gen Z is about more than expressing individual style and taste – it’s about raising their collective voice to address key issues.
This Forbes 30 under 30 recipient uses his YouTube stardom to speak out on LGBTQ rights, host podcasts and speak at activism events around the country. With more than 11 million followers on Instagram and Twitter, Tyler Oakley serves as a voice for his politically active generation.
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The pace at which Gen Z changes is uniquely amplified by technology. Yet no matter how fast this generation moves, brands that stay ahead of generational change will gain competitive advantage. That’s why we’re here. We don’t just gather data about Gen Z communication, we interpret it. We capture emerging shifts and transform those insights into ideas that build brands.