Marketing to Gen Alpha: A Guide for Beauty Brands
Who is Gen Alpha?
Gen Alpha, born between 2010 and 2024, are the first generation to grow up entirely immersed in technology. As the children of Millennials and Gen Z, they are influenced by their parents' experiences while also forging their own unique paths. Gen Alpha is the largest generation in history, and they are maturing rapidly, adopting many of the same consumer habits as previous generations.
Gen Alpha and Social Media
There's been a lot of buzz in 2024 and Gen Alpha’s susceptibility to social media influence, especially when it comes to skincare. While some worry about them being swayed by influencers to buy expensive, potent products that could harm their skin. Gen Alpha is a generation of keen observers and eager learners. They've grown up with the digital world at their fingertips, absorbing information from a vast array of sources. Fascinated by the influencer world, they have a stronger connection to these online personalities than previous generations. While they appreciate engaging content, they're quick to spot inauthenticity and corporate speak.
YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat are their go-to platforms, with YouTube gaining popularity due to its short, educational videos. Gen Alpha is more active on these platforms than older generations, engaging with brands and influencers in new ways. They value their voices and aren't afraid to express their opinions on important issues like climate change and diversity.
How Can Beauty Brands Market to Gen Alpha?
Age-Appropriate Marketing to Gen Alpha
Gen Alpha are highly brand-conscious and driven by the social status that certain brands can offer, reflecting their innate desire for belonging and recognition. While this is a natural human need, the problem lies in their tendency to adopt the consumer habits of their parents, the Millennials and Gen Z.
Beauty brands have a crucial responsibility to market to Gen Alpha in a way that doesn't harm their young skin. This means shifting to age-appropriate conversations and being mindful of who is consuming their content. For too long, beauty brands have used outdated language like "smooths fine lines" and "reduces wrinkles," perpetuating societal pressures to stay young forever. Gen Alpha, exposed to this language from a young age, may adopt similar attitudes and behaviors. We have seen this already earlier this year with the controversy around Drunk Elephant products that contain highly active ingredients being used by the Gen Alpha generation.
It's imperative for beauty brands to be cautious about the language they use when discussing aging and the use of potent ingredients like retinols and acids. These ingredients are often unnecessary for Gen Alpha's current age and can damage their skin barrier. By understanding Gen Alpha's unique needs and preferences, beauty brands can create effective marketing strategies that promote healthy skin and self-acceptance.
Educational Entertainment
With YouTube and TikTok being the favoured platforms for Gen Alpha to consume content, educational entertainment videos can be a huge driver for brand awareness. The content geared towards Gen Alpha should be educational and age-appropriate for this audience. Beauty brands have the responsibility to ensure they are educating this generation on the benefits of a skincare routine, whilst ensuring there is emphasis put on the fact that highly potent ingredients are uneccessary and damaging to their young skin.
Encourage Community
Gen Alpha, just like the generations that came before them, crave a sense of belonging. They want to feel like they're part of something bigger. Building a strong community around a brand is now a crucial part of marketing strategies, and Gen Alpha is particularly receptive to this approach.
Gen Alpha interact, engage, share, and create content at a higher rate than ever before. This makes it easier for brands to build a community and have meaningful conversations with this audience.
For beauty brands, community building should be a top priority. Gen Alpha often turns to their peers for advice on purchases, so creating campaigns that encourage sharing and conversation can be highly effective. Social media challenges, brand activities, and trending content are essential tools for attracting this audience and fostering a sense of community around your brand.
Demonstrate Values and Authenticity
This generation has a strong awareness of societal and environmental issues thanks to social media and expects brands to stand for something beyond profits. They will actively seek out companies whose actions as a brand are having a positive influence on the world. Brands must demonstrate to this generation their purpose beyond profit, and their all-important why. This generation will have no issue calling out and cancelling brands that are insincere and inauthentic.
Some key areas that Gen Alpha are concerned with are mental health, climate change and advanced technologies such as AI. Brands that are able to tap into, tackle and consider these areas in an authentic way and make these a part of the core DNA and foundational elements of their brand are likely to do much better.
Summary
By understanding Gen Alpha's unique needs and preferences, beauty brands can develop effective marketing strategies that resonate with this influential generation. The main focus for brands wanting to market to this generation is to be authentic and build a community around their brand.