Weise Sarah - InstaBrain

Copyright 2019 by Sarah Weise.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email .

ISBN-10: 1717836798

ISBN-13: 978-1717836793

Events in this book are based on the authors memories from the authors perspective. Portions of this book are works of nonfiction. Certain names and identifying characteristics have been changed.

Front cover by Sarah Weise.

Editing by Jon Wuebben.

Book design by Kevin Summers.

First printing edition 2019.

www.sarahweise.com

CONTENTS

A game-changing approach to marketing, sales, and advertising. Sarah Weise writes in clear, jargon-free prose, and the stories and examples from both B2C and B2B were right on point. This new set of rules is the how-to guide your agency needs to create irresistible user experiences that engage and connect with this powerful generation of young consumers.

- Michael Salamon, Co-Founder of UX Masters Academy

InstaBrain is instant insight.... Sarah Weises research can take your marketing targeting to a whole new level. Stop assuming you know what Gen Z wants. Instead, read this book.

- Ryan Foland, 4-time TEDx speaker and Author of Ditch the Act

Wow. I learned so much new information reading InstaBrain! Generation Z [bring] an honest, back-to-basics, can-do, work ethic ethos to all of us and have vastly different habits when they research and interact with a brand. Sarah Weise delivers this important information in a clear, comprehensive way. I couldnt put the book down! Highly recommended for ALL business people.

-Jon Wuebben, CEO, Content Launch and
Author, Future Marketing: Winning in the Prosumer Age

Sarah Weise offers easy-to-apply strategies to help make you a better marketer in todays world. You will learn techniques that will change your strategy, whether you are marketing directly to youth or not. Amazing read and right on target.

- Joni Rayos Samilin, CEO, The Mindset Group

To Nick for your constant love and support.

Id die of dysentery with you any day.

#OregonTrailGeneration

To Linna and Brianne for your unwavering enthusiasm

and stunning curiosity about the world around you.

You are my why.

#GenerationAlpha

INTRODUCTION

At the time I launched my first youth research study, I had been conducting research for nearly 15 years. I had identified customer trends, created psychographic personas, and built strategy for over 100 brands. I had gotten to know audiences ranging from tax dodgers to PBS donors, and after doing so much research, not much surprised me anymore.

Yet an early video that rolled in from a young lady in her early 20s blew my mind.

The task seemed simple: participants were asked to record their phone screens and show us how they keep up with an interest or hobby. With graceful ease, Alexis bounded between no less than 6 apps on her phone to plan a weekend girls trip to Nashville.

She used no search engines.

She toggled between screens so fast it was like watching a symphony conductor unify an orchestra in prestissimo. Within just 10 minutes, she had soaked in extensive research on her trip, and had planned nearly every aspect of it from flights to hotels to activities, even what outfit she would wear while at the zoo! She had found Groupons for activities and had scouted the best food and nightlife. She knew just what hashtags to search up and she analyzed photos on Instagram with intuitive precision: This club looks slow. He snapped a photo after 11 and theres not even a line. Setting the tempo, she was then able to execute clear preparations, sharing itineraries through Airbnb with her travel companions.

All this, in just 10 minutes!

Yet in my mind, the most impressive part was that this was no big deal for Alexis.

For me, finding the ideal combination of departure times and airfare for any trip is a major headache. Alexis flew through this research step, processing times and dates and layovers and airport combinations with ease.

While zooming through pages, she shared her thoughts on brand loyalty, without anyone even asking: So I am building a better relationship with Google Flights than I am with Skyscanner because I am seeing that Google Flights has more information.

In that study alone, we collected over 30,000 data points across two countries, and paired quantitative research indicating scale with deep pscyhographic interviews and in-home ethnographic research. Basically, I spent six months hanging out with teenagers. The fam as it were.

After that, I did many more studies focusing on this intriguing generation. Needless to say, I had a lot of stories to choose from when authoring this work. But I picked Alexis story to share here because she is the quintessential representation of Generation Z. From this initial interaction, we as marketers could learn an unbelievable amount about attention, retention, brand awareness, searching, inspiration, researching, converting, transacting, sharing, and so much more!

It is March 2019 at the time of this publication, and in just a few short months, Generation Z will assume the position as the largest generation in the United States, representing 40 percent of American consumers! Consider that for a momentthis relatively unknown generation (by marketing standards) is about to overtake nearly half of consumers out there. If that is not enough to convince your company to shift your marketing research focus from Millennials to this younger, more influential generation, well, read on. But sit down, because these stats might just make you dizzy.

This group of teens and young 20-somethings represent $44 billion in direct buying power. Just imagine how that number will surge once they get jobs after college!

When you include what parents and caregivers spend on Generation Z today, this purchase power skyrockets to $255 billion. Additionally, when you add in total household expenditures, the impact of Generation Zs influence on other household spending may be more than $655 billion.

Moreover, this generation is wielding their mighty influence on every other generation, in just about every industry. And yet, the marketing departments of many organizations are still focusing on Millennial research and are missing the gigantic potential of Generation Z.

With this book, I hope to inspire you to shift your focus in a very strategic way. The time to start your research is now. This large and financially-responsible group wields never-before-seen influence on our consumer markets. However, marketing to this group will not be a walk in the park. This generation has high standards for themselves and even higher standards for the brands around them to live up to. Brand loyalty with this group is harder to achieve than with any other generation.