GEN Z TEENS: THAILAND’S TOUGHEST ADVERTISING AUDIENCE AdReaction Study 2017
- Preference for humour and a good story, more than celebrities or music
- Brands should avoid invasive ad formats, giving Gen Z the option to skip
Kantar Millward Brown today released their global AdReaction study, including the first-ever comprehensive study of Thailand's Gen Z, revealing that while this 'digitally native' group was raised with technology; they are the toughest for brands to engage with. Representing 18.3% of Thailand's population, or 12.5 million consumers aged 16-19 within the estimated 2 billion global figure, this large-scale examination gives insight into Gen Z who are increasingly relevant to brands as a barometer for future advertising trends.
Based on surveys of more than 23,000 consumers in 39 countries, including Thailand, the AdReaction: Engaging Gen X, Y and Z study analyses media consumption patterns, advertising attitudes and creative approach responses to provide guidance on how to engage more effectively with this new key group, making comparisons with Gen Y (aged 20 - 34) and Gen X (aged 35 - 49).
"Gen Z in Thailand are exposed to advertising from an early age, and are well accustomed to digital formats. This shapes their expectations of advertising and makes them harder to please," says Usana Chantarklum, Managing Director, Kantar Millward Brown Thailand. "The study shows their on-demand world of infinite choice means that they expect to be able to skip ads, and are negative about brands that use invasive techniques to get their attention. Less impressed by celebrities, they expect high quality special effects. However, the most important characteristic for all ages is still the ability of an ad to tell an interesting story."
Three key opportunities for Thai brands to connect with Gen Z identified in AdReaction: Engaging Gen X, Y and Z :
1) Respect their online space:
Within the Thai digital space, Gen Z are generally more sceptical of advertising than other generations. Results show they prefer control over online advertising, and are positive towards mobile app rewards and skippable pre-rolls (which achieve net positive scores of 53% and 34% respectively). However, their least favourite formats are the invasive kind – non-skippable pre-rolls and pop-ups (6% and 5% respectively).
2) Find the right creative approach:
Globally, music, humour and celebrities all make Gen Z more receptive to advertising than other generations. However, in Thailand Gen Z are tough to impress - the only ad characteristics that are most receptive for them is the use of special effects like action sequences, explosions or space scenes. Gen Y is the group that finds creative aspects most appealing, with 53% agreeing that music makes them more receptive, 55% saying humour and 34% citing celebrities, compared to 47%, 51% and 22% for Gen Z respectively.
3) Be even more social:
Gen Z are heavy users of social media, not just in time but also the quantity of platforms they visit. Primarily these include Facebook, YouTube, Line, Instagram and Snapchat. As an example, 35% of Thai Gen Z's access Instagram several times a day, compared to 29% for Gen Y and 18% for Gen X. Line is also accessed almost ubiquitously, with a huge 92% of Gen Z accessing at least once a week[1].Five Digital Insights about Thai Gen Z Teens:
Despite being the generation that grew up with mobile technology, Gen Z's daily usage is slightly lower than that of older generations - 81% of Gen Z spend more than an hour a day on their mobile device, compared to 85% of Gen Y, and 87% of Gen X.
However, TV, radio and print consumption are also lower, with 63% of Gen Z watching an hour or more of TV each day compared to 72% (Gen Y) and 76% (Gen X). This means brands need to work hard to capture the attention of Gen Z when they are consuming media – either traditional or digital - or risk being missed altogether.
All generations prefer short videos, but the younger generations of Gen Z and Y favour video ads of less than 10 seconds, while Gen X is more tolerant of videos up to 20 seconds.
Gen Z are starting to use ad blocking software, with 18% using it on desktop and 19% using it on mobile. But it's not just the younger Thai generations - Gen Y are also using the technology, with 21% using desktop blockers and 20% using mobile blockers.
Gen Z is also most likely to talk to friends about ads, compared to Gen X who prefer to share with family, indicating that viral content can go further with younger generations if brands make it stimulating enough.
"Looking to Thailand's advertising trends for 2017, we project to see an increase in branded content, as it is proven to be more attractive to Gen Z. Globally, formats like branded events, social media feeds and celebrity endorsements all score higher for this group globally than older consumers. Gen Y prefers user reviews, social media and native information, while Gen X favours brand information. To capture Thailand's Gen Z, the study shows that ad content should be more interesting, controllable and dynamic," concludes Usana Chantarklum, Managing Director, Kantar Millward Brown Thailand.
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