Like it or not, the younger generation is an important demographic for every industry to pay attention to. Millennials and Gen Z currently have buying power and influence, and the decisions they make now, and the tech and brands they become loyal to today will impact the winners and losers of the future. So the question becomes, how do you get the attention of these young people and engage with them long-term? 

Clint Runge is the CEO & Founder of Archrival, a youth culture agency that reinvents how brands win the hearts and minds of young adults. Clint is helping to build back trust in brands among the upcoming generation, and he’s using technology and new platforms to make that happen. On this episode of Future of Tech, Clint dives into the state of marketing today and how brands need to be thinking about reaching younger audiences. This is important because, according to Clint, if you understand what drives that generation, you can identify broader trends that will set your business up for success in other areas. To achieve this success, Clint details exactly how and why it’s necessary to start blending the digital world and the “real world” — rather than pushing old school marketing techniques through new technology, Clint discusses how brands can use the new technology as a tool to innovate and blend real-life engagement with digital platforms. Plus, he talks about where companies will be gathering the most data from in the future, and why you should start embracing the technology that scares you the most. Enjoy this episode!

 Main Takeaways:

• Cultural Differences: Globally, the youth have embraced a more borderless world. They interact, transact, and communicate with people all over the world constantly, which means that there are certain things that permeate throughout the population regardless of culture or geography. For example, the mentality behind why someone buys something will likely transcend across the board, the difference will come in how the purchase is made. 
• Who Do You Trust?: The concept of trust has radically changed in recent years. Whether it’s governments, business leaders or the media, there is an environment of mistrust built up among the general population toward those entities. And advertising falls into that sphere of mistrust as well. Brands need to find trusted sources to place in front of their target consumers in order to build back the trust and give them reasons to buy. The most trusted source is other human beings who are similar to the target audience and who can meet that audience in the places they spend time — streaming, on video game platforms, social media, etc.
• Dive Into Data: Despite claiming that they care more about data and privacy than any other generation, the youth actually give up more information about themselves than most. But, just because a brand has access to the data doesn’t mean it can be misused. Brands need to be transparent about how they are using the data they collect so that 1) the younger generation will still release it to them for use to further marketing and personalization tactics, and 2) because if brands collect and use data in ways not disclosed, the consumers will very quickly lose trust in the brand and it will be nearly impossible to rebuild.

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