Planning Generation Z's Unique Shopping Experience: The Future Vision of the "Youth Consumption Lab" (Part 2)

The "Youth Consumption Lab" is a unit organized within DENTSU PROMOTION PLUS INC. Centered around Gen Z members, it investigates and analyzes youth consumption trends by category—such as "SNS," "Food," and "Content"—and plans and implements purchasing experiences from a unique, insider perspective. This article features an interview with unit members Kyosuke Igarashi, Hinano Takahashi, and Kohei Saito.

Part 1 introduced the background behind the lab's launch and the activities its members are engaged in. Part 2 delves into "Emo Promotions," positioned as their most critical theme, while also discussing their future outlook.

An era where value arises from emotional movements. Capturing Gen Z's hearts with "Emo × Promotion"

Q. Among the cases collected by the Youth Consumption Lab, are there any topics you find particularly noteworthy?

Takahashi: As Saito mentioned in the first part regarding " SNS purchase self-analysis," encounters on social media often serve as a touchpoint for Gen Z, frequently leading directly to purchases. Since sparking immediate interest is crucial, the "method of introduction" to products or services becomes vital for reaching this generation. The key concept we propose for planning this is "emotional promotion."

The term "emo" was often used not long ago to mean "nostalgia" or "reminiscent," but its meaning has rapidly expanded. We recognize that "emo" now describes an indescribable surge of feeling or emotional movement – that "something feels good" sensation – rather than a specific emotion.

From a marketing perspective, we see a shift from the previous trends of "product consumption," "experience consumption," and "time consumption." We believe we are now in an era where value is found in emotional movements—essentially, "buying emo." "Emo" significantly influences Generation Z's initial attraction to products and brands. Building on this trend, while "Emo × Product" (incorporating elements perceived as "emo" into product concepts and packaging) and "Emo × Advertising" (focusing on graphics and copy) are expanding, we position "Emo × Sales Promotion" as our next critical theme. By infusing promotions and campaigns with emotional elements, we aim to create compelling purchase appeals that resonate with Generation Z, even if the product itself is not inherently "emotional."

Q. I see. So using "emo" as a hook to appeal to Gen Z's emotions is effective. What specific marketing methods does this involve?

Takahashi: To make emotional promotions successful,

① The unique values and context specific to Gen Z
② A worldview and tone & manner (creative) that feels "emo"
③ Moments or events (topics) that easily connect to "emotional resonance"
④ Actions or experiences that trigger "emo" feelings (Action)

I believe it's crucial to focus on these four points.

Igarashi: Regarding "context," many Gen Zers may have experienced a less fulfilling "youth" compared to preceding generations. For example, during the pandemic, they couldn't enjoy conversations with friends, struggled to even go outside, and couldn't take graduation trips. Since "youth" and "emotional resonance" are closely linked, the idea of helping them reclaim that sense of youth through products or services is important. Regarding "action," while it depends on the product, strategies like hosting live events featuring artists popular with Gen Z could be effective.

Q. How have client companies reacted to your proposal of "emotional promotion"?

Igarashi: The initial impetus for proposing "emo sales promotion" came when an advertising executive from a company asked me, "We hear terms like 'emo products' and 'emo ads' a lot, but how exactly can we leverage this in product development and marketing?" It made me realize this is indeed a theme companies are genuinely interested in.

Compared to "emo × product" or "emo × advertising," "emo × sales promotion" is still in its infancy. We believe there's significant value in pioneering this field. By holistically planning how to spark young people's interest in products or services and convert that interest into actual purchases, we think we can contribute to solving the sales promotion challenges companies face.

We are committed to the CX domain and aspire to be "the bridge connecting consumers with manufacturers and retailers."

Q. I understand you're at a stage where you're expanding your activities with "emotional promotion" as a key theme. As members of Generation Z, what have you noticed or felt while working on the Youth Consumption Lab?

Takahashi: Within a corporate organization, especially early in one's career, it can be quite challenging to push forward with initiatives you personally believe in and feel should be pursued. However, within the Youth Consumption Lab, we can act as "young people themselves," making us the subject of our activities. This makes it a valuable place and opportunity for us to take on challenges.

Saito: While many members are Generation Z themselves, even within the same unit, perspectives and ways of thinking differ. I think Generation Z has this elusive quality—it's hard to pin down or easily categorize. Even my own actions are difficult to articulate, so I deeply understand the struggle to understand Generation Z. That's precisely why the work of unraveling youth insights and building a systematic framework as a lab is valuable. I want to deepen this effort going forward.

Q. So, visualizing concepts that are hard to put into words, like the term "emo," is key for future Gen Z marketing, right? Finally, I'd like to ask Mr. Igarashi: as the Youth Consumption Lab, what new areas do you want to challenge, and what are your future prospects?

Igarashi: To restate the strengths of the Youth Consumption Lab, I believe there are two key points. First, we have many Gen Z members on staff, enabling us to design initiatives grounded in Gen Z insights as insiders. Second, each member handles projects in their own departments outside the Youth Consumption Lab. This means we have experience across industries and business types, from beverages to automobiles. By combining these strengths, we believe we can create initiatives that truly capture the youth mindset.

Within this framework, the Youth Consumption Lab aims to become a bridge connecting consumers, manufacturers, and retailers. While leveraging the Dentsu Group's strength in the AX (Advertising Transformation) domain, we also want to focus strongly on the CX (Customer Experience) domain, with Generation Z as a key theme. We aim to provide experience design and solutions that directly drive purchases. Furthermore, starting from CX, we want to challenge ourselves going forward to rethink and expand AX initiatives like advertising and sales promotions.

As an extension of "emo products" and "emo advertising," the Youth Consumption Lab is focusing on "emo sales promotions." As symbolized by the multifaceted nature of the term "emo," one characteristic of Generation Z might be that their purchasing behavior is easily influenced by their current emotional state or shifting moods. Creating encounters with products and services that capture the hearts of such young people, and designing the entire journey from purchase to becoming a fan, may be the key to future initiatives.

※The information in this article is based on research conducted in March 2023.