From Relevance to Resonance
7 in 10 Gen Zers say keeping up with what is relevant is either exhausting or pointless.
Culture is moving faster today than ever before.
And it continues to accelerate.
Keeping up with what is relevant can easily feel necessary in our day-to-day world.
It can also feel nearly impossible.
Or exhausting.
Even pointless.
Could what is relevant become less…well, relevant?
New polling data from dcdx 📊
We polled 818 Gen Zers asking them how it feels to keep up with what is relevant online today.
41% said keeping up is exhausting
29% said it feels pointless
22% said they felt it necessary
8% said it feels satisfying
If relevance is fatiguing this generation, we need to forge a new path forward with Gen Z.
We need to find a new way to connect with young audiences beyond what is relevant.
How do we make content feel meaningful in a culture hyper-saturated with trends?
Gen Z’s loneliness crisis may be changing entertainment tastes. Can Hollywood adapt? (LA Times)
The loneliness epidemic that disproportionately affects Gen Zers today is changing tastes. Young people are more drawn to content that depicts friendships than ever, according to two separate studies:
UCLA’s 2023 “Teens & Screens” study found that people ages 10 to 24 wanted to see more platonic relationships between onscreen characters, and weren’t as interested in media that portrayed romantic entanglements and sex.
UTA IQ, found that nearly 70% of U.S. Gen Zers’ favorite TV and film character duos were friends, while just 17% of respondents favored a romantic couple.
In an increasingly lonely world — Gen Zers are finding meaning in content that depicts the ins and outs of friendships. These narratives resonate deeply, making Gen Zers who watch feel like they belong to something.
What else are Gen Z’ers doing with content to cope with their feelings of loneliness or boredom?
Vice: ‘Digital Switching’ Is Making You More Bored
A new study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology shows novel evidence that “digital switching” — the act of fast-forwarding or frequently scrolling through videos to make them go faster — increases boredom. The study states that:
“People often switch between videos and fast-forward through them on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Netflix. We show that people consume media this way to avoid boredom.
However, this switching behavior makes people feel more bored, less satisfied, less engaged, and less meaningful in some instances… Enjoyment may be better attained by immersing oneself in videos rather than swiping through them.”
The participants who practiced digital switching could not fully immerse themselves in the content, leading to further disengagement and a feeling of meaninglessness.
For a generation spending 7+ hours per day on their phones and picking them up 154 times on average per day, ‘digital switching’ is an inherent part of Gen Z’s day-to-day lives.
Perhaps it’s not quite as easy to scroll away our feelings as we might like.
Relevance vs. Resonance
Last week we discussed The Risk of Being Relevant, and how short-term cultural relevance risks consistency and longevity.
Relevance has benefits but is an incomplete measure of success. Relevance rarely creates feelings of meaningfulness - an unsatisfied craving of Gen Z.
So how do we know when we create meaning? We need to focus on resonance, not just relevance.
Relevance relates to what is popular right now.
Resonance amplifies what is meaningful and lasting.
Resonance brings to life deep emotional, psychological, and meaningful associations that will persist. It surfaces a connection to those unseen values, experiences, and aspirations of Gen Zers today.
Where relevance may raise awareness, resonance drives action.
Resonance is an investment in a story, born from a true understanding of audience needs, wants, and feelings.
The Barbie movie is the most extreme example of this. But even Dunkin’ creating their own marketing “cinematic universe” shows this investment in higher-quality, consistent content. Their CMO, Jill McVicar Nelson said:
“For years we were very LTO (limited-time offer) driven… [every] week we would change messaging on different products and value offers. Over the last year, we’ve been really trying to lean into bigger moments, higher visibility, maybe higher-quality content.”
Dunkin’, Gap, and A&F are examples of investments in resonance, not just relevance. Investments with true returns in shareholder value.
So before you chase the next trend, caught in the Great Brand Soup, ask yourself - what do you gain in short-term relevance that you lose in long-term resonance?
Further Reading:
We need to Rethink Talent in the Age of Virality - Day One Agency
How Fox's Tubi Grabs Gen Z Viewers - Business Insider
Why Toyota’s Tacoma isn’t the star of its new branded TV content - Ad Age