The Children of Millenials: Getting Your Brand Ready For Gen Alpha

You’ve done your high-quality segmentation study and persona development, considered single-segment focus and/or multi-segment strategies, crafted buyers’ journeys with psychographic segmentation.  Your marketing plans form a playbook catering to a multi-generational audience of baby boomers, Gen X, Gen Y (Millenials) or Gen Z, but have you made room for Gen Alpha? 

Who Are Gen Alpha?

Gen Alpha refers to the generation born between 2010 and 2025.  Between 2.5 million and 2.8 million of this demographic cohort are being born each week around the world.  Once 2024 is up, the first generation born and raised in the twenty-first century would’ve exceeded 2 billion worldwide, and they’re expected to outnumber baby boomers by 2025.  Also known as “millenials’ children,” Gen Alpha is projected to be the largest and most diverse generation yet. 

True digital natives, Gen Alpha grew up accustomed to smart devices and social media.  This was reinforced further when the pandemic caused the whole world to stay indoors and turn to digital devices to connect, find entertainment and for virtual learning.  It’s no surprise then that they exhibit comfort and quick adaptability with new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).  Now while the digital world is a constant in their lives, Gen Alpha actually takes time offline and away from tech go outside and engage with friends or physical activities in tandem with caring for their mental health, a practice that became increasingly noticeable after the pandemic. 

And it’s not only their mental well-being that Gen Alpha are concerned for.  They’re also socially and environmentally conscious, growing up hearing and learning about inclusivity and climate change.  They thus have a higher preference for products, brands and practices that promote equality, social responsibility, eco-friendliness, and sustainability when compared to previous generations.  They’re also more appreciative of diversity due to globalization and digital connectivity exposing them to different cultures and perspectives. 

Video-centric YouTube and TikTok are their favorite digital platforms.  They’re also inclined to thrive in the safe and niche confines of gaming over contributing to the noisy and oftentimes chaotic discourse found in most social media.  More than just the satisfaction of playing a video game, they express themselves in the customizable virtual space offered by worldbuilding games like Minecraft and Roblux.   They are empowered by technology instead of dependent on it.  And while they follow and take cues from influencers, they appreciate authenticity, personalization, and uniqueness, proving to be generally wary of and resistant to traditional marketing practices.  

Why Market To Gen Alpha?

Gen Alpha is estimated to have an economic footprint of $5.4 billion by 2029.  While that’s still a few years off, Gen Alpha has already and indirectly flexed their spending power by influencing their parents’ purchasing decisions while demonstrating at the same time a higher degree of brand awareness than older generations.  They are confident with their choice of brands as it is a reflection of themselves and the values they appreciate. 

The “adolescent demographic” is also challenging conventional marketing and advertising tactics, having already reshaped older or adult brand marketing.  Where once there was space for “tween retail” with brands dedicated specifically for this age group and some adult clothing brands introducing specific clothing lines for tweens, mature brands for example simply expanded their size range to include their younger consumers.  You’ll find Gen Alpha sharing the same brand choices or favorites with their millennial parents and Gen Z, the generation that preceded them. 

With their digital affinity and offline exigencies set to shape the future of work, learning, and culture, brands would need to rework their marketing approach if they would like to attract Gen Alpha as early as now.  While their older members are just entering their teens at this time, understanding how Gen Alpha thinks and behaves can help a brand adapt and lay the groundwork for their marketing endeavors as part of efforts to remain relevant and evolve with the times, especially with a generation this willful but informed when it comes to exercising choice.  

How Should You Market To Gen Alpha?

Your marketing cornerstone can start with leveraging existing and emerging technology to understand and engage Gen Alpha.  For starters, traditional demographics are already challenged by how diverse Gen Alpha is along with their preferences for personalization and uniqueness.  Adopting AI and machine learning into your marketing strategy to analyze consumer behavior data and foresee trends can therefore help you craft a personalized and dynamic buyer experience for Gen Alpha.  You can also employ AI-powered virtual assistants for personalized assistance during the shopping journey.  AI can also grant your brand the flexibility to adapt to trends and feedback quickly in keeping in line with Gen Alpha’s needs for instant gratification. 

Use gamification, polls or promos to enhance engagement and interactivity instead of conventional ads that Gen Alpha more often than not ignore or scroll past by.  Add another layer to the shopping experience with AR and VR where virtual spaces allow them to visualize, explore and engage with products before even purchasing. 

Gen Alpha is immersed in the digital world but they also seek engagement in the physical world.  Offer in-store pick up options for online purchases to allow their shopping experience to extend to physical locations.  Use geolocation and location-based services for sending relevant and personalized promotions and notifications, such as in-store only discounts and offers.  Develop apps that not only incorporates these points but also enhances your omnichannel presence with seamless transition between online and physical shopping experiences.  Don’t forget to promote and collect user-generated content as testimonials to the engaging and immersive experience your brand offers.   

Some of the aforementioned technologies are still relatively new to the mainstream but learning and leveraging them as early as now allows your brand and marketing to evolve alongside them while growing and staying relevant with Gen Alpha. 

Your brand would also need to increase focus on data protection and privacy, as Gen Alpha is particularly mindful of how valuable their personal information is in this era of data breaches and leaks.  Brands need to be able to communicate clearly their privacy policies and demonstrate responsible data handling in addition to offering consumers control over how their personal information are use. 

As mentioned before, Gen Alpha are acutely aware of social and economic issues aside from being the most diverse cohort yet.  With this comes the rise of purpose-driven marketing where your brand needs to strongly communicate, commit and exemplify your mission and values, lest you be called out for virtue signaling.  Gen Alpha are expecting brands these days to support and feature diversity and representation, calling out those that they perceive lack this value.  Your brand would need to highlight and be transparent with your sustainable and ethical practices, including sourcing, production, packaging, and labor, while continually seeking areas for improvement and better, more modern methods to adopt. 

While influencers are one of the top sources from where Gen Alpha learns and considers products to purchase, there is a shift nowadays on which personalities to follow thanks to this generation’s penchant for authenticity and shared values.  Instead of considerably bigger names and one-time sponsorship, brands can consider long-term partnerships with micro-influencers and nano-influencers.  Their niche following might be smaller but they are highly engaged and more connected, allowing for more organic integration of your brand messaging through collaborative content creation.  As what we’ve already learned with high-quality segmentation study and persona development, your marketing goals can sometimes be better served by identifying, focusing and tailoring your campaign towards that consumer instead of a “blanket” approach with demographic data for reach with an influencer with a large following. 

While this generation is still a year shy of rounding out all of its members, understanding and engaging with Gen Alpha as early as now would benefit brands looking to find a foothold into future markets.  As technologies evolve and attitudes change, there might be no better time than now for brands and their messaging to organically connect, resonate and grow alongside Gen Alpha.

For further reading:

https://www.tokinomo.com/blog/gen-alpha-consumers

https://medium.com/@daisygarciathomas/marketing-and-consumer-behavior-of-generation-alpha-9492ceaf63ee

https://therobinreport.com/get-ready-for-gen-alpha-consumer-behavior-shifts/

https://hbr.org/resources/pdfs/comm/journey/TheBusinessCaseForUnderstandingGenerationAlpha.pdf

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