How Media Brands Are Engaging Gen Z During the Pandemic

Media brands are engaging Gen Z audiences during COVID-19 through creating social campaigns that provide a sense of community, PSAs that encourage sheltering-in-place and messages promoting mental health awareness, according to a piece in Chief Marketer sister pub Cablefax. Speaking at NAB Show Express this week, executives from ViacomCBS, YouTube, Freeform and Roku said that content and messaging delivered directly from talent was most effective.

For instance, to help younger audiences embrace the idea of staying home, Freeform launched a #StayTheFFHome campaign with talent shooting content directly from their homes. ViacomCBS and the Ad Council created #AloneTogether, which addresses the collective trauma being experienced by younger generations. Nickelodeon is providing resources for parents on how they can support their children during the crisis.

As we’ve recently noted, time spent streaming content has soared during the pandemic. And for Gen Z audiences in particular, according to Roku, that behavior has only accelerated. Nearly 90 percent of them are rewatching content they’ve already seen, particularly within the genres of comedy, action and horror.

And then there is TikTok, which is working well for some media companies. At MTV, those activations have been some of the brand’s most successful. The network has seen great success with its talent-led voter engagement campaigns, for instance, and is looking to amplify those efforts.

For more from media executives on the topic of engaging Gen Z audiences during the pandemic, read on in Cablefax.