What I Learned After Handing Marketing to a Gen Zer

"We expected fresh perspectives and a new approach to marketing, but as an older millennial, I didn't expect just how foreign her methods would feel. Our company is an AI-powered platform that helps small and medium-size businesses find top part-time professionals through network-based recruiting. As we grew, we realized we needed someone who truly understood how younger audiences communicate and consume content-not just to market the product, but to shape how we tell our story in a changing world of work."

"For decades, marketing has been about connecting emotionally with audiences. "Hit the pain points," they say. But now? We're living in a completely different world where short and authentic is king and Gen Z speaks an entirely different language. Try making sense of phrases like: "Touch grass? I AM the lawn." "Delulu is the solulu." "Slayed so hard I need a rest day." I need a dictionary to decode this."

Hiring a Gen Z marketer revealed a wide gap in communication styles and creative norms between generations. The company operates an AI-powered platform that connects small and medium-sized businesses with part-time professionals through network-based recruiting. Gen Z prefers short, authentic content and platform-native formats, often using slang and memes that older marketers may not understand. TikTok functions as a content playground distinct from Instagram's curated aesthetic, and younger audiences avoid platforms where older generations congregate. Evaluating creatives requires native fluency in Gen Z language and conventions, so teams must include people who inherently understand how younger audiences communicate.

Read at Inc