Captivating Gen Alpha: Winning Brand Engagement Strategies

Published 27 July 2023

Authors

Brynn Valentine

8 min read

Gen Alpha demands fresh brand engagement tactics. Covering new-era edutainment flagships, services upskilling kids to become citizens of the future (satisfying parents’ ambitions), empathetic campaigns playing to their emotional literacy, and the virtual worlds evolving metaverse expectations, we dive into the most powerful ways to engage not just this generation, but also their millennial/young Gen X parents.

Brand Tutoring: Building Trust With Life Lessons

Family-Focused Store Playscapes Satisfy Kids’ IRL Cravings

Storytelling to Encourage Emotional Intelligence

Proto-Metaverse Productions: Gen Alpha’s New World-Building

Seventy-two per cent of American millennial parents fear failing at parenting (Cassandra, 2023), and 57% in the US and UK combined believe schools are not preparing children to become citizens of the future (Beano Brain, 2023) – sentiments causing them to prize real-life skills over traditional educational goals. Astute brands are responding as supportive educators, delivering finance and digital smarts via in-store and online activations.

Summary

Brand Tutoring: Building Trust With Life Lessons	Seventy-two per cent of American millennial parents fear failing at parenting (Cassandra, 2023), and 57% in the US and UK combined believe schools are not preparing children to become citizens of the future (Beano Brain, 2023) – sentiments causing them to prize real-life skills over traditional educational goals. Astute brands are responding as supportive educators, delivering finance and digital smarts via in-store and online activations.
Family-Focused Store Playscapes Satisfy Kids’ IRL Cravings	Contrary to media rhetoric, Gen Alphas crave IRL time with friends and family, and view millennial parents as spending too much time on their phones (see Key Stats). With 81% of Alphas influencing buying decisions – $500bn worth annually in the US (Forbes, 2021), real-life activities uniting Alphas and parents is good for brands and family satisfaction.
Storytelling to Encourage Emotional Intelligence	Older Alphas (seven to 13) have an awareness of mental health issues not seen in previous cohorts, creating not only permission, but an opportunity for brands to facilitate conversations supporting their self-care. With 37% of millennial parents globally fearful for their children’s mental health (Morning Consultant, 2023), empathetic advice will engage both generations.
Proto-Metaverse Productions: Gen Alpha’s New World-Building	A truly digitally native generation of prosumers (both producing and consuming content), Gen Alpha wants a stake in shaping virtual brand experiences – preferring creativity and world-building in gaming/virtual worlds (43%) to being competitive (36%), unlike its Gen Z predecessors (see Key Stats). This spirit is being fostered in the virtual worlds of US brands including Crocs (footwear), Claire’s (accessories), Nike and Home Depot (DIY).

Captivating Gen Alpha: Winning Brand Engagement Strategies

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