Spotify has released its sixth annual Culture Next report, allowing advertisers an all-access window into Gen Z’s minds enabling them to connect with their consumers on an even deeper level. The Music streaming platform’s annual exploration gives insight into how Gen Z is reshaping culture, audio trends, and brand interactions through the way they stream. With over 319 million Gen Z individuals using Spotify as a streaming platform, the report is collected by their vast data alongside interviews with Gen Z individuals across the globe. The data provided in the report offers valuable insight into how Gen Z individuals experience the world around them, serving as a powerful and large predictor of culture.
The 2024 Culture Next report includes three key takeaways for brands to further understand their consumers. The first is that Gen Z is craving connection more than ever. The data highlights that the presence of social media contributes more to feelings of isolation, with 61% of Gen Z believing people are lonelier now than 10 years ago. However, Gen Z sees Spotify as a way to forge new connections through sharing music and podcasts. The Culture Next report also detected the influence of brand sponsorships within music and concert events. 49% agreed this would influence them to buy from this brand in the future, due to Gen Z’s craving for connection with their brands.
The second trend and takeaway for brands is that Gen Z is embarking on many firsts within this era of their lives. Therefore, the brand ‘takeaway’ from Spotify was the importance of these formative years and that brands used during this period will become the generation’s ‘loyal go-to’s’. 77% of Gen Z’s answered within the report that brands that create playlists for specific moments and moods feel more in tune with their life. Therefore, it was emphasised to brands to centre their advertisements around the emotions felt within this formative stage of Gen Z’s lives.
The final key trend for advertisers was the appeal of mainstream culture on Gen Z, with 79% of Gen Z agreeing that ‘Niche and underground cultures are increasingly going mainstream.’ This final takeaway encouraged brands to ‘think like a fan, act like a creator.’ Due to Gen Z’s expectation of brands to be up to date and add to conversations around popular culture.
The annual Culture Next report showcases how Spotify as a brand utilises personalisation and community-building tools to authentically connect with Gen Z audiences. This allows brands to position themselves amongst these insights as part of the ever-evolving narrative that Gen Z is shaping. While they ensure that their own brand messages resonate authentically with the values driven by this demographic.
For further insights and deeper understanding, you can find the 2024 Culture Next Report on the Spotify website or by using the following link: Culture Next 2024: Gen Z Trends | Spotify Ads
