Gen Z: Experiences Over Things

I didn39t think much of it until later in the summer when I went to the Dolphin Research Center DRC in Grassy Key Florida and had yet another amazing experience I will never forgetamp160 While there I thought more about what my dad had said and I thought about what my friends did with their summersamp160 I realized that at least with my circle of friends our summers aren39t about just going to cool places they are all experiences specific to the individual and their interestsamp160 One of my friends is shadowing a vet over the summer another went to India and Africa to interact with children one went to a Japanese immersion camp in Japan and a bunch went to summer dance intensivesamp160 We use our summers to explore possibilities and find experiences that we can connect withIn Montana I experienced a different culture and gained insight about my country and came out with a new respect for the struggle Indians now face and a new awareness of America39s pastamp160 I became friends with some of the people living on the reservation and learned a lot about their rich culture and also became closer with my classmatesamp160 I didn39t buy a single thing while I was on that trip because it wasn39t the material things or keepsakes that mattered to me it was the experienceA big part of the Montana experience was the many amazing people we met like Bob Tailfeathers Francis Heavy Runner and Tom Crawfordamp160 Tom had the greatest impact on our group Even though he grew up in a different time and a very different world from the one our group of private school kids know every person could find a connection to one of Tom39s incredible storiesamp160 On our last night in Montana we got to share s39mores with Tom39s granddaughter after she and her friends were chased through the woods by coyotesamp160 While these may not seem like the most important things the experience was in fact the whole reason behind our tripamp160 We were all looking for a connection with a different culture and the creation of lasting bonds between people who seem to have nothing in commonamp160 Compared to that any trinket or spacewasting thing we could buy seemed pointlessLater this summer when I went to the Dolphin Research Center it was once again for the experienceamp160 I worked throughout the year to earn enough money to pay to go to the weeklong Teen Basic training programamp160 While my parents could39ve paid for it I wanted the experience of earning my own money to do something that I wanted to doamp160 So I did and I had an amazing timeamp160 It was the first time I39d ever been to a camp where I didn39t know anyone I had to fly there alone and I wasn39t sure what I39d be able to eat I39m an extremely picky eateramp160 But I went anyway because I wanted to experience what it would be like to work with marine mammalsamp160 I made friends memorized the names and identifying features of 27 dolphins and four sea lions and learned a ton about the world we live inamp160 Each day we had one or twohourlong seminars about dolphins the ecosystem climate change and how we can help save our planetamp160 I39m pretty sure I learned more in that week than I did the entire year in chemistry classamp160 It was easy to learn at camp because I wanted the experience it wasn39t forced on me like school isamp160 The only thing I bought at camp was a shirt and that was actually another experience I got a white shirt chose two colors and then had my shirt painted by one of the dolphins named PaxBoth of my summer trips were created around the experience and had nothing to do with spending money on random thingsamp160 From what I39ve seen Gen Z is mostly buying things based on a connection they have with it not just because they have money to spendamp160 I haven39t done an official survey but out of the teens I interact with and talk to none of them are loyal to one brandamp160 They go to whatever place they have the best experienceamp160 If the clothes are nice but the experience isn39t great kids won39t go backAdidas is a good example of a brand creating an experience around their products and other brands should follow suitamp160 At dolphin camp we learned Adidas are made from recycled plastic found in the oceanamp160 Everyone agreed that we would rather buy products with a backstory about helping the planet than random items that will eventually add to the planet39s pollutionamp160 Brands need to start thinking about their brand backstory and their futureGen Z has the world at their fingertips and won39t hesitate to change shopping patterns if a brand does not support their interestsamp160 With a few Google searches we can find out whether or not a brand uses child labor their pollution levels and anything else we might be interested inamp160 Brands need to consider their brand morality and the unique experiences they offer if they want to keep us as consumersamp160 How can their products create experiences that transform me and the world around meamp160 Yes Adidas is still selling me a shoe but the experience they created around that shoe gives me a reason to buy them over other sneaker brands even if they cost moreToday we have many choices when we look to buy somethingamp160 The right experience creates the reason for me to buy from a particular brand over the many other choices I haveEditor39s Note At a recent meeting with Viacom a senior executive described experience as the new currencyamp160 This was underscored by the opinions of several Generation Z guest panelists at a focus group conducted by sparks ampamp honey where most mentioned experiences over material items as amp8220bucket listamp8221 goalsamp160 One of the young panelists 16yearold Sydney Polichock is already a soughtafter speaker at trend conferences and contributed her pointofview to MediaVillagecom Click the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Gen Z: Experiences Over Things

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Sydney Polinchock

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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Sydney Polinchock

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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