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Revamp your Marketing Strategy for Gen Zers

By Andres Mociulsky, Marketing Director, Gaming, Visa Latin America, and the Caribbean

Reaching Gen Z, the generation shaping global trends, presents a challenge for traditional brands deeply rooted in consistent values. Gen Z, digital natives with a keen eye for authenticity, disapprove of brands that disrupt their content consumption with traditional ads. They prioritize societal values like inclusion and sustainability. To engage them effectively, brands must connect through their passions, using preferred digital channels and authentic messaging that aligns with Gen Z's values and interests.

To effectively build brand relevance among Gen Zers, brands will find the gaming sphere to be the ultimate social space: 80% identify as gamers¹, and 70% say video games as their favorite form of entertainment.Companies must express their value proposition in contemporary language, embracing the latest trends, understanding Gen Zers' pain points, and offering easily understandable, reliable solutions.

What Visa is doing to help you win over the gamers

As a global leader in digital payments, at Visa, we've been creating value for the gaming community across Latin America and the Caribbean, ensuring unique experiences while enabling unprecedented gameplay development. Recognizing gaming as Gen Zers' first exposure to financial management and with 44% acknowledging to making purchases influenced by content creators³, Visa has developed an ecosystem of esports athletes from various organizations like KRÜ, Isurus, and Team Liquid Brasil.

Together, we communicate unique value propositions to gamers. Moreover, considering that 52% of Gen Zers prioritize worldly experiences⁴, and 63% prefer investing in experiences over products⁴, we, alongside these three esports organizations, craft exclusive experiences for fans to personally meet, train with, and learn from their idols while traveling across Latin America and the world. Through direct collaboration with major tournament communities, we empower all players to have their gaming skills recognized, fostering a healthier competition ecosystem.

At Visa, we believe issuers, acquirers and merchants, have a significant opportunity to forge lasting connections with Gen Zers. To achieve this, they must develop a comprehensive marketing and communication strategy within the gaming ecosystem, with genuine, organic messages resonating with the community. By focusing efforts on unforgettable experiences and truly valuable benefits for players, they'll find Visa as a strategic ally with extensive experience in the gaming landscape, helping them achieve their goals.

If you want to learn more about how to win over the Gen Zers and Gamers, click here to download our full report.

Sources:

1 Gen Z is Already in the Metaverse. Research conducted by YPulse, March 7, 2022. https://www.ypulse.com/article/2022/03/07/gen-z-is-already-in-the-metaverse/

2 NewZoo Global Gamer Study 2023. https://newzoo.com/resources/trend-reports/how-different-generations-engage-with-video-games

3 Gen Z relies on influencers for purchase decisions, Kantar says. Marketing Dive, March 2, 2020. https://www.marketingdive.com/news/gen-z-relies-on-influencers-for-purchase-decisions-kantarsays/582890

4 GenZ in South Cone study. Alchemy-Publicis Groupe. November 2023.