Advertising and Public Relations, for me, has been a very recent discovery. Since the fifth grade, I have made short video clips for holidays, family vacation trips, cancer walks, etc. Little did I know that throughout this process, I was also advertising for something. For example, I made a video about the cancer fundraiser, Curesearch, which advertises for that specific cancer organization. This is how I decided to double major in Film & Video and Advertising & Publics Relations. However, I am also a part of Generation Z. For all of my Generation Z people out there, we are the reason why advertising is so big! We are easily pressured by the online shopping epidemic! It may not necessarily be a bad thing, though, if we get new clothes shipped every week.

My explanation of Advertising & Public Relations would include “making people buy something because it looks cool,” but it seems to be much more than that. Throughout my life, I have experienced a large shift in how things are being advertised. During the early years of my life, the kids channels would have commercials based off of popular toys. I would beg my parents to buy the toy, until I guilted them into spending their money on me. I would proceed to play with the toy until about a week, because by then I had already found something better on TV. This, is the true definition of advertising. How can you catch a consumer’s attention to buy things from your company, whether they need it or not? Now, since the commercials are aimed towards a much larger audience, sometimes the advertisements do not pertain to me, therefore I lose interest quickly. Especially if it is a commercial naming the thousands of side effects of a medication that I do not have to take! Although this seems to be a less effective way to advertise, there are many other ways that have caught my attention. Generation Z mainly revolves around social media. Since it is such a big part of this generation, it opened up a big opportunity for advertising. I find myself scrolling through my Instagram page, with an occasional advertisement that will catch my attention. Say this advertisement will be about a shirt that donates to an environmentally friendly organization; the next few days I will be scrolling through multiple advertisements involving nature and more environmentally friendly merchandise. Sometimes I ask myself, “Are these people listening to my conversations through the phone?” This is not the case, although it may seem a bit creepy… The advertising community takes a viewer’s interests, and exposes them to more advertisements revolved around them. This method of advertising has been most effective for me, as I am discovering merchandise that pertains to my interests.

Similar to this idea, technology has also connected its advertisements with specific websites. If someone searches for a laptop online, they may find advertisements about laptop cases or USB connectors in the margins. Current technology is like a chain reaction, when someone searches one thing, the internet will lead them to the next thing that is related in some way. This is how I end up searching for a tutorial on how to braid hair, and somehow ending up purchasing hair accessories that I don’t need! With the amount of websites Generation Z is exposed to, it is easy for advertising companies to catch their attention. According to Campaign Monitor, “by 2020, Generation Z is expected to account for 40% of all customers.” Additionally, as demonstrated by the image attached, email is an effective way of catching the attention of Generation Z, as they check their emails more than once a day. It’s hard to turn down emails that say “BIG SALE!”

As a part of Generation Z myself, I am a part of that 40%. This is what introduced me to advertising and public relations. It all started with a NatureBacks shirt, that I had discovered while scrolling through my Instagram feed. The design of the shirt had caught my attention, but while looking through their account, the videography done for the advertising of this shirt had caused me to buy one. (The videos included drone footage which also caused me to buy a drone…see how advertising can draw you in?) Throughout that week, I had been exposed to multiple nature accounts that I am following now. Additionally, I was inspired by a famous Youtuber of this generation: Indy Blue. She had posted a video of the Rise Festival in Las Vegas. This led me to research the Rise Festival website, and now I am planning on traveling to participate in it at some point in my future! Advertising through filmmaking is what has caught my attention since I was very young, and I want to create this same type of effect for Generation Z and beyond. This will not only help companies grow, but it can advertise fundraising organizations for illnesses, the environment, or social movements which can help better our world as a whole.

The future for technology involves massive amounts of growth. As generations become more involved in social media, advertising will become easier. Technology will expand beyond the internet, as people are beginning to discover more about Artificial Intelligence and how that will soon become a normal part of our society. Scary, right?!

Monitor, Campaign. “The Ultimate Guide to Marketing to Gen Z in 2019 [New Research].” Campaign Monitor, 2019, http://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/guides/guide-to-gen-z-marketing-2019/.