Generation Alpha is the youngest generation, at around 12 and under. This is the moment where many marketers switch off, turning their focus to the financially independent adult and soon-to-be-adult demographics. Passing up on Gen Alpha influencer marketing could be a costly mistake.
No matter whether you’re selling children’s toys, cutting-edge tech or luxury skincare products, today’s generation of children are far more engaged – and influential – than you think.
Savvy marketers will understand the importance of connecting with this demographic now, both to broaden their current market and to pave the way for continued popularity in years to come.
Understanding how to engage them – that’s another story. To help you along, we’ve put together this guide to Generation Alpha and the key things brands should be aware of.
Contents
Why should brands pay attention to Gen Alpha?
Gen Alpha influencer marketing
Brands successfully marketing to Gen Alpha
3 key takeaways for brands wanting to reach Gen Alpha
Who is Gen Alpha?
There’s no official consensus on when Generation Alpha begins, but it’s generally agreed to be in the early 2010s, making these individuals around 12 years or younger. Unlike every other generation, this demographic is still actively expanding (until the end of 2024).
While there’s undeniable overlap with Gen Z, giving rise to the often-useful term “Gen Zalpha”, it’s important that you don’t just lump them together. There are several key differences that make Gen Alpha unique:
True digital natives
Due in large part to the Covid-19 Pandemic, which saw families and schools worldwide turn to digital means of education and entertainment for their kids, Gen Alpha have been exposed to technology even earlier and more intensely than their predecessors.
Often referred to as the ‘iPad generation’, these kids have had touchscreens, handheld devices and smart assistants around them since birth. It’s no surprise then that they’re the heaviest users of such devices, at more than 4 hours a day on average (McCrindle). Digital technology is so embedded it’s almost an extension of themselves, mediating the majority of their social, leisure and educational activities.
Parented by Millennials and Gen Z
According to Morning Consult research, 70% of Gen Alpha have Millennial parents, with a growing proportion being born to Gen Z adults. Marketers will need to not only consider the Gen Alphas who will be using the product, but accommodate the values and habits of the adults holding the purse strings, too. Our dedicated guides to “Zillennials” and Gen Z are a great place to start.
Authentic, opinionated and mature
Despite their tender years, Generation Alpha are conscientious, passionate and value driven. They’ve grown up in the most diverse societies we’ve seen yet, under the heavy certainty of climate change, and their behavior reflects that. They seek authentic content, and often want to be convinced that brands are ‘doing good’ before they engage with them.
Highly influencer focused
Gen Alpha holds even more affinity and loyalty to influencers than Gen Z and Millennials. They can spot stale corporate content from 10 miles off. They see themselves as part of an active, two-way influencer-user community rather than simply consumers.
Understanding that many Gen Alphas view themselves in some way as an influencer, whether they have ten followers or ten million, is key to understanding the new influencer-led landscape.
This generation of consumers turn to human sources first for brand inspiration and guidance, whether it’s their friends online or a brand ambassador their age, filtering brand identity through an influencer lens more than ever before.
Why should brands pay attention to Gen Alpha?
Gen Alpha and social media
Gen Alpha are the most overwhelmingly mobile-oriented generation yet. If they’re online, it’s probably through a smartphone. It’s no surprise then that social media activity accounts for the lion’s share of this time, making it essential for social-first brands to consider them among their most important audiences.
YouTube dominates at this age bracket, mainly due to easy access without a verified account and its dedicated ‘YouTube Kids’ platform, which supports safer browsing. More social-oriented apps like TikTok and Snapchat have a stronger presence at the upper range of the Alpha range, and it’s logical to expect this to grow as the generation ages.
The release of YouTube Shorts in 2021 turned up the pressure on rival platforms, setting the stage for a continued battle for Gen Alpha’s time and attention through brief, visual-first, influencer-led content.
The size and spending power of Gen Alpha
Gen Alpha is growing fast as a segment of the total consumer population. Mark McCrindle estimates there’ll be 2.5 billion Gen Alphas by the end of 2024, overtaking Baby Boomers in number by 2025.
Alpha will make up 11% of the adult workforce by 2030 with many more following up in the teenage age bracket, where independent purchasing power starts to form.
So, when does a child become a consumer worth considering? A 2023 Morning Consult report finds that children start influencing household purchases as early as 5 years of age, with 85% of parents to 5- to 9-year-olds reporting that their children have explicitly requested products they’ve seen in stores, on TV, or online.
McCrindle’s research indicates that a staggering $5.39tn will be spent annually on Gen Alphas by the end of 2024, far outstripping Millennials’ $2.5tn annual spend as of March 2023. By 2030, this means Generation Alpha is expected to overtake Gen Z in overall spending power.
Gen Alpha consumption habits
Generation Alpha is completely redefining our understanding of child consumption habits. Not only are they exceedingly brand-aware, but surprisingly mature too – mimicking, and even claiming, the consumption habits of Gen Zs and Millennials.
The surge in 10-year-old girls purchasing luxury Sephora beauty products, such as £40 niacinamide and retinol products, recently caught the internet’s attention – and sparked concern.
Other products originally geared at their parents have found strong favor among Gen Alpha children, including Stanley cups and Birkenstocks.
So, what’s going on here? While traditionally child-oriented verticals remain strong, like toys and games, it’s clear that Generation Alpha are hungry for branded products for social reasons as much as, if not more than, functional reasons.
It seems likely too that the social media landscape, shared and open as it is to users of every generation, is exposing an identity-conscious Gen Alpha to a slew of content and product trends geared primarily towards adults. These kids are becoming more mature and holding more sophisticated brand attitudes as a result.
Particularly across verticals like beauty, fashion, and gaming, the social media spotlight is placed on branded products through demos and daily routines, unboxing vids, reviews and live streaming. The desire of Gen Alpha to be ‘in the know’ and relate to their peers – both online and in person – is a potent purchase driver.
Now, moving into the influencer space. How can brands get to grips with Gen Alpha influencer marketing?
Gen Alpha Influencer Marketing
How is Generation Alpha consuming influencer content
Gen Alpha influencer marketing relies on social media influencers to provide direction for young consumers. So much so that, according to a 2023 Digital Voices report, “49% of kids trust influencers as much as their own family and friends when it comes to product recommendations”, and “55% of kids want to buy something if their favorite YouTube or Instagram star is using, wearing or consuming it.”
What’s important to note is that Gen Alpha influencer marketing, and the creators within the space, have different origins to their predecessors. Rather than exclusively being A-listers and other celebrities, a greater share of Gen Alpha influencers are emerging from the ranks of ‘normal’ users. They’re dedicated influencers who have gained a following through their social content, but are otherwise just the same as their viewers. Gen Alpha influencer marketing is being thrust forward by young consumers who want to hear from other young consumers.
The driving force behind Gen Alpha influencer marketing? Trust, built on relatability and accessibility. Gen Alpha wants makeup recommendations from someone like them, with skin like theirs, and a similar budget. They want to play the games recommended to them by a gamer their age.
But it goes deeper; more than any other generation, Alpha prizes the potential to create content themselves and form their identity through it. This drives them to keep up with trends and produce their own social media content – whether it’s with the hope of becoming an influencer, or just joining their friends in creating and responding to each other’s videos.
Who are popular influencers to Gen Alpha
In spite of the above, the children of celebrities – like Kourtney Kardashian’s daughter, Penelope Disick (age 11) and Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s daughter, North West (age 10) – are working hard to establish themselves as make-up and beauty influencers. Not a huge surprise given the celebrity firepower backing them.
The unexpected comes from young girls like Koti and Haven Garza, two twin sisters aged 7 from Oklahoma under the handle @GarzawCrew. Some of the youngest beauty ‘influencers’ out there, these girls have almost 5m followers on TikTok. They regularly drop ‘Sephora haul’ and ‘get ready with us’ videos, showing them applying products like serums and bronzing drops – attracting fans and critics in seemingly equal measure.
Ryan Kaji is a 10-year-old who has over 36 million subscribers, and regularly collects seven-figure views for his videos. Originally making unboxing and review content for toys, he’s since gone on to launch a TV series for preschoolers, science vlogs, and his own toy range.
The influencer landscape is in constant flux, and nowhere more so than in the ‘Gen Zalpha’ zone. But one constant is the diversity – of celebrity children and ordinary kids, from the heart of Hollywood to countries across the world – making a name for themselves. The Gen Alpha influencer marketing space is rife with talent, and opportunity for brands.
Brands successfully marketing to Gen Alpha
There are several brands making strides when it comes to connecting with Generation Alpha, with impressive results.
Claire’s
Claire’s has long been a lifestyle pillar for ‘tween’ girls, holding a permanent space in the world’s shopping malls and the nostalgic memories of Millennial women. Now it’s leaning hard into Gen Z and Alpha messaging through a major brand ambassador program called ‘The Collab’.
These ambassadors range from age 7 to 17 and include musicians, skateboarders, chefs, documentary makers and fashion designers. They contribute to social media content and marketing campaigns, both through applying their creative talents to its production and by taking the spotlight.
The core flavor of this program is empowerment, making The Collab a route for relatable/aspirational Gen Zalphas to “share their hopes, dreams and accomplishments”, according to the company’s CMO. Claire’s continues to pioneer the Gen Alpha influencer marketing space, so they’re definitely one to keep an eye on.
Crayola
Another brand making a concerted effort to deepen its presence across Alpha-oriented platforms, this arts and crafts company has found major traffic gains on YouTube through its partnership with TheSoul Publishing, a creative digital content studio.
Massively ramping up its YouTube content volume by 6x in a 12-month period, they achieved a 40-fold increase in organic views in April 2023 vs Q4 2022. They’ve since gone on to expand their collaboration with TheSoul to include TikTok and Pinterest as well.
By developing a focused, regular stream of content valued by younger viewers, they’re driving subscriber numbers – indicating a dedicated audience who anticipate each new post.
Shloomoo Institute
This interactive slime-based sensory experience and museum, based in several cities across the U.S., takes an even more organic approach to influencer marketing. It offers a constant rotation of Gen Alpha influencers free entry into its sites, with no content creation or marketing requirements attached.
The unique and entertaining nature of the museums invariably result in lots of content coming out of those influencers anyway as, in the words of one of its co-founders “It’s kind of made for content”. The result is marketing material that can’t really get more authentic – these influencers are free to focus on and share what they find worthwhile, which, by extension, is exactly what interests Shloomoo’s target audience.
3 key takeaways for brands wanting to reach Gen Alpha
Give influencers free reign to be authentic
Gen ‘Zalpha’ influencers will be able to communicate with your target audience far, far better than you ever can. That’s why you need to allow them to be themselves if you want to leverage their full marketing potential.
Provide them with free products, free tickets, and VIP or behind-the-scenes experiences, then stand back. The more it seems like influencers are coming to you and talking about you of their own accord, rather than having words put in their mouths, the stronger and more trusted your brand identity will be.
Shape yourself to thrive on short-form, social video
To follow directly on from the previous point: if your product is uninteresting or unsuitable for social-first video content, then it’s unlikely to mesh well with the influencer video marketing that Gen Alpha responds to.
Consider how you could create opportunities to encourage unboxing videos, product hauls, ‘X with me’ content, and other entertainment or educational content involving your brand.
Look for ways to allow customers to become creators
Tapping into the influencer inside your Gen Alpha consumers will incentivize them, not only to buy your product, but become ambassadors of it – creating a positive feedback loop of organic marketing supported by social proof.
Gen Alpha aren’t just playing video games – they’re live streaming and making content across YouTube and TikTok from it, sharing their achievements and in-world creativity. They aren’t just buying make-up – they’re vlogging about their daily routines and practicing with their friends.
Think about how your product allows consumers to express themselves, then do everything you can to build, or encourage, places for those expressions to be shared. This won’t just benefit your bottom line, but will build customer respect for you as a supporter of individual empowerment and expression.
Need more specific help with your Generation Alpha influencer marketing?
Get in touch with the Goat Agency to get help coming up with groundbreaking ideas or making impactful influencer connections.
