A consultancy focused on advising organisations on how to engage with Generation Z has been launched.
MarketZ will form part of the Platinum Live group and is spearheaded by 17-year-old West Cumbrian entrepreneur Oliver Hodgson.
Oliver said: “This was a clear and obvious step to take, as we noticed our USP wasn’t only being youthful and fresh-faced, but actually, the understanding we have of our generation.
“The consumer behaviour of Gen Z is exciting and interesting yet strange, difficult to understand and unique to previous generations.
Generation Z, often referred to as ‘zoomers’, is the demographic that succeeds Millennials. Gen Z is anyone born in the mid-to-late 90s to the early 2010s.
Oliver added: “I often find people calling us out for having very minimal or a lack of attention span, but actually, we will sit and watch YouTube, Netflix and so on, for hours.
“What really matters is how organisations communicate with us, through what means with what content and with what kind of spokesperson. This is particularly important for those organisations who are traditional.
“In Cumbria there is a real struggle when it comes to engaging with young consumers, prospective candidates and voters.
“We see so many examples of businesses just shying away from our generation, crossing us off as too hard to understand.
“Not only are we powerful but we are interested and engaged when you show us the right content, collateral, and information.”
A recent study by McKinsey & Co that shows Gen Z have around £113 billion of spending power.
Market Z is backed by urban disrupter Andrea Winders, managing director of Disruptieve.
She said: “Working with Oliver has been a revelation, and at times he has been teaching me a new language – that of Gen Z.
“The nuances and methods of communicating with this next working age generation are so different to the old ways that it requires one to know one (so to speak).”
The consultancy is based in Whitehaven and its first two clients are in Manchester.
