Green Marketing: The influence of sustainable digital marketing content on Gen Z. : A case study on Germany

Sammanfattning

Climate change and climate protection are issues that society must urgently address. It istherefore even more important to promote and advocate for a sustainable lifestyle. In thisscientific paper, I aim to explore approaches to make social media advertising moreeffective in reaching the sustainable values of Gen Z. Since Generation Z is particularlyopen to sustainable lifestyles, this work will reflect their perspective.To answer the research question, a qualitative methodology was employed, involvinginterviews with 13 participants born between 1995 and 2010. The analysis of the collectedempirical data shows that Gen Z places great value on sustainability, but the issue lies inthe reachability of advertising.Social media marketing strategies such as Paid Media and Content Marketing seem tohave a positive effect on the participants. A balance between content with informationand entertainment also shows potential for success, considering their short attention span.Furthermore, the analysis highlights the importance of incorporating both strong (creativeand adventurous) and weak characteristics (impatient, FOMO1, and short attention span)as well as the values they share (equality, diversity, LGBTQ+2, tolerance, andacceptance).These empirical findings should provide options and serve as inspiration for companiesthat already act sustainably and want to promote and advertise a sustainable lifestyle moreeffectively in relation to Gen Z to raise sustainable awareness.