POV: You’re a Gen-Z in the advertising industry.
“You could become a teacher or an author.”
It sounds like a diagnosis.
“Is that it? I was expecting a career in creative writing to be a bit more… creative.”
A slow blink. A quick head twitch. The career counsellor explodes into flames.
Alright, it’s a bit dramatic, but if you’re reading this, I’m sure you’ve had a similar experience somewhere down the line (minus the spontaneous combustion). And it’s something the next generation of talent is still facing today.
Copywriting isn’t introduced to kids in schools. In fact, the majority of today’s youth don’t discover it until they’re well into their twenties.
Or, until they stumble across an unhinged Word Tonic ad.
Word Tonic exposes the next generation to the advertising industry through community and creative content. It’s a GEN-Z copywriting community with an Instagram page including the takedown of a creative director, community traitors and yassified mascots. It might look concerning to outsiders, but this marketing style hits Gen-Z audiences perfectly.
Breaking down the marketing monolith
When you think of Gen-Z, you probably think of the usual buzzwords: mental illness, memes, ‘digital natives’, and the ever-alarming 8-second attention span. Try to market to those buzzwords and your marketing is going to feel a little… cringe.
But our past experiences make us cringe even more. We’re feeling pinched by the cost of living crisis and still feel the aftershock of the pandemic during our formative years. We’re overshadowed by the impending doom of the climate crisis, and the fact that I’ve mentioned the word ‘crisis’ three times in this paragraph alone is panic-inducing.
It’s a lot to put on the shoulders of twenty-something-year-olds. But it’s given us an interesting outlook on life, and it influences our working habits greatly.
Find us in the creative industry, and you’ll discover how we’re pragmatic problem solvers and keen to make an impact. We capitalise on creativity and gravitate towards campaigns and brands with an authentic purpose.
Circle back to the cost of living crisis, and you’ll realise that Gen-Z pays with time rather than money. We’ve got the motivation to learn new skills and side hustle; to gain that extra cred so we can stand out against the crowd more – even if that crowd includes our elder peers.
Scrubbing away the ‘Junior’ in ‘Junior Copywriter’
Anyone can be an excellent copywriter, no matter their age.
It’s not unusual to have fresh emerging talent do a better job than someone with 10 years of experience. It’s also not unusual to have fresh talent blocked from progressing due to their age or perceived lack of ‘professional’ experience.
This is a challenge every Gen-Z copywriter faces. Take Junior Copywriter job descriptions as an example: although they’re labelled as entry-level positions, it’s not surprising to see them asking for 5 years of experience.
Make it make sense! It’s blocking us from entering the industry before we’ve even started. Job titles like these either need to be changed or the workplace and generational hierarchies need to go in the bin.
Rather than experience, we should focus on potential. Rather than dividing the workforce by job titles, we should find more ways to collaborate between ranks.
We’re already avidly discussing the potential of AI in the industry – why not Gen-Z?
Future-proofing the industry
GEN-Z’s view on AI is pretty chill. The scaremongering across the media has caused a lot of panic and doom scrolling. Maybe we’re just used to feeling that way, but when it comes to AI, we don’t see it as the threat it's made out to be.
We see AI as an opportunity rather than a challenge. We see it as a tool to modernise our workflows to improve creative productivity. It’s a soundboard to bounce ideas off or a speed boost for a group brainstorm. It won’t replace copywriting, but it will make ideation a hell of a lot faster.
We predict that tools like AI and workplace shifts like remote working will soon be the new norm. Both allow us the flexibility to connect and collaborate across the globe. Soon enough we’ll be looking at an ‘around-the-clock’ business model: as a UK employee finishes their workday, an Australian employee will pick up right where they left off, and vice versa.
Some will find changes like these jarring.
But to Gen-Z? These are the kinda changes we see ourselves thriving within.
We’re ready to shake up the industry standard and show how creative the advertising industry can really be.
Em Goodier is Co-Founder of Word Tonic Recruitment. She’ll hook you up with kick-ass copywriting talent from the Word Tonic community (AKA: the global GEN-Z copywriter community of your dreams). Spark your GEN-Z glow up and slide into her DM’s.
POV: You’re a Gen-Z in the advertising industry.
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“You could become a teacher or an author.”
It sounds like a diagnosis.
“Is that it? I was expecting a career in creative writing to be a bit more… creative.”
A slow blink. A quick head twitch. The career counsellor explodes into flames.
Alright, it’s a bit dramatic, but if you’re reading this, I’m sure you’ve had a similar experience somewhere down the line (minus the spontaneous combustion). And it’s something the next generation of talent is still facing today.
Copywriting isn’t introduced to kids in schools. In fact, the majority of today’s youth don’t discover it until they’re well into their twenties.
Or, until they stumble across an unhinged Word Tonic ad.
Word Tonic exposes the next generation to the advertising industry through community and creative content. It’s a GEN-Z copywriting community with an Instagram page including the takedown of a creative director, community traitors and yassified mascots. It might look concerning to outsiders, but this marketing style hits Gen-Z audiences perfectly.
Breaking down the marketing monolith
When you think of Gen-Z, you probably think of the usual buzzwords: mental illness, memes, ‘digital natives’, and the ever-alarming 8-second attention span. Try to market to those buzzwords and your marketing is going to feel a little… cringe.
But our past experiences make us cringe even more. We’re feeling pinched by the cost of living crisis and still feel the aftershock of the pandemic during our formative years. We’re overshadowed by the impending doom of the climate crisis, and the fact that I’ve mentioned the word ‘crisis’ three times in this paragraph alone is panic-inducing.
It’s a lot to put on the shoulders of twenty-something-year-olds. But it’s given us an interesting outlook on life, and it influences our working habits greatly.
Find us in the creative industry, and you’ll discover how we’re pragmatic problem solvers and keen to make an impact. We capitalise on creativity and gravitate towards campaigns and brands with an authentic purpose.
Circle back to the cost of living crisis, and you’ll realise that Gen-Z pays with time rather than money. We’ve got the motivation to learn new skills and side hustle; to gain that extra cred so we can stand out against the crowd more – even if that crowd includes our elder peers.
Scrubbing away the ‘Junior’ in ‘Junior Copywriter’
Anyone can be an excellent copywriter, no matter their age.
It’s not unusual to have fresh emerging talent do a better job than someone with 10 years of experience. It’s also not unusual to have fresh talent blocked from progressing due to their age or perceived lack of ‘professional’ experience.
This is a challenge every Gen-Z copywriter faces. Take Junior Copywriter job descriptions as an example: although they’re labelled as entry-level positions, it’s not surprising to see them asking for 5 years of experience.
Make it make sense! It’s blocking us from entering the industry before we’ve even started. Job titles like these either need to be changed or the workplace and generational hierarchies need to go in the bin.
Rather than experience, we should focus on potential. Rather than dividing the workforce by job titles, we should find more ways to collaborate between ranks.
We’re already avidly discussing the potential of AI in the industry – why not Gen-Z?
Future-proofing the industry
GEN-Z’s view on AI is pretty chill. The scaremongering across the media has caused a lot of panic and doom scrolling. Maybe we’re just used to feeling that way, but when it comes to AI, we don’t see it as the threat it's made out to be.
We see AI as an opportunity rather than a challenge. We see it as a tool to modernise our workflows to improve creative productivity. It’s a soundboard to bounce ideas off or a speed boost for a group brainstorm. It won’t replace copywriting, but it will make ideation a hell of a lot faster.
We predict that tools like AI and workplace shifts like remote working will soon be the new norm. Both allow us the flexibility to connect and collaborate across the globe. Soon enough we’ll be looking at an ‘around-the-clock’ business model: as a UK employee finishes their workday, an Australian employee will pick up right where they left off, and vice versa.
Some will find changes like these jarring.
But to Gen-Z? These are the kinda changes we see ourselves thriving within.
We’re ready to shake up the industry standard and show how creative the advertising industry can really be.
Em Goodier is Co-Founder of Word Tonic Recruitment. She’ll hook you up with kick-ass copywriting talent from the Word Tonic community (AKA: the global GEN-Z copywriter community of your dreams). Spark your GEN-Z glow up and slide into her DM’s.