The experiential antidote to Gen Z’s dying third place
"Third places" are dying.
Now, for those of you outside of the marketing world, you may be wondering, “What the hell is a ‘third place’ and why should I care?” A "third place" is your home away from home – those special environments that fill your cup with social enjoyment and reduce your stress from the "second place" (work) and the "first place" (home).
The death of third places threatens our ability to maintain existing social connections and forge new ones, but it’s really kicking Gen Z in the shins. Amid the cost-of-living crisis, unforgiving career grind, and ever-rising digital dependency, Gen Z’s opportunities for genuine connections are looking less promising than a snowball’s chance in hell. I call this the "joy recession", and it’s no joke. According to GWI, 80% of Gen Z experience feelings of loneliness, compared to just 72%, 60% and 45% for Millennials, Gen X and Boomers respectively, making them the loneliest generation in history.
This "joy recession" signifies the growing struggle for many to find affordable activities that meet their social, health, wellness, and enjoyment needs. Sure, we’d all love to afford to be outside, living our best lives, hitting up cool experiences, and making new friends, but the sad truth is it’s becoming more of a pipe dream by the day for those not in the top income brackets.
“The layered experience” is the only way to truly combat this crisis. The traditional marketing approach hasn’t and won’t cut it because young people are calling out for vibrant and visceral experiences to navigate a challenging world. If brands can blend opportunities for social connection, wellness and enjoyment into their IRL experiences, they can create a mutually beneficial exchange with Gen Z and stand to gain cultural relevance and brand affinity in the process. It’s all about blending or pairing elements to enrich the experience. Below, I’ve shared a smorgasbord of tangible examples, to show how this strategy can come to life through a range of brand voices and styles.