Who is Generation Alpha?
Gen Alpha encompasses those born from 2010 to 2024, so the oldest members of Gen Alpha are already 11 years old at the time of writing this article.
In a 2008 report, consulting firm McCrindle introduced the term “Generation Alpha.” The firm recently estimated that this generation will be the largest generation in history by 2025, with a population of over two billion.
Despite being the youngest generation, they have far-reaching brand influence and purchasing power. They shape the social media landscape, are popular culture influencers, and emerging consumers. They will be entering adulthood, the workforce, and household formation by the end of the 2020s.
Millennials are raising children. Generation Z is entering the labor force. And the inexorable wheel of time has created a new generation for Muslim advertisers to keep an eye on: Generation Alpha. Muslim brands must consider how today’s children differ from their older Gen Z siblings.
According to McCrindle when generational definitions span a specific age range, meaningful comparisons across generations are possible. As a result, today’s generations are each 15 years old.
| Generational Definitions | |||
| Generation Y (Millennials) | Generation Z | Generation Alpha | Generation Beta |
| Born: 1980 to 1994 | Born: 1995 to 2009 | Born: 2010 to 2024 | Born: 2025 to 2039 |
Gen Alpha Characteristics
According to the US Census Bureau, Generation Alpha will be more diverse than the rest of the US population. These stats were quoted in Insider Intelligence’s report. In another of their reports, they state that Gen Alpha already makes up 13% of the US population, with over 73% of US children under 12 using the internet.
Generation Alpha, the offspring of Generation Y, is made up in part of Generation Z’s younger siblings. Over 2.5 million babies are born every week around the world. They will number nearly 2 billion when they are all born (2025), making them the world’s largest generation in history.
With that in mind, note that Muslim households have one of the biggest baby booms in the United States and the United Kingdom currently. So your revenue as an organization that serves Muslims in the future may increase drastically if you market to Muslim Gen Alpha starting today!
The McCrindle report, “Understanding Generation Alpha” explains that Gen Alpha:
- is the most prosperous generation,
- the most technologically sophisticated generation,
- will live longer lives than any previous generation,
- will remain in college for a more extended period of time,
- begin earning money years later, and
- are likely to remain at home until their late twenties.
Technology and the Gen Z creators who dominate their feeds have a big influence on Gen Alpha. COVID-19 and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and a polarized world will have a significant impact on who they are.
Ashley Fell, the co-author of Generation Alpha, says that:
- this young generation will be heavily impacted by the economic, social, educational, and psychological effects of COVID-19,
- they will place a higher value on family,
- look up to “everyday superheroes,
- accept working from home as a common practice,
- will be more creative, and
- resilient due to the challenges they experienced.
Due to their increased awareness of the world around them, Generation Alpha may also be growing faster, but they have also been isolated from important face-to-face social interaction. Their reliance on the technology that has replaced it has grown as a result.
Ethics of Marketing and Advertising to Kids
Since this younger audience primarily consumes online content unsupervised, the opportunity to market goods and services to Gen Alpha comes with a great deal of responsibility. Before launching such campaigns, Muslim advertisers must thoroughly research their options from an ethical and legal standpoint.
In order to safely enrich young audiences’ experiences without putting them in danger, Muslim businesses must uphold strict ethical standards and Islamic advertising principles.
The Association of National Advertisers explains:
“Our society has long recognized the need to protect children and responsible marketing is an essential component. In addition to industry self-regulatory guidelines and practices, federal and state laws offer a complex set of protections for children and their parents and caretakers.”
Here are some great resources to help your halal marketing and advertising to stay on the right path. We do not believe that this list is exhaustive. Besides, a lot also depends on where your business is located. Make sure you perform thorough due diligence.
- The Federal Trade Commission’s recent Disclosures 101 guidelines
- The Federal Trade Commission’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
- The Better Business Bureau’s Children’s Advertising Review Unit,
- The Association of National Advertisers´guidelines for ethical marketing practices pages 11 and 27
Halal Advertising for Kids
You can make a significant and positive difference in your halal advertising practices for kids by (among other things):
- adhering to national and international policies, rules, and regulations
- integrating Islamic advertising principles into your ad campaigns for kids
- obtaining consent from parents and ensuring that terms and conditions are clear;
- examining and rejecting material that might be risky or addictive for children;
- rejecting unachievable stereotypes that lead to anxiety;
- obtaining advanced parental permission for data collection and storage;
- protecting information in your possession and not disclosing it to third parties without parental consent.
US President, Joe Biden requested that legislators “ban targeted advertising on children” in his State of the Union address.
“It’s time to pass bipartisan legislation to stop Big Tech from collecting personal data on our kids and teenagers online. Ban targeted advertising on children, and impose stricter limits on the personal data that companies collect on all of us.”
While a complete ban appears unlikely, stricter privacy policies for children’s data are entirely possible.
How Your Halal Brand Can Catch And Keep Gen Alpha Attention
Gen Alpha was born with a smartphone and gaming and these two are just part of the norm like water and electricity are to many of us. Attaching a halal gaming element to your Muslim brand is one way of attracting their attention and staying top of mind.
Interactivity is important in areas other than gaming. As true digital natives, Gen Alpha can immediately identify paid promotional content. Using polls or promotions is one way to keep them from scrolling past.
Gen Z influencers are very effective in drawing the attention of this young generation and impacting their attitudes. So why not work with these content creators? Try to find smaller influencers that can work within your budget. If you would like to know how to do so, read: “How to Find the Right Influencers for Your Halal Brand” and “Marketing to Muslim Consumers With Meta-influencers”.
The fact that Gen Alpha is the most diverse and global-oriented generation gives your Muslim brand a fantastic opportunity to advertise to them globally. Gen Alpha is happy to shop globally.
The technology that Gen Alpha has grown up with is responsive and no longer expects them to consume passively. Although according to its CEO, TikTok has restrictive content for those below the age of thirteen, it is a very popular social media platform for Gen Alpha because of the fact that content consumers are also content creators on it.
The Institute for Family Studies’ lead researcher, when asked at what age kids should be allowed to be on TikTok answered that no child under 13 should be on any social media, including TikTok. Although responsibility for this mostly falls on parents, as a Muslim brand following Islamic ethics, you share in the responsibility too to make sure you emphasize that your content on social media is not for very young people.
Children, by nature, identify with brands later in life if they are exposed to them at a young age by their parents. Gen Alpha is no different as its preferences will also be shaped by the choices made for them by millennial parents.
Ashley Fell, the co-author of Generation Alpha explains:
“Generation Alpha are growing up as super-informed and constantly connected consumers. This means that their attitudes and consumer behavior are different to generations past and are constantly evolving.”
Going back to their millennial parents’ influence, Gen Alpha has a deep understanding of the lifecycle of products around them as they are exposed to conversations about food ingredients and participate in sorting compost from recycling. As a result, as consumers, Gen Alpha will seek out this information.
This means that your brand has got to get its story right. It has to have a purpose and stand for solutions for social challenges that matter to this generation. To get inspiration on this matter please read:
- “Purpose Will Make or Break Your Halal Brand”
- “How to Use Creatives to Bring Your Halal Brand Purpose to Life”
- “Why Your Halal Business Should Care About Digital Advertising Carbon Footprint”
Conclusion
They may be highly opinionated but Generation Alpha is also labeled the most digitally savvy and socially aware. For that reason, as a brand, your halal brand needs to be on top of its game and ready to make contact with this crucial audience. Be smart about how to connect with them. You can’t drag your feet in communicating with this influential demographic, or you risk losing out on lifelong brand loyalty.
Be authentic in your communication, immersive in your adverts, and personalized in your campaigns. If you look towards the future now, you can thrive beyond this transition between consumer generations.
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