Sound on! How “Millennial Z” is Using Audio To Deal With 2020’s Stress!
By: KJ Wade
It goes without saying that 2020 has stressed us TF out! We’re in between a pandemic, a race revolution, a collapsing economy, and an election year; (not to mention whatever personal crisis we may be going through). Studies have shown that “Millennial Zs” (Millennials and Gen Z’s) are the most stressed, but we’re learning to deal and heal through our devices.
We are using streaming and audio to find our way to wellness. In Complex’s Generation Stressed study, 53% of Millennial Zs surveyed say they use content as a way to cope with stress, 91% say they listen to music, and 49% are listening to podcasts.
Music therapy is not a new idea. After WWI, it was first introduced to help returning soldiers deal with PTSD. Doctors saw a profound effect on their emotional and physical trauma. According to music therapist Katie Down, “I started to understand what music can do for traumatized populations—it can help create a sense of normalcy, joy, expression,” she shares with Pitchfork. She says “our bodies react to sound. We connect readily to music and sound because we are, in our essence, music—made of vibration, which is movement, which is life.” After dealing with trauma or depression, music has the ability to breathe life into the dead areas inside us.
This is just scratching the surface. In Spotify’s Culture Next study, research showed that American Millennial Zs see music as a personal, powerful, and therapeutic tool that evokes emotions. 73% of U.S. Millennial Zs said they use audio to cope with stress, while 79% believe it can unite people in these culturally fraught times. We are using audio to tune in to wellness and tune out the voices of anxiety. Spotify claims in their July survey, “85% [of American Millennial Zs] reported that the mood of their music had changed to match the times, while 77% said music helped keep them sane. As Vancouver’s Makayla said, ‘Chilled-out, soulful music has been getting me through these hectic times.”
According to The Verge, lo-fi music channels on YouTube have boomed during the pandemic, as well. A personal favorite, ChilledCow channel, best known for its “beats to relax/study to,” has seen a 100% increase in subscribers, adding over half a million global listeners to its online radio station between January and March. They’re not the only ones; other lo-fi channels and online music stations, like Nickolaas and College Music, have also seen a considerable bump in listeners and their overall engagement. Nick Stafford, the Nickolaas channel creator, shared with The Verge, “I think this is a fairly obvious correlation though. Folks have nothing to do, and that leaves them open to exploring the furthest corners of YouTube. I think lo-fi streams are a great way to kill time.”
It’s not just listening to music that’s helping us deal with this unsettling year. It’s podcasts too, and the community we find through common genres. The Culture Next study reported that “1 in 4 [Millennials and Zs] say they listen to mental-health-related podcasts.” Personally, podcasts like The Friend Zone and Therapy For Black Girls have given me useful tips and relief that I’m not alone in the ways I feel. As a podcast that’s centered around “mental health, wellness, and hygiene,” the hosts of The Friend Zone have shared many tips, resources, and insights into mental health all while building a strong community. “75% of U.S. podcast listeners we surveyed said the medium allows people to connect with each other,” claimed Spotify, The Friend Zone proof of that. And it’s not just with podcasts but in Youtube Live chat rooms, Reddit threads, Twitch streams, and even hashtags on Twitter - there’s a community for any peculiar interests all over the internet. Co-creator of the lo-fi music channel College Music, Jonny Laxton shared with The Verge, “It’s like a little College Music family. We try to get onto the chat each day and speak with whoever is on at the time. I think it adds value having the channel interact directly and personally with its listeners. Entering a live stream at any given moment, you’ll find people sharing their thoughts, ideas, knowledge, and/or just comforting their digital family.” Cazzy, in Vancouver, expressed to Spotify, “I have found a very supportive and friendly community, often someone to talk to in the late hours about niche topics or when I just want to complain about something.” Late night conversations about the universe over lo-fi beats sounds like the perfect formula for a BFF to me or the cure for separation anxiety during a pandemic.
This is a grand opportunity for your B2C communication. Put more effort into the audio ads you run and content you create. In Edison Research’s 2016 study, 65% of podcast listeners said they are more willing to consider a product or service after learning about it on a podcast. 60% said they prefer to buy products from companies that advise on podcasts they regularly listen to. What’s most interesting is that only 44% said the products or services they hear about on podcasts are ones they already use, which means your brand is discovering an untapped audience. In Edison’s 2019 study with Triton Digital, researchers showed that online audio is at an all-time high, attain 50% reach of survey takers. Shifting more of your marketing budget from social media to audio ads can be a game-changer for your brand. ASMR videos are huge on TikTok and YouTube; find those velvet-voiced influencers and use them for your audio content. Like TikTok Tia @mxrcedxs, who has half a million followers on TikTok - or smooth-talking @amonta_jones, whose baritone voice could sell salt to a snail; or personify your ad through a podcast host.
Businesses like Squarespace, CurlMix, and Bevel are reaching new audiences everyday because they regularly advise on podcasts. For music ads, instead of killing the vibe mid playlist, create an ad that adds to it. Something that sounds like it belongs in there. Otherwise, it’s just going to be skipped or ignored. Any study done by any company will tell you, us Millennials are emotional buyers. How a company makes us feel is just as important as its quality, and Gen Z is following in our footsteps. Tap into the channels where we go to be vulnerable, and give us something to feel.
KJ Wade is a marketing strategist based in Brooklyn, NYC. Learn more about her at YouCanCallMeKJ.com