Latest news with #HorizonMedia
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Marketing to Gen Alpha: How brands can win over the next generation
This story was originally published on Marketing Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Marketing Dive newsletter. Winning over young generations is key for marketers in the chase for relevance and as those groups' purchasing power rises. In the coming years, no cohort may be as valuable to reach as Gen Alpha, which is estimated to wield about $28 billion in direct spending power — not to mention a good deal more in indirect spending — despite its young age. A new report from Horizon Media's Why Group and Blue Hour Studios, 'The New Media Multiverse,' analyzes strategies that could help brands connect with Gen Alpha consumers, along with their typically millennial parents. Among the highlights is Gen Alpha's gravitation toward interest-based content and community-driven discovery. Household dynamics between Gen Alpha and millennial parents could also inform marketing plans as nostalgia helps parents and their children connect and millennials embrace screens in a new way. However, the Gen Alpha landscape isn't easy to navigate, not only due to regulatory complexities but also intense competition. Gen Alpha, defined in the report as those born between 2010 and 2024, is exposed to more content than older generations, allowing them to refine their interests from an earlier age. Millennial parents cited over 250 brands that their kids ask for by name, according to Horizon Media, underscoring the challenge in cutting through the clutter. 'These kids are almost like mini-media planners — they're extremely brand aware, they're extremely marketing savvy and they have more purchasing power than any generation before them, and within their family too,' said Matt Higgins, head of strategy at social and influencer agency Blue Hour Studios. 'The New Media Multiverse' is based on an analysis combining cultural audit and social listening with primary research in addition to qualitative interviews. The audit analyzed over 250 pieces of content to identify emerging narratives, while proprietary research leveraged a panel of 1,000 American millennial parents aged 28-48 with Gen Alpha children aged 7-13 in February 2025. Gen Alpha, described by Why Group and Blue Hour Studios as the first algorithmically native generation, and millennials, the first digitally native generation, are reshaping how families function. Notably, 77% of millennial parents believe that their children are more influential than they were over their own parents in determining purchases, a shift credited to algorithms and the role they play in helping kids build their interests. Simultaneously, 82% of parents agree they share more interests with their children than their parents did with them. More specifically, nostalgic content is the 'connective tissue' between generations, per the report. Eighty-four percent of respondents reported they gravitate toward nostalgic formats when they are seeking out shared experiences. For brands, that insight provides a valuable opportunity to consider rebooting or recreating older intellectual property for today's consumers, according to Higgins. A number of brands have recently revamped iconic taglines, mascots and characters in the hopes of reaching younger audiences. 'The way that Alphas are taking in nostalgic content with their parents, they see it as new content, and they're bonding with their parents over it,' Higgins said. 'One of the kids that we spoke to was saying how they love this show called 'The Office' — they talked about it like it just came out — because they watch it with their parent.' The predicted shift from hyper-personalization back toward community-driven discovery underscores the need for shared content experiences. Gen Alpha's exposure to content is welcomed by millennial parents, who have adopted an alternative attitude to screen time than the parents who came before them. Instead of restrictive thinking, millennials are instilling independence among their children, accepting digital life as inevitable and working with their kids on how to navigate a complex landscape. As a result, 71% of parents believe their children are better equipped for today's world because of their screen exposure. However, 65% of parents curate and edit their children's online feeds through actions like watching videos they feel will make a positive impact while signed into their child's account, another signal brands should broaden their appeal to the wider family unit. YouTube is the top-used platform within the Alpha-millennial household and could be the main platform for the family unit broadly in the future, experts said. YouTube ranks as the only destination across the 13 social media and gaming platforms analyzed in the report with both high usage among Gen Alpha (94%) and high feelings of control among parents, who have a longstanding familiarity with the 20-year-old video site. A deeper focus on YouTube and its various content formats can help marketers tap into co-viewing moments, Higgins said. 'Obviously focusing on YouTube, and seeing it as kind of this social platform meets traditional streamer — almost like an everything app for the family — is really important,' Higgins said. 'That doesn't just mean long-form, it means Shorts, it means other kinds of integrations.' Some behaviors from Gen Alpha could further accelerate existing social trends, including the rise of microinfluencers, or those with follower counts between 10,000 to 100,000. The majority of millennial parents (76%) report that, for their children, content relevance outweighs creator popularity when being influenced. Additionally, 70% of parents agree that their children don't have strong attachments to individual creators, and instead just watch whatever interests them. For brands, that doesn't mean macro influencers should be forgotten, but the day-to-day interactions Gen Alpha has with microinfluencers will be what moves the needle. 'When we started thinking about what that means going forward, there's still going to be the Alix Earle's, but they're probably going to be more connected to the type of content that they make, or an interest they're attached to versus our traditional understanding of influence or even fame,' Higgins said. Gaming is a key part of Gen Alpha's routine, but not just for play. The cohort views titles like Roblox, Minecraft and Fortnite as social media platforms in their own right, using the experiences to connect with others, both virtually and in real life, per the report. Gen Alpha's passion for gaming also goes beyond the console to include related movies, TV shows and physical items like books and toys. Gen Alpha's relationship with gaming will require brands to advertise in ways that feel native to the ecosystem rather than disruptive, Higgins said. 'That doesn't just mean a branded space, it means as a brand you're participating on Roblox, you understand, you get it, you're working with influencers and creators that are in those spaces too, you're bringing lore and pieces of Roblox into your brand and how it shows up on a TV spot or an [out-of-home] ad,' Higgins said. Higgins also emphasized the importance of following regulatory guidelines when crafting such experiences. Child safety concerns around advertising within gaming experiences has been particularly difficult to navigate, though platforms like Roblox have attempted to curb concerns with stricter guidelines. Though Gen Alpha is young, the cohort's habits on channels like gaming and social media could signal what's to come for how consumers on a broader scale will interact with brands down the line. Marketers that begin to understand the generation now will supply themselves with a competitive advantage for the years to come, according to Maxine Gurevich, senior vice president of cultural intelligence at Why Group, Horizon Media's in-house research unit. 'It's really important to understand that even if you're not marketing to Gen Alpha today, or your target is not the family, this is something that you really need to take on and think about as a brand marketer — what the future is going to look like for your brand — because these are sort of early markers and early indicators of real digital shifts that are happening,' Gurevich said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Associated Press
08-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Horizon Media and Google Power the Future of Entertainment Marketing at AI Hackathon
Top team wins $10,000 for breakthrough audience solution, using Google's AI technology and Horizon Media's audience insight data NEW YORK, May 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Horizon Media, the world's largest independent media agency, partnered with Google to host Hacking the Screen — a one-day AI hackathon held at Google's St. John's Terminal office in Manhattan. Designed to reimagine the future of entertainment marketing, the event brought together students from nine universities — including University of Massachusetts, Cornell University, Columbia University and New York University — for a hands-on Hackathon in applied innovation. Hosted by Bob Lord, president of Horizon Media Holdings, and Paijmaan Premji, data transformation lead at Google, the event showcased the natural synergy between two companies at the forefront of digital transformation. United by a shared commitment to advancing responsible AI, nurturing emerging talent and shaping the next wave of intelligent media solutions, the collaboration emphasized innovation with integrity. A competitively selected and diverse group of participants worked in teams, leveraging Horizon's proprietary audience intelligence tools alongside Google's Vertex AI platform to develop innovative solutions to key marketing use cases for a leading entertainment brand. Grounded in behavioral data and evaluated for strategic impact, each prototype served as a real-world exploration of AI's potential to transform business outcomes across industries and audiences. The hackathon is part of Horizon's broader ambition to fuse experimentation with execution on behalf of its clients — advancing the ongoing development of Blu, its AI-native growth platform, while cultivating next-gen talent and pioneering new partnerships across technology, media, and culture. 'These students surfaced actionable opportunities — not hypotheticals,' said Bob Lord. 'By pressure-testing Google's AI tools and Horizon's Data Insights against real business challenges, they revealed how AI can elevate strategy, speed execution, and sharpen relevance. Innovation like this doesn't happen in a vacuum — it takes bold thinking, collaborative energy, and the courage to build what hasn't been built yet.' The winning team, Synth Solutions, earned a $10,000 grand prize for its strategic use of large language models to optimize campaign messaging across nuanced audience segments. The team — composed of Nyosha Homicil of Pace University, Matthew Labasan of Columbia University, Eric Kouperman of Pace University, and Apun Datta of Hunter College — developed a prototype that blended empathy, data, and generative intelligence to power more predictive, high-impact campaigns. Projects were evaluated on a five-point scale across five categories: problem understanding, technical execution, creativity and innovation, real-world relevance, and presentation. Judges looked for clear problem statements, effective use of AI and data tools, original thinking, and practical applications in media and advertising. The panel included Nadia Carta, head of data, measurement and analytics at Google; Elizabeth Twersky, vice president and group director of data solutions at Blu, Horizon Media; and Cindy Kim, executive vice president and managing partner of business solutions at Horizon Media. Top participants have been selected for internships with Horizon's AI, analytics, and innovation teams. About Horizon Media Horizon Media, the largest independent media agency globally, delivers data-driven business outcomes for some of the most innovative and ambitious brands. Founded in 1989, headquartered in New York, and with offices in Los Angeles and Toronto, the company employs 2,400+ people and has media investments of more than $8.5 billion. Horizon Media's fundamental belief is that business is personal, which drives its approach to connecting brands with their customers and engaging with its own employees, resulting in industry-leading workplace satisfaction levels (Glassdoor). The company is consistently recognized by independent media outlets for its client excellence and has earned several 'Best Workplaces' awards reflecting its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and the life and well-being of everyone at Horizon Media. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Horizon Media
Associated Press
28-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Horizon Media Research: "The New Media Multiverse" Reveals Fundamental Shifts in Media Consumption and Brand Engagement Reshaping the Marketing Landscape
Report from Blue Hour Studios & WHY Research reveals how Alpha-Millennial families signal the future of media and brand engagement, providing a roadmap for marketers to navigate emerging behaviors NEW YORK, April 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The traditional marketing playbook is rapidly becoming obsolete as emerging consumption patterns reshape how audiences engage with brands, according to groundbreaking research from Horizon Media's in-house research unit WHY Group and Blue Hour Studios, Horizon's full-service social and influencer agency. The study, " The New Media Multiverse,' reveals how the dynamics between Millennial parents (the first digital natives) and their Gen Alpha children (the first algorithm natives) are creating new consumption behaviors that signal broader shifts in how all audiences will interact with media and brands in the coming years. 'This isn't just a generational shift; it's a preview of where everything will move,' said Matt Higgins, Head of Strategy at Blue Hour Studios. 'Alpha-Millennial households are living inside a new consumption model and signal what's ahead for all consumers: multi-platform, interest-driven, and accelerated. Brands that understand and adapt to these new realities now will have a significant competitive advantage in the next decade.' The research identifies six key marketing imperatives emerging from these new consumption patterns that will reshape how all brands must approach audience engagement: 'These findings aren't just about understanding a specific demographic—they're early indicators of where all marketing is heading,' said Maxine Gurevich, SVP, Cultural Intelligence of Horizon Media's WHY Group. 'We're seeing the emergence of a new marketing operating system built around lateral influence, multi-platform engagement, and interest-driven communities. Brands that recognize and adapt to these shifts now will be positioned to lead as these behaviors become mainstream.' The report represents strategic 'cheat codes' for how marketers, media companies, and brands of all stripes can successfully navigate the New Media Multiverse, including treating co-viewing moments as the new primetime, creating multi-platform storylines, and embedding inside interest-driven content ecosystems. The New Media Multiverse report is available here. Methodology The WHY Group and Blue Hour Studios conducted a comprehensive analysis combining cultural audit and social listening with primary research. The audit analyzed 250+ pieces of content to identify emerging narratives and patterns. Findings were validated through proprietary research using a panel of 1,000 American Millennial parents (ages 28-48) with Gen Alpha children (ages 7-13) in February 2025. The research team also conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with both parents and children to provide deeper context for quantitative findings. The WHY Group and Blue Hour Studios translated these insights into actionable brand directives. About Blue Hour Studios Blue Hour Studios Blue Hour Studios is a one stop social and influencer agency that goes beyond traditional advertising and demographics to build influencer and social-first campaigns that connect deeply to audience interests, earn outsized attention, and deliver full-funnel results. The full-service agency was formed in 2019 and is headquartered in New York and Los Angeles. About Horizon Media Horizon Media, the largest independent media agency globally, delivers data-driven business outcomes for some of the most innovative and ambitious brands. Founded in 1989, headquartered in New York, and with offices in Los Angeles and Toronto, the company employs 2,400+ people and has media investments of more than $8.5 billion. Horizon Media's fundamental belief is that business is personal, which drives its approach to connecting brands with their customers and engaging with its own employees, resulting in industry-leading workplace satisfaction levels (Glassdoor). The company is consistently recognized by independent media outlets for its client excellence and has earned several 'Best Workplaces' awards reflecting its commitment to DEI and the life and well-being of everyone at Horizon Media. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Horizon Media
