CreativeHQ/Supplied
Rebecca Renwick, 21, founder of her own sustainable swimwear brand Sustainsy, took part in the Wellington Innovation Hack.
Generation Z are the chief executives of the future – and today, they’re a big chunk of a brand’s potential audience.
To make sure they’re capturing the market, four big names in Wellington business tasked a team of local innovators to find solutions to some of their most pressing problems – for Wellington on a Plate, it was: “What does a food festival look like for Gen Z?”
One of a group of four asked to solve that particular problem was Rebecca Renwick, 21, founder of her own sustainable swimwear brand Sustainsy.
They were part of Creative HQ’s first-ever Wellington Innovation Hack – a programme that connected a cohort of 18 young people aged 16 to 24, with Kiwibank, Datacom, Zealandia and Wellington on a Plate to analyse the challenges and opportunities these organisations are facing now, or expect to in the future.
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“I don’t think any of us expected to be such well-known businesses,” Renwick said.
The teams had 15 weeks part-time, aided by experts, mentors and a liaison from each business to answer the question, their work culminating in a 10-minute pitch to the company and a Creative HQ Certificate in Applied Innovation to put on their CVs.
Among suggestions for Wellington on a Plate was partnering with a food box to target those without the budgets for eating out, or create a festival event specifically for a younger audience.
Head of Creative HQ’s school of the innovation, Dr Colin Kennedy, said the Innovation Hack was “like an internship programme flipped on its head”.
CreativeHQ/Stuff
Head of Creative HQ’s school of the innovation, Dr Colin Kennedy, says the Innovation Hack programme is like an internship “flipped on its head”.
“We train the cohort in innovation techniques and the businesses get to observe them in action solving real-world problems through validated learning and ideation processes.”
Their findings are now each company’s to take or leave – and the festival will definitely be taking them on board.
Festival director Sarah Meikle said it came from a place of wanting to appeal to everybody. “We wanted to know how we should be changing our thinking to adapt to a changing community.”
In general, younger people were more spontaneous, attracted to the burger offerings or pop-ups rather than events, which were often sold out months in advance.
Juan Zarama Perini / STUFF
Wellington food blogger Tim Yamat tried the $185 “Le Burger Bourgeoisie” burger for STUFF and shared the experience.
“I think what was really interesting, and quite a revelation, was the rise of the role of things like meal kits for Gen Z,” Meikle said.
To cut down on waste, along with tempting and time-consuming trips to the supermarket, the younger generation was willing to spend extra to get exactly what they needed, and no more.
They were also seeking in-person connections after the disruption and isolation of the past two years. For the festival, this might come in the form of events based, not around a theme, but a common interest or learning a new skill.
How to make brands like Kiwibank and Datacom appeal to youth & Latest News Update
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