Gen Z consumers are choosing community-led social platforms to take back control of their conversations.Our study reveals that younger audiences want to be part of communities with shared passions and substance, where the conversation is owned by the people, not by the channel or algorithm.The findings have big implications for brands looking to engage Gen Z and Gen A in these spaces, where paid media rules do not apply and communities must be nurtured over time.We looked at 13-22-year olds’ relationship with, views on and use of Discord, one of the fastest-growing social platforms. Working with Generation Z&amp;A expert Chloe Combi, 500 members of Gen Z were interviewed and asked about themselves and how, when and why they use the platform.With over 150million active monthly users, Discord cannot be ignored. After starting life as a place for gamers, the fast-emerging platform has evolved into a global space for a diverse mix of communities, including students, musicians, scientists and sneakerheads.Top 5 learnings:<ol><li>The social is back in social: Younger audiences are seeking to be part of communities with shared passions and substance</li><li>Gen Z want to own their own experience: Discord servers are driven by community, not platform or algorithm</li><li>Don’t be afraid to let go: Gen Z want to be much more a part of the brands they buy into. Provide opportunities for them to shape your brand and products</li><li>Inspiration and intent: This audience is looking to turn what they love into work they love</li><li>Invest time, not money: Brands should consider the opportunity outside of paid media tactics and nurture communities with conversations they can facilitate</li></ol>“Whether driven by a desire to curate their own conversations, or wanting a deeper sense of connection or belonging, we’re witnessing a revolution in social media, with younger audiences taking back control,” says Alex Michael, Head of Growth at M&amp;C Saatchi TALK. “It’s like the old days of social, where community ruled: Audiences can once-again choose to only engage with what they are interested in and passionate about, without being bombarded with things they aren’t.”“Discord’s communities are a hotbed of opportunity for brands to nurture fanbases and create passionate advocates” adds Shelley Portet, Head of Social at M&amp;C Saatchi TALK, “Without the ability to buy eyeballs in this space, brands need to think about how they earn their place and provide value to the communities they want to facilitate.”Gen Z expert, Chloe Combi, says: “It doesn’t surprise me that Discord is beginning to catch fire in a year when young people are ‘Snapping-back’, railing against the ‘Mums of TikTok’ and wanting their own exclusive online spaces away from parents and elders.&nbsp;“In Discord you have intense communities that are passionate about an extraordinary range of things, so it’s easy for brands to tap into ready-made audiences and also test-drive products, ideas and strategies. The layout and navigation can be jarring, because it’s so different from other social media sites that have become carbon copies of each other, but I found it to be one of the most interesting and eye-opening insights into youth culture. Brands and companies ignore Discord and its possibilities at their peril!”Find out more <a href="https://info.mcsaatchi.com/discord-community-conversation-report">here</a>

Discord: The Community Conversation Revolution

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The beginning of the end for algorithm-led social media?

Cannes Contenders: Our 10 Highest Hopes for 2023

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 With Cannes Lions around the corner, we are counting down with our 10 highest hopes for 2023. 

Science in Sport (SiS), the world’s leading endurance nutrition brand, has selected M&amp;C Saatchi London as its lead UK strategic and creative agency following a competitive pitch.We will partner with SiS to develop a creative platform which captures its rich heritage of working with the world's best endurance athletes, in a way that will engage with the broader amateur endurance participants on an emotional level.Science in Sport’s uniqueness comes from its unrivalled access to elite athletes combined with the most credible and advanced science. Trusted by 320 elite teams and institutions globally (including INEOS Grenadiers, Elite Running Team and Tottenham Hotspur), SiS fuelled 74 medal wins at the 2020 Olympics alone.The new brand platform will target those participating in endurance sports such as cycling and running and will roll out across digital and social channels, as well as being activated through events and partnerships.&nbsp;&nbsp;The win comes at a time of growth for our London agency, who picked up a number of new business wins at the end of 2022 and have recently made a raft of new hires, including former Marks &amp; Spencer production lead Rachel “Chops” Amess, who joined the agency as head of integrated production in March.&nbsp;&nbsp;Stephen Moon, CEO, Science in Sport, said: “From the first time we met with M&amp;C Saatchi, it was clear they understood our business and the challenges we face as a brand. And more importantly, they understood the incredibly specific mindset of the endurance athlete, at every level. We’re looking forward to a long-lasting strategic and creative partnership with them as we seek to bring our impressive heritage to life.”Sophie Lewis, chief strategy officer, M&amp;C Saatchi London, added: “We’re genuinely thrilled to be partnering with Science in Sport. It’s rare to have the opportunity to work with a brand which has such an engaged and passionate community of customers, and we see huge potential to further grow its customer base by leveraging its history and association with the world’s best endurance athletes.”Check out more work by the M&amp;C Saatchi London team <a href="https://mcsaatchi.com/change/work/nhs-bowel-cancer">here</a>.

Science in Sport  Strategic and Creative Win for M&C Saatchi London

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An app that's designed to connect with young people, and their grown-ups, to better understand the value of money.With their own Kit account and prepaid card, kids can manage their own earnings, saving, and spending through fun, experiential learning. Kids can earn money on ‘chores PayDay’, create savings ‘Stacks’, access their money through an ATM and tap their card to make purchases. In Boss Mode, parents have access to sophisticated controls such as spend limits and card and PIN protection, which can be tailored to each child in the family. “Kit has been an amazing experience to be involved in from concept through branding and helping design the digital product too. It’s been a true partnership between Re and the wonderful team at Kit and X15 who challenged us to push our thinking and vice versa" says&nbsp;Andy Thomas, Executive Creative Director at Re

Re team up with Commonwealth Bank to help launch Kit 

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Africa’s first digital domain Africarare, is a 3D virtual reality immersive hub that houses a&nbsp;metaverse marketplace set in Ubuntuland. Ubuntuland will showcase some of the best of African art, fashion, entertainment, sport, tech and creativity and will provide a platform for artists from across the continent to showcase their work.“The unique afro-themed metaverse establishes local representation in a growing global&nbsp;digital universe and will open our continent up to significant digital and economic growth opportunities for both talent, clients and industry colleagues to come together to solve business and even societal challenges with creativity,“ says Mike Abel, M&amp;C Saatchi Group South Africa founding partner and CEO.“This aligns with our own very clear commitment to pushing the bounds of South African&nbsp;capabilities and creativity in the work we produce across the continent. We love a good problem as a team, and we believe that creativity is the most significant key to solving these. Creating a virtual home for this is a very natural and fluid extension of our ability to do exactly this,” he says.Investing in the first African metaverse allows M&amp;C Saatchi Abel and its partners access to&nbsp;a global network through social technology designed to remove terrestrial borders and open up trade, collaboration and regional or global partnerships. Beyond just business opportunities and social interaction experiences, M&amp;C Saatchi Abel Ubuntuland unlocks an accessible home for economic opportunities, decentralised access to global creativity and best practice, as well as skills and knowledge sharing.Moray MacLennan, CEO comments: “No one knows precisely what the metaverse will look&nbsp;like when our children are no longer children, but anyone with a slither of imagination knows that it will open a new world of opportunities for our clients, and that they will need our industry’s imagination to make the most of it. Get on board. Now."Ubuntuland is created by Mann Made and will be open to public land sales from 2nd or 3rd&nbsp;quarter of 2022 as the team continue to work on the build for their Afro-futuristic world of proudly local creativity. Together with Mann Made, M&amp;C Saatchi Abel and Africarare will create a cultural, social, and commercial destination for African creativity in the metaverse.“For us it’s all about building a thriving engaged community and ecosystem in Ubuntuland&nbsp;as we develop this new metaverse. We are thrilled to be working with one of Africa and the worlds most talented creative agencies as we focus on unlocking Africa’s best talent and connect Africa to the global digital economy,” says Mann Made Media &amp; Africarare CEO, Mic Mann.This planned inclusive world for African creativity will allow creators to be inspired by -&nbsp;and add to - cultural experiences as well contribute to and profit from various commercial opportunities. The virtual hub is also intended to house the largest collection of African contemporary art from the M&amp;C Saatchi collection, host sport and entertainment experiences, establish an open-source platform to share skills and learnings; and will host workshops from agencies across the M&amp;C Saatchi Group.Central to interacting in the metaverse are Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). These digital&nbsp;assets or tradable tokens are created from art, music, videos, pop culture references or unique creative creations that can be bought and sold online. The concept of engaging with and trading on creativity and its value and relevance to individuals is one that is deeply rooted in the agency’s 12+ year run working with South African and international brands. The virtual marketplace will provide the perfect platform for any creative to develop and monetise its creative product as an NFT.“We aim to give Africans the access and resources they need to unlock their creative fire&nbsp;power from the home base of Africa’s digital creative destination – M&amp;C Saatchi Abel Ubuntuland. Using our capabilities as industry leaders, we can enable and empower Africa to grow and flourish on a global playing field,” concludes Abel.

M&C Saatchi enters the Metaverse 

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Pirelli: Power is Nothing without Control

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The respective dream teams over at M&amp;C Saatchi Indonesia and M&amp;C Saatchi Performance have been getting their hands on two top awards at the Global Campaign Agency Awards for 2022.Huge congratulations to the teams, thoroughly deserved.&nbsp;

Two awards at Campaign Global awards

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M&C Saatchi Thinks

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Looking for something else?

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