Shifting consumer behavior in the digital marketing ecosystem: Insights from marketing messages targeting Generation Z
Keywords:
Consumer behavior, Generation Z, Digital marketing, Social commerce, Content analysisAbstract
The rapid growth of digital marketing has transformed how companies engage with Generation Z consumers. However, many marketing strategies continue to rely on demographic segmentation, product-oriented promotion, and conventional communication, limiting the understanding of contemporary consumer behavior shifts. This study aims to analyze the marketing messages conveyed in the Instagram post “6 Kesalahan Brand Saat Marketing ke Anak Muda di 2026”. A qualitative approach employing qualitative content analysis was used to examine six marketing messages through unit identification, initial coding, category development, theme generation, and conceptual synthesis. The findings reveal three interconnected dimensions—experience, behavioral segmentation, and authentic trust—that collectively shape consumer behavior shift. The results indicate that marketing effectiveness is no longer primarily driven by product promotion or communicator popularity but by a brand's ability to create meaningful experiences, understand consumers through behavioral segmentation, and establish authentic trust. This study contributes a conceptual model, Consumer Behavior Shift in the Digital Marketing Ecosystem, which extends consumer behavior literature by integrating these three dimensions into a unified framework for digital marketing contexts.
Abstrak
Perkembangan pemasaran digital telah mengubah cara perusahaan berkomunikasi dengan Generasi Z, namun banyak strategi pemasaran masih berorientasi pada segmentasi demografis, promosi produk, dan komunikasi konvensional sehingga belum mampu menjelaskan pergeseran perilaku konsumen secara komprehensif. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis pesan-pesan pemasaran dalam unggahan Instagram “6 Kesalahan Brand Saat Marketing ke Anak Muda di 2026”. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan metode qualitative content analysis terhadap enam pesan pemasaran yang dianalisis melalui proses identifikasi unit analisis, pengodean awal, pengembangan kategori, pembentukan tema, dan sintesis konseptual. Hasil penelitian mengidentifikasi tiga dimensi utama, yaitu experience, behavioral segmentation, dan authentic trust, yang saling berinteraksi dalam membentuk consumer behavior shift. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa efektivitas pemasaran tidak lagi ditentukan oleh promosi produk atau popularitas komunikator, melainkan oleh kemampuan merek menciptakan pengalaman yang bermakna, memahami perilaku konsumen secara adaptif, serta membangun kepercayaan yang autentik. Penelitian ini menawarkan model konseptual Consumer Behavior Shift in the Digital Marketing Ecosystem sebagai kontribusi teoretis untuk memperluas kajian perilaku konsumen pada konteks pemasaran digital.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ilham Hafiz Esa Bhirawa, Silvy Dewi Anggraini, Naila Nilna Muna, Nur Azizah, Dimas Rofiqul A'la Asyari, Ana Afifaturrohmah, Sofiatul Ummah (Author)
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