How Infinix inspired Gen Z to Vlog their world
Trendy tech brand Infinix tapped into the heart of Gen Z’s creative expression with their Infinix Vlog Awards which drew an astonishing 42,603 submissions.
Motivating Gen Z to Capture Their Stories
Launched at the Infinix ZERO 30 5G launch event in Venice earlier last September, the Infinix Vlog Awards set in motion a tidal wave of engagement from Gen Z looking to express themselves. Infinix understood the growing trend of vertical screen content and that young creatives explore their world through the lens of their smartphones. Gen Z desires opportunities to share their perspective, connect with others and be heard – and The Infinix Vlog Awards were organised with those core principles in mind. It didn’t take long for the campaign’s hashtag #Capture your own story to achieve a global viewership of 402 million.
42,603 submissions were made into the three categories of Daily Life, Live Events, and Journeys and Travelling and the competition highlighted the evolving landscape of digital storytelling. The submissions were then evaluated by a panel of esteemed judges, including Oscar-nominated director Mark Gill, visual arts expert David A. Ross, and Lake Hu, CMO of Infinix. Overall the judges found the results of the content to give incredible insight into how Gen Z see the world and the authenticity with which they express themselves.
What was Gen Z’s unfiltered outlook?
Gen Z’s world can seem enigmatic and closed off to other generations, but the Infinix Vlog Awards lifted the veil and showed that the key to unlocking Gen Z’s expression was by hearing them on their terms. Vlogging resonates with Gen Z as a creative preference of their generation and many talented young creators across the globe demonstrated how vlogs allow for more naturalistic and authentic content. Judge Mark Gill commented that submissions, “emphasized the genuine connection and creative freedom vlogging brings, allowing for diverse expressions of humour, editing styles, and storytelling”.
“What is especially important to see is that the contest showed that distance and background aren’t boundaries for Gen Z in making meaningful connections as their online lives can have such a global reach.” said Lake Hu, CMO of Infinix. Gen Z demonstrated a profound connection to personal stories and through the wonders of social media the Infinix Vlog awards stimulated a global exchange of stories between people. In total, the campaign generated 299 million video views as Gen Z gave insight into one another’s daily lives. They showed themselves to be a generation that’s strongly in touch with empathy and invested in pushing the boundaries of whose voices are heard.
What did the Infinix Vlog Awards show about the diversity of Gen Z creativity?
Creators submitted from over 20 different countries and represented countless different cultures and communities from across the world. The competition was a strong example of how creativity can be sparked from anywhere, and that in an age of smartphones, we can all be part of the same shared cultural moments despite geographical distance. Gen Z is the most digital native generation yet and seems astutely aware that in the modern world people lead a digital life parallel to their real one. They are incredibly conscious of how they portray themselves online as a person’s digital life is often the one which can gain the most exposure to others.
Over 70% of submissions to the Infinix Vlog Awards were also made by women, particularly from developing regions, highlighting the growing role of vlogging in empowering women’s creativity worldwide. The last decade has seen a massive cultural shift in empowering the creative voices of women in the media, and as that continues vlogging could be an instrumental medium for young women to express themselves too. Overall, The Infinix Vlog awards showed that vlogging is maturing into a more artistic form of expression which elevates diversity.
Q&As with Infinix
Q1: What do you think attracted Gen Z to the Infinix Vlog awards?
Infinix: The Infinix mobile Vlog awards provided an international and diverse stage for expression. By partnering with TikTok, leveraging the strength of both the brand and platform, it helped creators to have a platform where they could freely express their lives and show their true selves. Additionally, Infinix’s rich international market presence naturally made the competition’s selection embody diversity and inclusiveness, which we consider very important.
Q2 : What common themes did submissions have?
Infinix: The biggest common theme, we believe, compared to traditional video competitions, the Infinix mobile Vlog awards focused more on the concepts of “people” and “me.” It moved away from grand narratives of the era, amplifying personal emotions, viewpoints, and feelings to the greatest extent. In our winning entries, we could see real individual’s actions, an ordinary yet touching day, seas of unfamiliar countries, and smiles and tears in life, etc. This kind of individual expression is exactly what this era and young people want to see more of.
Q3 : How did the Infinix Vlog Awards change your perspective on Gen Z?
Infinix: They are actually not as difficult to understand as the public might imagine, and many of their emotions can evoke a high degree of resonance in us. But at the same time, we felt they are braver and their ways of expression are more personalized, which we find admirably vibrant.
