Though Galileo was not the true inventor of the telescope, he was the first to use it in pursuit of the science that became known as astronomy. An accomplished instrument maker, Galileo constructed a telescope that was able to magnify stars more than twenty times—a real improvement over the first model made in the Netherlands in 1608. That enhanced magnification enabled Galileo to see and chart stars that were not previously visible.
For a long time now, marketers have been obsessing about how to market to Gen Z—kids born between 1995 and 2012, many of whom have moved on to having families and paying off their student loans. So it was refreshing for me to hear that market analysts have finally loosened their thumbscrews and swiveled their instruments in the direction of the next generation, affectionately known as Gen Alpha.
To sharpen our own focus on this discussion, let’s first talk about exactly who Gen Alpha is. In terms of age, Gen Alpha is anyone who was born between 2010 and the end of this year (2024). Statistically, they’re the largest generation in modern marketing history, with over two billion members! Yup, one in seven people in the marketplace belongs to Gen Alpha. The fact that Gen Alpha started in 2010 is significant. 2010 saw both the release of the first iPad and the launch of Instagram. So it goes without saying that Gen Alpha is more defined by technology than any other generation. They have more access to data than any of their predecessors.
A recent McCrindle report spells out two cogent facts for anyone who is intent on marketing to Gen Alpha. The first is that this generation will have brand influence and buying power beyond their tender years. The second and more relevant fact as it relates to this diatribe is that because Gen Alpha is so completely defined by technology, they’re pathologically susceptible to influencer marketing. If an influencer grabs a Gen Alpha member’s attention, they’ll almost certainly buy anything that he, she, or in some cases “they” are selling.
Influencers continue a long tradition of celebrity advertising that began with baseball legend Babe Ruth endorsing Red Rock Cola. And while “celebrity” was once reserved for sports legends, TV and movie stars, select members of the Idle Rich, the Royal Family, and recent Grammy winners, it is now accorded to anyone who can amass a ridiculous number of online followers. In that spotlight, I now present to you Kai Cenat. (If you’re not a gamer or a teenage boy or both, you may have never heard of this guy.)
With 12.7 million online subscribers and an estimated net worth of $10 million, 22-year-old Cenat just earned Rolling Stone Magazine’s Top Online Influencer spot. His handle is @KaiCenat and his platform is Twitch, a streaming service that boasts mostly live video game streaming and also delves into esports (video game competitions), music broadcasts, other creative content, and something called “real life”—which probably best describes the Cenat episode I watched. One of Cenat’s keys to getting eyeballs is inviting celebrities on. He’s hosted stars like Tyla (South African singer), 21 Savage (British-born rapper), and Kevin Hart. Listen, those parentheticals are as much for me as they are for you, because of those three “stars,” the only one I had ever heard of was Kevin Hart.
The episode I watched featured a star I did know—professional wrestler and B-movie actor John Cena. Cena’s appearance with Kai Cenat was for me an hour-and-seven-minute crash course in the “real life” genre. In their case, “real life” means taking “acting out” to an art form. Prepare for a lot of shouting. This is either the rapper’s version of Pee-wee’s Playhouse or a live- action evolution of Beavis and Butt-head. Cena shows up at Kai’s lair, which looks like a slice of commercial office space that’s been vacant since COVID. He wears a three-piece suit in some man-eating plaid, and seems intent on becoming Kai’s bestie. There’s some silliness to start as the pair try to figure out who is going to sit where—the seating options being two rickety black leatherette office chairs. The whole thing feels a little uncomfortable from the get-go, because it’s clear that they’re making it up as they go along and you’re really unsure if it’s going to get any better. If there’s any humor here, I regret to say it’s the type where we’re laughing at them, not with them.
As things move along, there are some strange twists and turns in the action. At one point, it becomes all about McDonalds Big Macs as several of Kai’s cohorts show up unannounced and they all start shoving down fast food. Then there’s this odd shift near the end where John Cena gets serious with the gang and asks Cenat for his definition of “happiness.” Cenat is at a loss for an articulate answer, so Cena answers for him by launching into a monologue where he shares his own values and talks about living according to his own “why.” It’s like we’re suddenly beamed into a breakout session at a Tony Robbins seminar. When he’s done, the gang responds to Cena’s soliloquy with a round of “That’s five”—which I had to look up, too. It essentially means “That’s cool,” although the slang actually originates from the 1995 song “I Got 5 On It” by the hip hop duo Luniz. In the case of the song lyric, “That’s five” meant contributing five dollars toward a purchase—usually a bag of weed.
Take all this with a grain of salt. My teenage days are long past and I’m not much of a gamer (or rapper), so clearly I’m not the audience for “real life” content. But referencing the McCrindle report again, they state that to appeal to Gen Alpha, the content must be real and relatable. And whatever I might think of this hour-and-seven minute match between wrestler John Cena and Kai Cenat, for the members of Gen Alpha it checks both boxes. Cena, you can hang onto your championship belt. In this brave new world where influencer marketing is king, Cenat gets the crown.
