5 Ways VSCO is Winning with Gen Z
VSCO—short for Visual Supply Co.—has been around nearly a decade, and there are are more than 100 million registered accounts on the platform. But it tends to fly somewhat under the radar, so much so that many people hadn’t heard of the platform until the explosion of the VSCO girl meme last year.
That could be because 80 percent of the platform’s users are outside the US, or because it is considered just another photo-editing tool.
But VSCO is much more, and it’s clear we should be paying more attention—and not only because 75% of VSCO’s 30 million monthly active user base is made up of users in the all-important under-25 demographic.
Shavone Charles, VSCO’s head of Communications and Creative Partnerships, joined me for a recent episode of The Digital Campfire Download to discuss the evolution of the platform from utilitarian tool to a community, and why digital campfire platforms that foster creativity like VSCO are thriving right now, especially for younger audiences.
Below, 5 highlights from our chat you can use to inform your own strategy.
1. Want to attract young audiences? Create a space where they can share and connect without pretense
VSCO doesn't have likes, follower counts, or comments, which means that the inherent pressure associated with such metrics doesn’t exist. “That has been quite the recipe for how creators show up on VSCO,” says Shavone. “What they're sharing is completely based on how they see the world, versus how they want the world to see them.” Indeed, 77 percent of Gen Z users the platform surveyed said they use VSCO “for themselves” instead of prioritizing what others think. “VSCO is a window into the young person's world,” she says.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask people to pay for your community
There are no ads on VSCO. The platform monetizes through its 2-million subscribers who pay for access to 200+ presets, advanced photo and video editing tools, and more. The result, says Shavone, is that users are there because they want to be there. As Shavone sees it, Gen Z is super-decisive about where they spend their time, and how they spend their money—or their parents’ money—so they’ll come (and pay) if you have something of value to offer. The result: a hyper-engaged and passionate community.
3. Identify the struggles people on your platform are facing, then build tools and programs to help them cope
It’s no secret that depression and anxiety are major problems facing Gen Z.
VSCO conducted research and found that 88 percent of teens believe that expressing themselves creatively helps them de-stress or feel less anxious—even more than usual during a pandemic. The platform also found that 87 percent of Gen Z believes the pandemic has made them feel more solidarity with others around the world.
Taken together, these findings helped VSCO understand that Gen Z is redefining creativity as wellness, and its role as a platform is both to help people de-stress, and to connect with one another through the act of creation.
The platform leaned into that role by collaborating with global fashion brand V-Files during Mental Health Awareness Month—an initiative that called on fans to create their own magazine-cover-inspired portraits using VSCO’s tools (subscriptions were gifted as an incentive to participate). It was a success: VSCO’s community stepped up to create and contribute, and the results were stunning. “Young people are saying VSCO is impacting their psyche and bringing them together through allyship and self-expression that's not judged,” Shavone says. “It's a huge contrast to … other platforms.”
4. Find ways to help the under-represented people in your community tell their stories
In July, Shavone launched the #BlackJoyMatters campaign, which encouraged VSCO users to submit content (first-person videos, photos and original art) that highlighted the successes and bright spots in Black communities, which the platform then featured in a virtual exhibit on the app, and in a series of Instagram Live conversations and profiles. The initiative, says Shavone, filled a creative void that she wasn’t seeing championed by other big platforms. “It’s so important that Black stories be told and archived right now, in this moment in time, given the drowning out of our voices that we experience with the news and random people telling our stories,” she says. “The campaign came from that place, she says, “and also from working with our engineering team and figuring out: How do we continue on this this mission of spotlighting stories of underrepresented people? How do we continue to dedicate product to that?”
5. Find ways to support your online community offline
In 2018, the platform launched VSCO Voices, a grant program that supports creators who help empower marginalized communities through art. It was created, says Shavone, “to support the ecosystem of creatives that we’re saying we care about,” says Shavone, and it’s an expression of how the platform behaves not only within the bounds of its app, but far beyond. These kinds of initiatives can have a ripple effect, says Shavone: “You have to make a series of really targeted intentional decisions to get to a place where you can do genuine things and [have] it not be taken in a crass way or be misinterpreted.”
* * *
Want to hear more from Shavone? Check out our full hour-long conversation on The Digital Campfire Download here.
If you'd like more key takeaways like this in your inbox, I'd really appreciate it if you joined the email list. If you're feeling generous, perhaps show some love to the thread on Twitter.
* * *
Want to learn more about The Digital Campfire Download: what it is, why I'm doing it, what to expect, deets on future and past episodes, or suggest a guest? Check out The Digital Campfire Download site here.
Want my help navigating digital campfires for yourself or your brand? Head to my Website or reach out at sara@swprojects.co.