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How brands can connect with Gen Z
As Gen Z (currently 12–28-year-olds) come of age, so does their influence and their spending power. Gen Z held $984 billion in spending power in 2023 and will be 27% of the workforce by 2025. Marketers need to focus on their attitudes and behaviours, not just their age, to be able to connect with them authentically.
Good music is a key influence on ad receptivity for Gen Z
In 2016, 61% of consumers preferred humour in ads; by 2024, this dropped to 48%. Good music (47%) and interesting stories (42%) are also highly effective in advertising. For Gen Z, good music is the top element, with 50% preferring it over others. Good music is nearly as popular as humour across all generations. Effective advertising should use multiple creative elements to appeal to a diverse audience.
Each generation has its own media brand preferences for ad receptivity
We looked at each generation’s preferred advertising platforms. Surprisingly, Gen Z favours established players like Facebook and Google over TikTok or Snapchat, which are preferred by older generations. Ads on brands like Amazon appeal to all generations. These results show that age alone isn't the only factor in preferences. Marketers should rely on data, not assumptions. Gen Z might love TikTok content, but advertising is a different matter.
Gen Z has slightly lower brand recognition and overall engagement in ads
Gen Z has an average attention span of 8 seconds, 4 seconds less than Gen Y (age 29-43). According to Kantar LINK+ Norms, Gen Z is slightly less engaged with ads overall. Engagement increases with age, reflecting in brand recall. Brands using short-form content on Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok are winning Gen Z's attention. Capturing their interest in the first few seconds is crucial.
This disenchantment isn't unique to Gen Z. Globally, only 31% of people say social media ads capture their attention, down from 43% last year (Kantar Media Reactions 2024). The race for media engagement spans all generations.
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