Gen Z marketing insights to inspire your next ad campaign

Temperature check

Gen Z's relationship with the online world is evolving as they grow older, and the internet evolves with them. Their experiences often reflect each other, but what does this reflection look like today?

The consensus is clear: times are changing, and so is Gen Z. For brands, this signals a call to action. Let's assess the current state of Gen Z and use these insights to develop a more effective strategy.

The insights (and what brands can do with them)

Insight:

Gen Z doesn’t just prefer E-shopping over in-person experiences—their shopping habits are evolving with it.

Action:

Upgrade content strategies and target TikTok Shop influencers.

The latest development in the digital marketplace? TikTok Shop—and its influencers. Partnering with TikTok Shop creators provides a direct line to Gen Z consumers and is the most effective way to achieve social product integration.

In 2024, Gen Z’s shopping experiences are increasingly digital. However, the TikTok marketplace is not for the faint-hearted or the formulaic. This platform thrives on innovation, and Gen Z responds to originality rather than repetition.

Insight: Gen Z is bored of brands repeating themselves.

Action: Disrupt, innovate, create—but don’t imitate.

When the internet hyper fixates on something, it’s not long before it becomes overdone and then corporatized. The moment a brand account with a blue check joins the joke, it’s past its prime. Brands should be mindful of why they were invited to the feed.

If a brand is jumping onto a trend, it needs to have the best pun in the world ready or bring something new to the table—something uniquely offered by that brand. In trying to engage with pop culture, brands often forget their role in it. Gen Z doesn’t need brands to replace or repeat their favorite meme; they want brands to put it into a new context.

Insight: Gen Z selectively uses Google—social media is their primary search engine.

Action: Optimize your content for social search.

Crafting content optimized for social is non-negotiable for brands that want Gen Z's attention (and cash). Leveraging platform algorithms in your strategy is essential for effective positioning and will earn you visibility amidst the online clutter - you may even make it to their feeds. 

Insight: Gen Z is highly engaged with brands that prioritize world-building.

Action: Cultivate a following - and then turn it into a fandom. 

It exists outside the confines of your profile. React, react, react! Gen Z wants you in their comments - and honestly, in their DMs, too. To build a world around your brand, they need to see you out in it, preferably doing more than just selling us a product. Who are you when you’re not pitching to us? Show it by leaving your digital footprint all over the net. 

Insight: Gen Z is sick of being flexed on.

Action: Ditch the mega influencers and celebrities and focus on meaningful connections with micro-influencers. 

It isn’t 2016 anymore - flex culture is dead, overconsumption is an ick, and relatability is more important than ever. In this current climate, the pomp and indulgence of celebrity endorsements are a recipe for alienation; even once “relatable”-branded influencers are getting the side eye once their follower count ticks high enough. Plus, we are in a cost-of-living crisis; brands need to read the room before picking brand ambassadors. 

Instead of chasing macro-influencers with 7-figure follow counts, brands should refocus on building relationships with micro-influencers whose niches overlap with brand-aligned interests. A highly targeted micro-influencer campaign is going to come off much more genuine than partnerships with mega-stars -  and is sure to drive more engagement, too.

Insight: Gen Z is always plugged in, but socially, they feel disconnected.

Action: Brands, invest in experiences that create 3rd spaces for us.

Gen Z loves individuality but hates individualism. It is essential for them to celebrate differences in a way that cultivates community. Brands that get this get them Adapting to this insight means shifting gears - you’re not catering to the individuals grouped into a demographic; you’re nurturing communities. Brand-sponsored online forums, experiential pop-ups, and organized meetups bring people together, and cultivating these spaces makes you an important cornerstone in them.