How to Advertise to Gen Z
Key Takeaways
Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, now represents approximately 30% of the global population and is the most digitally native consumer cohort ever studied.
Gen Z skips or scrolls past ads that feel inauthentic - 67% will ignore advertising unless it is entertaining, relatable, or educational.
One Day Agency can help brands plan Gen Z advertising campaigns across paid social, video, influencer, and programmatic channels.
Gen Z has grown up with algorithms, short-form video, and on-demand everything. They are not simply a younger version of Millennials. Their media behaviour, platform preferences, and relationship with advertising are fundamentally different.
Advertisers who apply Millennial playbooks to Gen Z audiences will waste budget. The generation requires a distinct approach: faster creative, platform-native formats, and credibility above all else.
Who is Gen Z?
Gen Z refers to those born between 1997 and 2012. They are the first generation to have grown up entirely with smartphones and social media as standard.
They are entering the workforce and building purchasing power. Combined with their influence over household spending decisions, they represent a significant commercial audience that is only growing.
Platform Preferences
YouTube leads daily usage among Gen Z, with 63% using the platform every day. Instagram follows at 58% daily usage, and TikTok at 56%. All three significantly outpace usage among older generations.
According to the 2025 Sprout Social Index, 89% of Gen Z social media users are on Instagram, 84% are on YouTube, and 82% are on TikTok. No single platform dominates exclusively. Effective reach requires a multi-platform approach rather than betting everything on one channel.
Short-Form Video
TikTok and Instagram Reels are the dominant discovery formats for Gen Z. In-feed video ads on TikTok show 72% higher click-through rates compared to static Instagram ads. Advertisers who produce native-looking creative - rather than repurposed television or display ads - consistently outperform those who do not.
YouTube
YouTube serves a different function for Gen Z than TikTok. It is used for longer tutorials, gaming content, and documentary-style material. Pre-roll and mid-roll video advertising works well here, particularly for product categories that benefit from demonstration.
Attention and Ad Avoidance
Gen Z has shorter content windows but is not incapable of sustained attention. They are selective. They skip or scroll past anything that feels like a traditional advertisement.
67% of Gen Z will ignore ads unless they are entertaining, relatable, or educational. User-generated content-style ads receive 4.2x more engagement than conventional branded creative.
The practical implication: ads must feel like content. Scripted, polished, broadcast-style creative consistently underperforms against raw, personality-led, platform-native formats.
Influencer Marketing
Over 58% of Gen Z trust recommendations from influencers more than direct brand advertising. This does not mean every brand needs a celebrity. Micro and nano influencers with highly engaged niche audiences often outperform large-reach creators on a cost-per-action basis.
Authenticity of the influencer-brand fit matters more than follower count. Gen Z audiences identify misaligned partnerships quickly and the backlash can outweigh the initial exposure benefit.
How to Advertise to Gen Z
Social Commerce
72% of Gen Z have bought a product directly through a social app. Shopping features on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are removing friction between discovery and purchase. Brands with shoppable content in the right formats are converting at higher rates than those directing traffic to external websites.
Out-of-Home and Contextual Advertising
Gen Z spends significant time outdoors and commuting. Digital out-of-home advertising, particularly in urban environments, reaches Gen Z consumers at moments when they are not on their phones. Bold, witty, and visually striking OOH creative performs well with this cohort.
Contextual alignment matters. A digital billboard near a university campus or city-centre gym, timed correctly, delivers relevance that a broad programmatic impression cannot.
Brand Values and Trust
Gen Z consumers research brands before buying. They look at reviews, social presence, and how brands behave on issues that matter to them. Sustainability, inclusivity, and transparency consistently feature as purchase influences.
Brands that take visible, consistent positions tend to earn more loyalty from Gen Z than those who avoid all commentary. Inauthenticity is penalised fast on social platforms where peer opinion spreads quickly.
Measurement
Standard impression-based measurement underserves Gen Z campaign evaluation. Track engagement rate, content completion rate, cost per video view, and - where shoppable formats are running - cost per purchase. Attribution modelling should account for social discovery influencing later direct or organic conversion.
How One Day Agency Can Help
We plan Gen Z advertising campaigns that integrate platform-native creative with full-funnel strategy. That means understanding where a specific brand's Gen Z audience actually spends time, what creative formats perform in those environments, and how to sequence messaging across channels to build awareness, consideration, and conversion.
Our influencer marketing team handles creator sourcing, briefing, and performance tracking. Our paid social and programmatic teams run the media. We plan everything together - which avoids the fragmentation that happens when separate agencies handle different channels.
If your brand needs to reach Gen Z audiences more effectively, speak to One Day Agency.
"Gen Z doesn't watch advertising - they watch content. The only way to reach them is to make something worth watching first." - Ricardo Seixas, Founder and CEO, One Day Agency
References
Sprout Social: Gen Z Social Media Trends and Usage
Hootsuite: 26 Gen Z Statistics That Matter to Marketers
YouGov: How Brands Can Reach Gen Z
SQ Magazine: Gen Z Social Media Statistics 2026
FAQs
What platforms work best for advertising to Gen Z?
YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are the three primary platforms. YouTube leads daily usage at 63%, followed by Instagram at 58% and TikTok at 56%. A multi-platform approach tends to outperform single-channel campaigns because Gen Z moves fluidly between platforms throughout the day.
Why do Gen Z ignore most advertising?
67% of Gen Z skip or scroll past ads that feel inauthentic, disruptive, or purely promotional. They respond to creative that mirrors the content they choose to consume - short-form, personality-led, and platform-native in style. Broadcast-style advertising consistently underperforms.
How much does it cost to advertise to Gen Z on social media?
Paid social CPMs typically range from £4 to £12 depending on platform, audience targeting, and creative format. TikTok and Instagram in-feed video tend to be cost-efficient for Gen Z reach. Influencer fees vary widely from a few hundred pounds for micro-creators to tens of thousands for high-follower accounts.
Is influencer marketing effective for reaching Gen Z?
Yes. Over 58% of Gen Z trust influencer recommendations more than direct brand advertising. Micro-influencers with engaged niche audiences often deliver better cost-per-action than mass-reach creators. Brand-influencer fit and authenticity matter significantly to this cohort
What creative formats perform best with Gen Z audiences?
Short-form vertical video leads performance across TikTok and Instagram Reels. User-generated content-style creative receives 4.2x more engagement than conventional branded formats. Longer-form content works on YouTube where Gen Z consumes tutorials and in-depth content. Static display advertising generally underperforms versus video for this audience.
