The ad industry is obsessed with reaching Gen Z, and equally as important is retaining and recruiting this generation into its workforce.
Marketers are trying everything to reach Gen Z consumers, from hopping on TikTok trends to presenting themselves as influencers—but building brand strategies that resonate with this generation takes behind-the-scenes insight.
That’s why retaining and recruiting Gen Z talent to work in the ad industry is so critical.
“To be a pioneer in social media and new forms of marketing, you need to be a pioneer in youth and what is going to resonate with them,” said Evan Horowitz, CEO and co-founder of creative social agency Movers+Shakers. “For us to credibly deliver great work for clients that allows them to engage Gen Z customers, we need to have really smart and empowered Gen Z employees on our team. That’s a key for success.”
Some brands and agencies are still figuring out how exactly to modernize their work environments to attract Gen Z employees, who are demanding much more from their employers than past generations in terms of values, benefits and flexible work hours.
The eldest Gen Zers (those born between 1997 and 2012) turn 28 years old this year. Ad Age asked ad and talent experts to share some best practices for nurturing Gen Z talent.
Also read: 24 Gen Zers to watch in marketing and advertising
Flexibility is one of the No. 1 perks for Gen Z.
“Gen Z really values flexibility in their workplace” and they don’t want to work within traditional 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. hourly structures, Horowitz said. “They want a workplace that can fit around their own complex and individual lifestyle.”
Movers+Shakers is a “remote-first company,” Horowitz said, which has been a “competitive advantage” for the shop in attracting Gen Z talent. “People appreciate not just the remote aspect, but also the flexibility that we give people where you want to hit the gym in the middle of the day during lunch? That’s fine as long as it’s not interfering with your work meetings,” he said.
Companies are starting to enforce stricter return-to-office policies—agency holding company giant WPP was one of the latest, announcing in January a new mandate of four days in the office a week. Those with stricter in-office requirements could hurt their retention efforts across the board, and with Gen Z in particular, said some people who spoke with Ad Age.
Brittany Ramsey, head of people and culture at Her Campus Media, said during a panel at Ad Age’s recent NextGen Summit that her Gen Z-focused media and marketing company is “seeing anywhere from 500 to 2,000 applicants” for each open job it posts, attributing that to the fact that the company is fully remote in an industry where those positions are “dwindling.” (She also provided some tips for Gen Z job seekers on how to stand out in a job interview during the panel, as shown in the video clip below.)
It’s not that Gen Z employees don’t want to go into the office at all, said Helene DeVries, founder and CEO of industry headhunting firm HDV Talent. She said many Gen Z employees do want an in-office option; however, they want to feel that their employer trusts them to make that decision. Very few workers want to return to the office five days a week, but three days a week seems to be the “sweet spot” for many Gen Z employees specifically, she said.
One Gen Z ad agency employee who requested anonymity as she was not authorized to speak to the press, said she and her peers want flexibility with the option to work some days in the office, and most of all they want to be trusted that when they are not in the office that they are, in fact, working.
“In my experience, a hybrid work environment has allowed me to be more productive and happier in my job,” the ad agency employee said.
Many Gen Z employees are also working other jobs and have personal projects they want to dedicate time to, so having flexibility to not only work where they want, but when they want, is critical, some people said.
Karan Dang, CEO and co-founder of brand consultancy Dang, said Gen Z employees don’t want to commit to one workplace. He said younger employees like the fact that they can work at an ad agency and “also have a candle company” or “DJ on the weekends.”
One Gen Z employee who works at Dang full-time is also going for a MBA and auditioning for acting classes, Dang said. Karan Dang said that in interviews with potential Gen Z talent, he often hears how they are distrustful of companies because of the mass layoffs they’ve undergone in recent years and that’s why they’re exploring all of these different ventures, and also why the industry is seeing such an “entrepreneurial spirit.”
“To retain and recruit Gen Z, offer them flexibility from day one,” added Shruti Dang, chief operating officer and co-founder of Dang. The agency works with employees to carve out the best schedules for them based on their needs, and “that doesn’t mean they cannot do full-time,” but they prioritize results rather than hours, she said.
Shruti Dang said that as long as employees are honest about what time constraints they might have, the agency’s leaders will try to work around their schedules.
Ad agencies, especially, used to flaunt their offices to attract clients and potential employees, boasting modern spaces with amenities including bars and pool tables.
Now, with some agencies downsizing to adapt to a more hybrid work model that leaves fewer employees in the office on a daily basis, these amenities may seem less important, some people interviewed said, and they are especially not as attractive to Gen Z.
DeVries said things like pool or ping pong tables are “window dressing” that not many employees use anyway. She said Gen Z wants more “tangible” perks such as food benefits and subsidized meals.
Horowitz said since Movers+Shakers is a remote-first company, the agency offers its employees WeWork passes if they want space to work in-person.
“People do love personal connection and so we have other ways that we provide that,” he said. “We at Movers+Shakers probably attract the people who are more interested in flexibility over the cool office space, and more and more that just seems like the way of the world. People want remote and better work-life balance than a pool table in the office.”
Also read: How Hunterblu encourages a healthy work-life balance
Many people interviewed said Gen Z employees want to know how their employer is working for them as well, so better benefits, especially around mental health and finance, are critical to retention efforts of this generation.
Dang provides employees with a subscription to Headway, an app that helps connect people with therapists. Karan Dang said this helps the agency’s employees “remove negative thoughts” as well as “be more productive,” by also offering tips for quick exercises and meditation.
“Gen Z isn’t just expecting better, they’re expecting work that respects their time, autonomy and wellbeing,” said Chris Noble, founder and head of operations at marketing executive consultancy Consiglieri. “It’s not about more perks or empty promises; it’s about fewer barriers, real flexibility and an environment that prioritizes trust over control … Offices aren’t a necessity, they’re a choice. Meetings shouldn’t be a default, they should be intentional. Benefits should remove stress, not create it.”
Some of Consiglieri’s benefits include covering “insurance premiums so no one has to stress about a doctor’s visit” and giving “real time off, with generous holidays and unlimited PTO, because work should fit into life, not the other way around,” Noble added.
Horowitz said one “sleeper benefit” Movers+Shakers offers that has really resonated with its Gen Z employees is Questis Financial Wellness, which creates personalized financial wellness plans for each employee.
“That is wildly popular with many of our Gen Z employees,” he said. “It offers one-on-one coaching as well as lots of educational resources for how to be better at your personal finances … that benefit gets rave reviews.”
Many people interviewed said Gen Z employees want to advance quickly in their careers, more so than past generations—and perhaps more than is always realistically achievable.
Panelists at Ad Age’s NextGen Summit touched on this trend. Gen Z talent is looking to prove their worth and advance in their careers without just “putting in ridiculously long hours and staying at the office till 10 p.m.,” said Natalie DeGenova, director of business development and partnerships at She Runs It (seen in the video clip below).
Karan Dang said there are conflicting views between older and younger generations over what paths to promotion should look like.
“The younger generation, for example Gen Z right now, would go ‘Hey, I can manage and run a Discord channel, develop an entire social strategy and do a D2C business on TikTok Shop, so I deserve a promotion,’” he said, adding that older generations feel they still need to commit “hours and hours and hours” to the industry in order to be promoted.
Karan and Shruti Dang said the agency tries to find a balance. That includes instilling some patience in its Gen Z employees while providing them with the right education and taking them to summits where they can network and learn from seasoned executives so they can make leaps in their careers when they’re ready.
But, Shruti Dang added, why not reward young people who are passionate about advancing in their careers?
“I’m not saying promote everybody,” she said, “of course there will be a set of rules and checklists that they need to pass through, but if somebody is showcasing that passion, expertise and skill set to be eligible to be promoted, then why not? I don’t see any harm in that.”
Movers+Shakers also has “constant dialogue” about how each individual is doing, so they know exactly what they need to do to get to the next step in their career, Horowitz said. Part of that is having performance reviews twice a year and encouraging “people who want to be moving up faster to [have] more frequent conversations with their managers about what are their strengths and weaknesses and what are the specific things that they can do to grow.”
Diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as nurturing a good culture overall, is also important to retain Gen Z employees, many people interviewed said.
Horowitz said the companies that are currently cutting back on DEI, driven by conservative backlash, will likely face more challenges moving forward in recruiting and retaining Gen Z employees. He said many Gen Z job candidates whom he has interviewed look “at who’s interviewing them; they’re looking at the team around them.”
“Diversity is really important to Gen Z employees in general, and we find that more and more young people are looking for a diverse environment,” Horowitz said. “A lot of the big companies that have publicly distanced themselves from DEI efforts are alienating a big part of the Gen Z workforce and, I can’t speak from personal experience, but I’m guessing that is really going to hurt them.”
Nancy Mines, director of client experience at Chicago-based independent ad agency Geletka+, said Gen Zers want to work somewhere “they can show up as themselves.”
“A strong culture is built on inclusivity, open communication and a judgment-free environment where people feel comfortable expressing their ideas, interests and individuality,” Mines said. “Language and tone matter. Feeling seen and heard matters. More than anything, Gen Z values leadership with emotional intelligence. They don’t just want direction, they want employers who recognize the emotional complexities of work and create a culture that supports both performance and well-being.”
