Reaching Gen Z in unexpected places—how brands can win their attention

With social media advertising projected to reach $276.7 billion this year, according to February research from social media monitoring company Sprout Social, it’s clear that most marketers align on the importance of using social platforms to reach highly sought-after Gen Z consumers. It’s also clear that social platforms are saturated with ads, with social ads accounting for $3 of every $10 spent on digital advertising and marketers spending an average of $46.47 per user, per Sprout Social. While social remains a core component of media budgets, advertisers have sought unconventional ways to reach and impress the generation born between 1997 and 2012. “If you’re trying to reach a Gen Z audience, there are many channels that have either stabilized or are now on the decline in terms of media opportunities, which is forcing advertisers to think about doing things differently,” said Rachel Schlanger, U.S. head of partnerships at Interpublic Group’s Initiative. Ad Age spoke with advertisers to identify three unexpected places where brands can connect with Gen Z. NextGen Marketing Summit Join us for a crash course on Gen Z, DTC marketing and the creator economy Register today Substack Brands are starting to invest in long-form editorial content by creating Substacks as Gen Z looks to take a break from short-form, brain-rotting content, said Liz Hanna, connections director at VML. Substack, launched in 2017 by Kik alumni Chris Best and Jairaj Sethi and tech reporter Hamish McKenzie, is a platform for creating and hosting newsletters that users can subscribe to. “There’s a desire by all consumers, but especially Gen Z, to get back to a more curated, crafted type of social,” Hanna said. “Substack can do that because it is a little more long-form and you’re selecting the Substacks you want to follow. You’re going to follow people who are taking the time to actually write out a thoughtful article versus just a 30-second testimonial.” Earlier this month, online fashion marketplace The RealReal launched a Substack authored by one “RealGirl” who offers shopping advice and trend analysis to more than 1,000 subscribers. It doesn’t directly promote anything The RealReal is selling and instead offers the brand a relatively untapped space to build affinity through owned content, Hanna said. VML did not work on the Substack launch and The RealReal is not on its client list. In the age of performance marketing, it’s a tough sell, Hanna admitted. “The challenge is trying to prove out the value to clients,” she said. “Clients are going to ask ‘What’s the ROI on that?’” Also read: Inside the creativity debate Still, Hanna maintained that the platform’s simple interface makes it easy for brands to jump in. Substack also lets authors create group chats within the platform, giving brands an additional method to connect with their readers. Substack isn’t entirely unbeknownst to brands that have partnered with writers and creators on sponsored posts over the past year. However, these deals are largely struck behind closed doors as there are no built-in sponsorship tools on Substack. Read more: Influencers are launching newsletters Jon Morgenstern, executive VP and head of investment at VaynerMedia, said the agency is monitoring the platform for new paid media opportunities in light of increased brand interest. “That’s one we have a close eye on,” he said, adding that there’s “Not much yet of actual ‘rubber hitting the road’ substance.” Gen Z Career Forum Get practical advice on launching your career and excelling in the industry Register today In-person events in untapped cities Brands such as Poppi and Cetaphil leaned into pop-ups with influencers and experiential events last year to cater to Gen Z’s desire for in-person experiences. One event in particular—Cetaphil’s launch party for a new exfoliating product line—had attendees lining up at the door five hours before it began to meet influencer and brand ambassador Katie Fang. The event took place in New York, where Cetaphil and many brands tend to hold pop-ups. While the event bustled, it was the social media conversations around it that Cetaphil monitored to determine success, said Tara Loftis, global president of dermatological skincare at Galderma, parent company of Cetaphil. Since then, it has explored holding events in cities that brands frequent less often. On Feb. 26, it hosted an event in Dallas with Gen Z media company Her Campus at which dermatologists spoke. While it’s still measuring social impressions and monitoring for a boost in sales in Texas, Loftis said it was well attended. “It was a good reminder to go where your consumer is, not where your CMO thinks is going to look cool,” she said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cetaphil (@cetaphil) Cetaphil has also hosted events in cities around the world. The less populated the city, the more excited influencers have been to show up. “If you have an event in Los Angeles, some big influencers you love that you have a good relationship with might be like, ‘I would love to come, but I’ve got four other events that day,’” Loftis said. “It’s a cool experience to meet new influencers. If their calendar isn’t already full of events, they’re absolutely going to show up.” Connecting with local influencers has, in turn, introduced the brand to cities where it didn’t already have a foothold, Loftis said. Not every city is the right fit, however. Events must generate enough buzz to garner 100 million impressions on social media, 100 press placements and a 10% sales lift in the week following to be considered a success for the hosting brand, Loftis said. Hobbyist platforms and group chats Platforms that cater to specific Gen Z interests often go underutilized by brands, said Liz Tavera, strategy director at GSD&M. For example, considering Gen Z’s obsession with fitness, brands have left tracking apps such as Strava relatively unexplored. A notable exception is Chipotle, which in January brought its U.S. partnership with Strava to Europe and encouraged participants to compete for free “Lifestyle Bowls” for a year by completing running and cycling routes. Chipotle also recruited “Cucumber Guy” Logan Moffitt, food and lifestyle creator Brett Chody and pro tennis star Taylor Fritz to highlight some of the bowls consumers can win. Gen Z has turned to fitness to create community and combat mental health struggles associated with high levels of loneliness. Eight in 10 Gen Zers agree they’ve felt lonely in the past 12 months compared to 45% of baby boomers, according to November research from consumer research company GWI. “When you have a community, you have an emotional connection, and that’s what brand building is all about,” Tavera said. “Consumers are going to think of you more often when it comes to the point of purchase and you obviously have more trust.” Brands with a strong point of view on a Gen Z interest also have an excuse to infiltrate DMs on platforms catered to that interest, Tavera said. For example, on Jan. 10 (AKA “Quitter’s Day” due to the high number of people who give up on their New Year’s resolutions), Chipotle texted Strava users directly, encouraging them to stay resolute in their goals. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chipotle (@chipotle) “If I’m a brand that has the goal of getting into a group chat, I think the most obvious places you go are Whatsapp, Messenger and people’s DMs,” Tavera said. “That’s a very specific conversation people want with their friends. Your mindset when you’re downloading an app like Strava is to be part of a fitness community. It’s not a one-on-one conversation.” It’s difficult to scale investments in apps such as Strava, which is why more brands have increased investments in platforms that cater to wide swaths of interests, including Reddit and Discord, said Danielle Atanda, managing director of client leadership at OMD USA. As one of her clients continues to increase its spend on particular communities within Reddit, it’s seen a steady return. “Reddit is a great place for Gen Z,” she said. “Usually, when you significantly increase budgets in a particular platform, you will see diminished returns. But for one brand we’re steadily increasing that budget … it’s unexpected how much performance we’re driving.” New community platforms continue to pop up. Consumers late last year flocked to join hair and body care brand Ouai’s community on TYB—a platform that mixes group chat messaging features with elements of a customer loyalty program. The brand has used first-party insights from conversations with consumers to develop campaigns and products. While it has largely been used by beauty brands, fashion, wellness, food and beverage companies have also created communities on the platform. Follow us on social media X Bluesky Instagram LinkedIn YouTube

Reaching Gen Z in unexpected places—how brands can win their attention

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