5 ways to reach Gen Z in TV advertising

As upfront dealmaking begins, reaching Gen Z consumers is top of mind for many brands. But the young cohort can seem elusive outside of TikTok, particularly in the TV landscape. Still, there are ways to find Gen Z audiences in TV—especially when you look at streaming, according to Gen Zers and leaders from media companies including Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Roku who spoke last week during Ad Age’s TV & Streaming Summit in New York. These solutions include sponsoring diverse content that’s representative, utilizing audience-based buying capabilities and tapping unique viewing habits. Here’s a look at more takeaways from the event. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Short-form content, long-form attention It’s a misconception that Gen Z is a generation with low attention spans, according to Felipe Mendez, coordinator at United Talent Agency. While Mendez, a Gen Zer himself, admitted to often watching shows and movies at 1.5 times speed, it’s more an issue of the number of platforms and types of content vying for Gen Z’s attention. Also read: 20 brands catching Gen Z’s attention And although TikTok is known for its short-form content, Gen Z users will often watch lengthy TikTok series, such as Reesa Teesa’s 50-part “Who TF Did I Marry?!?” saga, Mendez said. “We’re a generation full of misconceptions—we have a six-second attention span, but I’m watching a 50-part series,” said Mendez. “We are spending time binge-watching, and we are spending time on [mobile] screens watching. But it just takes a different effort, a different approach to be able to get us to spend that time.” And content doesn’t only need to be on TikTok to reach Gen Z consumers. The audience that watches Disney’s linear content when it premieres on Hulu is 20 to 25 years younger than the original linear viewers, said Rita Ferro, president of global advertising at Disney. The cross-platform and multi-interest nature of Gen Z presents new opportunities for media companies to think of creating “an immersive platform” for young consumers, Ferro added. “What is the gamification opportunity, the shoppable opportunity, the social conversation opportunity?” said Ferro. “Sports is the most obvious environment for that when you think of the live games, the commentary, sports betting, fantasy and gaming. There’s a whole ecosystem around how we build those programs for partners.” Attention grabbers None of the Gen Z panelists subscribe or plan to subscribe to a cable package. But a few key viewing habits in the streaming and digital video space can help advertisers better reach the young cohort in their media buys. The panelists, who described divvying out subscription-paying duties amongst roommates and friend groups, said they do watch long-form content across a breadth of platforms, including Peacock, Max, Hulu, Netflix and YouTube. Their methods of content discovery and consumption, however, weren’t as consistent. “It doesn’t matter what platform [a show or movie] is on,” said Alice Bell-Black, senior analyst of media intelligence and marketplace strategy, Magna. “I will always Google, ‘Where can I watch this?’ or, ‘Where can I stream X?’ and then I will find the content and I will do whatever I have to to watch it.” Bell-Black also described CTV content hubs, such as those curated by Roku or other TV interface operators, as useful for finding a new show. Bell-Black also finds new shows and movies through recommendations from her favorite podcast hosts. On a panel discussing the growth of FAST platforms such as Tubi or the Roku Channel in viewers’ streaming mix, Kristina Shepard, VP of global advertising sales and partnerships at Roku, said young viewers tend to supplement subscription-based platforms with free, ad-supported platforms. Shepard noted that the libraries are so large and are a repository for content from the major media companies that host much of that same content on their platforms. Also read: 23 Gen Z advertising and marketing leaders to know While FAST channels, which look much like cable in their linearly programmed cycles of shows and the TV guide-like interface, are an easy way for cable users to transition to streaming, they also can reflect the experience of social video for young viewers, Shepard said. For example, FAST channels provide an endless flow of content, can easily be hopped between on a single platform and offer a wide variety of content types. Ad Age Gen Z Contributor Column We welcome Gen Zers to submit fresh takes exploring Gen Z within the ad industry Learn more here “You’ll get a lot of the content that exists in traditional cable from WBD or Disney, but then you can get a Mr. Beast channel or a Hot Ones channel. It really hits a young, diverse audience because it provides a wide range of content,” Shepard said. Mendez said he takes recommendations from social media, and will even watch entire series or films sliced into short-form segments on TikTok. While the effort of clicking through multiple parts sounds harder than just selecting the same show on a streamer, “the biggest thing is I’m already on [TikTok], and it is giving me what I want to see in the exact format that I want to see,” said Mendez. Related: Why Gen Z follows people not brands Audience buying Because Gen Z viewers are fragmented across platforms, media companies have also been heavily pitching their data-driven capabilities for advertisers. For example, Jon Steinlauf, chief U.S. ad sales officer at WBD, said that Warner Bros. Discovery still finds young viewers in linear on Adult Swim. Simultaneously, young viewers watch content on Max and consume live sports and supplementary content through Bleacher Report. Young viewers are watching CNN’s live coverage on Max, WBD’s Executive VP of Ad Sales, Marybeth Strobel, said during a session on news programming. To account for this, WBD launched “One WBD,” which is a way for advertisers to sponsor content that airs across platforms, and Olli, a data-driven buying tool that aims to help advertisers aggregate audiences across its linear, streaming and digital platforms for planning and measurement. Multi-faceted representation The fragmentation of content in the digital and streaming age has made Gen Z particularly decisive about the content they watch and how they watch it, Bell-Black said. This can take the form of formatting marketing or TV content to match the forms Gen Z watches, such as Paramount distributing “Mean Girls” in vertical format on TikTok (via a 23-part series), or in the representation of age, gender and race in content. “If you see yourself in content or an ad and can resonate with a character or what’s being presented in front of you,” a Gen Z viewer will be more inclined to explore the brand or product presented in it, said Gen Z panelist Cayley Stonehouse, social media manager at Glow. Check out our Gen Z marketing glossary Mendez recommended brands and TV producers enlist Gen Zers to both consult on the creation of content and to star in it as well. This can help show young viewers that the brand is inclusive of their viewpoints and ensure the language and pop culture references in a piece of content are relevant to them. Women’s sports are another example of ways Gen Zers are looking for brands to surface in content reflecting greater representation in media. For engaging audiences through new opportunities in sports, Denise Ocasio, executive director of investment at Mindshare, said advertisers need to go beyond traditional ad breaks and sponsorships and embed deeper across leagues with audiences. For example, Ocasio said clients are seeking ways to appear across a spectrum of women’s sports events, from sponsoring an event at the Olympics to doing NIL deals with college athletes. Although much excitement has been focused on WNBA star Caitlin Clark, “there are a ton more athletes outside of her that are dedicating themselves to the sport, and if [brands] give them a voice, they start building advocacy,” said Ocasio. Ocasio said social media has proven a great place to start for building one-to-one relationships with consumers through athletes, and a place to identify stories that brands can amplify through larger media strategies as partners with female athletes. Also read: Gen Z fuels brand interest in women’s sports Community The panelists in particular pointed to the desire for communal experiences watching TV, whether that’s posting on social platforms about what they’re watching, planning regular watch sessions with roommates around a shared show, throwing a Super Bowl watch party or going to a bar to cheer on a favorite sports team with friends. “You’ll hear Gen Z is the loneliest generation, so anytime there’s a big community event to get out with friends, I’m fully into that, whether it’s the Olympics or the Super Bowl,” said Mendez. “It matters a lot for Gen Z to get together.” Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs

5 ways to reach Gen Z in TV advertising

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