2025年數(shù)字原住民的影響力：Z世代重塑媒體生態(tài)研究報(bào)告（英文版）

TheGenZEffect

ShapingtheYearofImpact

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 1

?2025dentsu|allrightsreserved

TheGenZEffect:ShapingtheYearofImpact

ThisspecialeditiondivesheadfirstintothemedialandscapeasseenthroughthelensofGenZ,buildingontheinsightsfromour2025MediaTrendsreport,TheYearofImpact.Withnineincisivearticles,includingcontributionsfromdentsu’sownGenZexpertswhoarenotonlyshapingcampaignsfortheirgenerationbutarepartofit,andconsumersfromImagenInsights,aGenZfocusedqualitativeinsightscompany,we’vebroughttogetherarichmixofperspectives.Together,thesevoicesdissectthetrendsthatarereshapinghowpeopleconsumeandengagewithcontent.

Fromthepivottoalgorithmicplanningtocapturingamillionmicro-moments,wetacklethereal-worldimpactofconnectedtelevisionandthesurgeoftheaugmentedmediatoolkit.

Weexplorethepartnershipgoldrush,andthepowerfoundinnichecommunities,all

whileexamininghowourlivesareincreasinglypoweredbyAI.

ThiseditionshowcasesthecreativityandingenuityofGenZvoiceswhoarenotjustnavigatingtheshiftingtidesofmediabutareactivelysteeringtheship.It’saboldlookatthefutureofmedia,drivenbythefreshperspectivesthatwilldefinetomorrow’sconversations.

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 2

Contents

YourLife.PoweredbyAI. 4

TheAugmentedMediaToolkit 6

AMillionMicro-Moments 8

PowerinNiches 10

ConnectedTelevisionGetsRealScale 12

ThePivottoAlgorithmPlanning 14

RetailReshapesMedia 16

ABetterSupplyChain 18

ThePartnershipGoldRush 20

UnevenlyDistributed 22

Aboutdentsu 24

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 3

YourLife.PoweredbyAI.

SincethelaunchofChatGPTinNovember2022,1generativeAIhasalreadymadewavesinhowweinteractwithmediaandbrands.

Weexpectittoreshapetheseinteractionsevenfurtherin2025.

MorethanaquarterofEuropeansbelievegenerativeAIwillsignificantlyimpacttheirpersonallivesinthenextyear.2However,forittoreallysucceed,itneeds

tomovebeyondchatinterfacesandembeditselfintoeverydayservices.

PlatformslikeDuolingo3andSpotify4arealreadyenhancinguserexperienceswithAI-drivenfeaturesthatfeelalmost

GenZismorethantwiceaslikelyasGenXtousegenerativeAI.7

futuristic.Yet,thereareconcerns:manypeopleworryaboutdistinguishingbetweenrealandAI-generatedcontent,5andtheenvironmentalimpactoftrainingAIisagrowingissue.6

Lookingahead,expectgenerativeAItointegratemoreseamlesslyintoourdailylives,withinnovativeapplicationsinmobileandwearabletech.

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 4

YOURLIFE.POWEREDBYAI.

NavigatingLifewithAI

WATCHVIDEOHERE

ByMilesXu

SeniorPlanner,iProspectAge24,China

A

rtificialintelligencehasdevelopedatlightningspeedoverthepastfew

years,and,honestly,it’sreshapedhowIexperiencetravel.Youknowthatmomentwhenyou’reoutexploringanewcity,takingphotoswithfriends,andthen

yougetbacktothehotelonlytorealizethathalfofyourshotsareblurryorhaverandomstrangersphotobombing?It’stheworst.Asaguywholovessharinghighlightsonsocialmedia,thosemissedmomentscanbereallyannoying.

That’swhereAIphotoeditingtoolscomeintoplay.Withjustaclick,Icantransformthose

messyshotsintostunningimagesreadyforsocialmedia.It’slikehavingapersonalphotographerinmypocket,helpingmecapturememorieswithoutthehassle.

Andlet’stalkaboutlanguagebarriers–whenI’minacountrywhereIdon’tspeakthelanguage,navigatingmenuscanfeellikeadauntingtask.ButAIhasmybackhere,too.Appswithtranslationfunctions,likeMicrosoftTranslator

ortheYoudaoTranslatorinChina,letmetranslatemenusorhavereal-timeconversationswithwaiterswhoonlyspeakthelocallanguage.It’sagame-changerformakingthemostoutofmytravelexperiences.

AIisheretomakeourliveseasierandourexperiencesricher.

ButAIisn’tjustabouttravel,it’salsoamajorassetinmyworklife.WhenI’mwritinginanon-nativelanguage,AItoolslikeDeepLandSimplifiAIhelppolishmytexts,catchinggrammaticalerrors

andsmoothingoutawkwardsentences.It’slikehavingalanguagecoachoncall.

Plus,AIcanorganizefragmentedinformationquickly.Takemeetingnotes,forexample.Thosemomentscangetchaotic.ButwithAI,Icangenerateclearandconcisemeetingminutesthatsavemetonsoftime.It’sallaboutefficiency.

Now,whileAIisincrediblypracticalandpowerful,therearesomeimportantthingstoconsider.Forinstance,whenyouuploadphotostoeditingapps,therecanbelegalrisksinvolved,andlet’s

bereal—thelawssurroundingAIarestillcatchinguptotechnology.WeneedtothinkcriticallyabouthowweuseAIandwhatweshareonline.

AIisatoolthatenhancesourlivesinsomanyways,butit’scrucialtonavigateitresponsibly.AsaGenZ,IbelieveweneedtoembraceAI’scapabilitieswhilealsobeingmindfulofitslimitationsandpotentialrisks.So,let’suseAIsmartlyandcreatively.Afterall,it’sheretomakeourliveseasierandourexperiencesricher.

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 5

TheAugmentedMediaToolkit

Artificialintelligenceisshakingupthemedialandscape,andby2025,we’reexpectinga

waveofnewAI-drivensolutionsthatwillchangehowbrandsapproachtheircampaigns.WhilemarketershavestartedtoexploregenerativeAIthroughtoolslike

GenZwilldefinethefutureofAI-humancollaboration,withAIsettoimpact60%ofjobsinadvancedeconomies.8

MetaAdvantage+andGooglePerformanceMax,manyarestillfacingchallengesintegratingthesetechnologiesacrosstheirorganizations.

In2025,we’llseebrandstakingcharge,lookingbeyondplatformspecifictoolstotapintoAI’sfullpotentialthroughoutthemediavaluechain.Thisincludessmarterbudgeting,leveragingdatafor

predictiveinsights,andoptimizingcampaignsinrealtime.AIcanenhanceboththebaselineandtheupperlimitsofcreativityinmedia,butbrandsneedtofocusonpracticalapplicationsthatimproveefficiency,costsavings,orsaleseffectiveness.

Datagovernancewillbecrucial,ensuringtransparencyand

accountabilityasbrandsharnessAI.Withthisstrategicapproach,marketerswillgainclearerinsightsandmoreagilityindecisionmaking,settingthestageforimpactfulcampaigns.

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 6

THEAUGMENTEDMEDIATOOLKIT

BalancingAIwithHumanInsight

WATCHVIDEOHERE

ByNikhoRudah

Strategist,dentsuAge27,SouthAfrica

W

henitcomestowork,AIhasbecomeaninvaluabletool.What

excitesmemostishowitoverlayswithexistingdata,insights,

andaudiencetools.Itgivesustheabilitytoexploredifferentoutcomes,imaginepossibilities,andsolvecomplexproblems.AtdentsuSouthAfrica,we’vebuiltadashboardcalledPulse,whichconsolidatesallrelevantbrandandcategorydata.WeoftencombinethiswithGenCX,anAItool,togenerateinsightsandrecommendationsonthebest

waystoapproachmediaplanningbasedonthosedatapoints.

Buthere’sthething:AIdoesn’talwaystakeintoaccounttheanecdotalelementsthat

arecrucialtowhatwedoinadvertising.It’sgreatfor

optimization,forsure,butit’snotaone-size-fits-allsolution.That’swhyIseeAIasatoolfor

consideration—anenhancementthatcanguidedecisionsbutshouldn’tbethefinalword.It’stheretosupport,notreplace,thehumaninsightsthatmakeourworksopowerful.

AIandhumaninsightsdon’thavetobeatodds.Instead,theyshouldcoexist,complementingeachothertocreatesomethinggreaterthaneithercouldachievealone.

Inmypersonallife,AItakesonadifferentrole.Asaconsumer,

Iuseittosavetime,helpingmequicklydigestnewinformation.It’sincrediblyefficientatstreamliningtasks,buttransparencyis

key.Iwanttoknowwherethe

informationiscomingfrom,andthat’sanimportantpartofmyrelationshipwithAI.Whenitcomestopersonalization,I’mprettyaccepting—aslongasI’mawareit’sbeingused.

However,there’salwaysatensionwithAI,especiallyaroundthelegitimacyofitsdataandhow

itintegrates—orsometimesoverlooks—thehumanexperience.Myhopeforthefutureisthatbusinessleadersrecognizethere’sroomforboth.AIandhumaninsightsdon’thavetobeatodds.Instead,theyshouldcoexist,complementingeachothertocreatesomethinggreaterthaneithercouldachievealone.

Ultimately,thevalueliesinstrikingthatbalance—leveragingthestrengthsoftechnologywhileneverforgettingtheuniqueperspectivethatonlyhumanexperiencecanprovide.

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 7

AMillion

Micro-Moments

Asartificialintelligenceweavesitselfintooureverydaylives,it’schangingthegameforhowbrandsconnectwithconsumers,creatingthosecrucialmediamicro-momentsthathelpbuildgenuinerelationships.

43%ofGenZsintheUSarecomfortablewithcompaniesusingtheirdataforpersonalization.13

By2025,marketersneedtotakeadvantageoftheseone-on-oneinteractionstoguidepeoplethroughtheirbuyingjourneyandboostloyalty.Withsearchenginesservingupdirectanswers–leadingtonearly60%ofGooglesearchesendingwithoutanyclicks9–andsocialmediafeedstailoringcontentjustforus,weoftenfindourselvesscrollingforhourswithoutengagingfurther.Yet,

81%ofconsumerssaythatbrandsneedtosurpriseanddelightthemtotrulystandout.10

MessagingplatformslikeWhatsAppandWeChatarenowessentialforrealconversations,andAIissteppingintohandlecustomerqueries,makingthingsmorepersonalandefficient.Klarna’sAIassistant,

forinstance,tackledmorethan

2.3millionconversationsinamonth11—impressive.Aswelooktothefuture,withthreeoutoffourpeopleexpectingAItobeeverywhere,12brandsthattapintothesetechnologieswillbuildstrongerconnectionswiththeiraudiences.

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 8

AMILLIONMICRO-MOMENTS

TrustandPersonalizationinAdvertising

WATCHVIDEOHERE

ByEmmelySchr?der

JuniorCommunicationConsultant,iProspectAge26,Germany

P

ersonalizedadvertisingcanbeatrickygame.Iteitherworksperfectly,oritfalls

flat.Forme,it’sonlyeffectivewhenIalreadyknowthebrand.IfItrustthem,personalizationcanenhancemyexperience.ButifIdon’t,itoftenfeelsintrusive.

Letmegiveyouanexample.IrecentlysawalamponPinterestthatIabsolutelyloved.Suddenly,Istartedseeingadsforiteverywhere,butmostlyfrombrandsIdidn’tknoworthathadpoorreputations.Despitetheeye-catchingads,Ihesitated.Itwasn’tuntilIsawthesamelampadvertisedbyOtto—abrandItrust—thatIclicked.EventhoughIhadseenitcheaperelsewhere,Ottohadearnedmytrustovertime.Thattrustmadethepersonalizedadfeelright.

Ontheflipside,whenanunfamiliarbrandtriesto

personalizeanadforme,Ioftenfindmyselfquestioningtheirreliability.Personalizationaloneisn’tenoughtoconvinceme—Ineedvalidation.Ilookforreviews,recommendationsfromfriends,orevencommentsonsocialmedia.Realpeople’sopinionsmakeallthedifference.

IfItrustthem,personalizationcanenhancemyexperience.ButifIdon’t,itoftenfeelsintrusive.

That’swhyIlovebrandslikeDuolingo.Theygetit.Theirhumorisrelatable,theyunderstandGenZ,andtheyfocusoncreatingarealconnectionthroughsocial

media.Whentheypersonalizetheircontent,italignsperfectlywiththeirbrandidentity,andthat’swhatmakesitwork.

Buthere’sthecatch:personalizationonlyworksifitfeelstruetothebrand.Ifa

companyknownforfastfashionstartspitchingsustainableproducts,I’lllosetrust.Andoncethattrustisbroken,it’shardtoregain.

Forme,personalizedadvertisinghastomatchthespecificinterestsIcareabout.Ifabrandtriestoappealtoeveryone,theyrisklosingtheindividualconnectionthatpersonalizationissupposedtocreate.

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 9

Inaworldwhererecommendationalgorithmsdictatethestorieswesee,it’simportanttorememberthatthesenarrativesstartwithhumancreativity.Asimplejokecanmorphintoameme,influencingcultureinunexpectedways.In

74%ofGenZfanslikeseeingbrandsengagewiththingstheylike.15

2025,brandswillfindtremendousopportunitiestogrowthroughdeepinterestcommunitiesandstarinfluencers.

Digitalmediathrivesonuser-generatedcontent,andtoday’screators—rangingfromvloggerstowriters—arebecomingessentialforbrands.With85%ofCMOsplanningtoboosttheir

investmentsinshort-formcontent

andinfluencermarketing,it’s

clearthey’reeagertotapintothecreatoreconomy.14

Asnichecommunitiesgaintraction,likethosefoundonRedditorinyouthculturesonappslikeXianyu,brands

needtoconnectauthenticallywiththesepassionategroups.Successfulcontentcreators,eveninB2Bspaces,areprovingtobeinfluentialpartnersforbrands.

Expecttoseemoreinnovative

businessmodelsandpersonality-drivenbrandsemergeasmarketersrecognizethetruevalueofthesecollaborations.

Power

inNiches

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 10

POWERINNICHES

HowAuthenticityShapesInfluencers

WATCHVIDEOHERE

ByMissyGoodchild

ClientExecutive–SponsorshipandConsultancy,MKTGAge23,UnitedKingdom

I

nfluencersandcontentcreatorsareeverywhere,butwhenitcomestowhoIchoose

tofollow,itallboilsdowntosharedinterests.Whetherit’smusic,fashion,orlifestylechoices,IgravitatetowardscreatorswhoalignwithwhatIenjoy.It’saboutdiscoveringfashiontips,interests,andexperiencesthatresonatewithmyworld,notjustsomethingtrendyforthesakeofit.

Whenitcomestotrustingtheirrecommendations,authenticityiskey.Ilookforcreatorswhodon’toverloadtheirfeeds

withpaidpartnerships.Theirrecommendationsshouldfeelgenuine—alignedwiththeirtrueinterests,notwhatthey’repaidtopromote.Whenacreatorsharesaproducttheyalreadyloveandthenlaterpartnerswiththebrand,itfeelssincere,likethepartnershipisbuiltonsomethingreal,notjustdollars.

Thatsaid,Idosometimesfindmyselfquestioningwhether

influencerstrulyusetheproductstheyrecommend.Whenthey’reconstantlysharingcommission-basedlinksorads,it’shardnottowonderifit’saboutthepaycheckratherthantheproduct.Imuchpreferwhentheircontentfeelsmoreauthentic—whenthey’reintheireverydaysurroundings,notonsomeperfectlystagedset.

It’sinthosemomentsthattheycomeacrossastrustworthyandrelatable.

Whenacreatorsharesaproducttheyalreadyloveandthenlaterpartnerswiththebrand,itfeelssincere,likethepartnershipisbuiltonsomethingreal.

Seeinginfluencersinrealisticenvironmentsmakesmefeellikethey’renotjustfocusedonpresentingaperfect,

commercializedimage.It’sthosedown-to-earthmomentsthatshowthey’regenuine.It’slikethey’renottryingtosellmesomething;they’reactuallysharingpartsoftheirreallives.Andthatmakestheircontent—

andtheirrecommendations—feelmorehonest.

Idoenjoyobservingthesubtleonlinecommunitiesthatformaroundsharedinterests.It’scooltoseepeoplecometogetheraroundacreatororapassion,evenifIdon’tpersonallyinteract.

Attheendoftheday,Ithinkinfluencersshouldfocuslessonoverwhelmingtheirfeedswithsponsorshipsandmoreonsharingtheproductstheygenuinelyuseandlove.Ratherthanjumpingateveryproductdeal,theyshouldprioritizebuildingauthenticconnectionswiththeirfollowers.That’swheretherealinfluencelies.

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 11

ConnectedTelevisionGetsRealScale

Greatstoriestapintoouremotions,andnothingstirsfeelingsquitelikevideo.Asvideoconsumptionevolves,

entertainmentandtechgiantsareracingtocapturethestreamingmarket,resultinginsignificantinvestmentsinlivecontentandadvertisingsolutionsthatbrandscanleveragein2025.

Sportsarethekeytokeepingviewersengaged.Streamingexecutivesknowlivesportscreatesharedexperiencesandcommunity,withrecordratingsforeventslikethe2024SuperBowldrivingviewership.16Asaresult,platformsarelockinginlong-

75%ofGenZsdonotwatchliveTVdaily.19

termsportsdeals,withAmazonpartneringwiththeNBAandNetflixteamingupwithWWE.17

Ad-supportedtiersaregainingtraction,withPrimeVideomakingitsadoptionthedefaultandpotentiallyadding50billionimpressionstoconnectedTVin2024.18Thisshiftisopeningnewopportunitiesforadvertiserstoconnectwithtargetedaudiencesinamoredynamiclandscape.

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 12

CONNECTEDTELEVISIONGETSREALSCALE

FindingMyContentinaStreamingWorld

WATCHVIDEOHERE

ByJuliaHartwig

SeniorAssociate–ClientSolutionsandPlanning,dentsuXAge25,USA

W

ithlong-formcontentavailableeverywhere,thequestionisn’t

whattowatch,buthowtodecidewhattowatch.Inaworldofendlessoptions,choicecanbeoverwhelming.Forme,TVhasbecomemygo-toforwatchinglong-formcontent.Afteralongdayofworkoncomputersandphones,sittingdowntowatchTVismywayofunwinding.

Overtheyears,myviewinghabitshavedefinitelyevolved.Istilllovekeepingupwithtrendyreality

TVshowsthatgetalotofbuzz,butIalsoenjoybinge-watchingmyfavoriteoldshows.Andmorerecently,I’vegottenintowatchingpodcasts—especiallyonesfrominfluencersIfollowonline.

Whenitcomestoplatforms,Idon’tusuallysticktojustone.I’llswitchitupbasedontheshow.IfI’meverunsureofwhattowatchnext,I’llaskfriendsfor

recommendations.Ifthatdoesn’t

work,Iheadtotheplatform’sdiscoverpage.There’salwayssomethingnewandcuratedjustforme,andit’sanicewaytofindcontentthatmatchesmyinterests.

Streaminghasrevolutionizedhowweconsumecontent,givingusmorecontroloverwhatwewatchandwhenwewatchit.

StreamingTVhasalotofbenefitscomparedtotraditionalTV.Thebiggestoneforme?Flexibility.

IlovethatIcanpauseashowwheneverIneedtoandpickituplaterwithoutmissingabeat.It

fitsperfectlyintomylifestyle.Butwiththosebenefitsalsocomesomefrustrations.TherisingcostsofsubscriptionsandthesheernumberofplatformsIneedtokeeptrackofcanbeabitmuch.

Mycontentisscatteredacrossdifferentstreamingservices,butIstillwouldn’twanttogobacktothedaysoftraditionalTV.

HavingsomanyoptionsissomethingI’vegrowntolove.Streaminghasrevolutionizedhowweconsumecontent,givingusmorecontroloverwhatwewatchandwhenwewatchit.It’snotjustaboutconvenience;it’salsoaboutpersonalization,andthatmakesallthedifference.

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 13

ThePivottoAlgorithmicPlanning

Thefutureofmarketingisshiftingintoanerathat’s100%algorithmic,meaningbrandswillneedtoprioritizealgorithm

availabilityjustasmuchastheydo

By2027,79%ofalladspendwillbedrivenbyalgorithms.20

physicalandmentalavailability.Asplatformsaimtoboostaudienceengagement,they’reconstantlyfinetuningtheirrecommendationalgorithmstodeliverpersonalizedcontent,makingAIthekeyplayerindecidingwhatinformationandadsreachconsumers.

Aftermovingfromabroadcasterafocusedonbrandbuilding,toaprecisionerathatemphasizedperformancemetrics,we’retransitioningtoanalgorithm-

drivenagewherebothbrandingandperformancematter.

Marketerswillneedtoadapttheirstrategies,usingautomationtobettertargetmicro-audiences.

ThismeansusingAItoidentifytherightsegmentsformaximumreach,expandtheiraudience,anddeterminethebestcontenttoconverteachsegment.

Additionally,brandsmustintegratetheircreativeand

mediaefforts,leveragingdynamiccreativeoptimizationasacorestrategy.Thisapproachwill

leadtofewerbuthigherqualityassets,resultinginamoresustainablemodelthatmaximizesaudienceengagementanddrivesmeaningfulresults.

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 14

THEPIVOTTOALGORITHMICPLANNING

TheAlgorithmConnection

WATCHVIDEOHERE

ByAyaDaher

MediaManager,iProspectAge24,Lebanon

M

arketingisgoingthroughamajortransformation,andhonestly,I’mherefor

it.AsaGenZ,Icarealotabouthowbrandscommunicatewithus,andthesecretsauceseemstobealgorithms.Butletmebreak

itdownforyou.Thisisn’tsolelyaboutdata;it’sabouttrustandauthenticity.

TakeTikTok,forexample.WhenIscrollthroughmyfeed,it’slikethealgorithmknowsexactlywhatIwanttosee.Itservesupcontentthatfeelspersonalandrelevant,andIdon’tevenhavetodigfor

it.It’savibe.Butthenthere’sInstagram,whichsometimesfeelsmorelikeamarketplacethanasocialplatform.It’sallads,allthetime.It’sjusttoomuch.

Brandsneedtoleveragedatatocreaterealconnections.Ifyou’retryingtoreachus,keepitnaturalandorganic.We’retired

ofbeingbombardedwithadsthatfeelforced.Whenbrandsfeelauthentic,we’remuchmorelikelytoengage.

Icarealotabouthowbrandscommunicatewithus,andthesecretsauceseemstobealgorithms.

Forme,effectivemarketingmeansstayingtruetoyouraudience.

Ifabrandtriestobeeverythingtoeveryone,itriskslosingthatspecialconnectionthatmakespersonalizationworkinthefirstplace.We’renothereforcleveralgorithmsalone;we’rehereforgenuineconnections.

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 15

RetailReshapesMedia

Retailmediaisgrowingrapidly,witha28.9%YOYincreasefueledbybrandsseekingbettermeasurementofmediainvestments.21LeadingretailerslikeAmazon,withmorethan

$50billioninadrevenue,22and

79%ofGenZbuyaproductorserviceonlineatleastonceamonth.28

Walmart,nowarmedwithVizio’s18millionactiveaccounts,23areexpandingtheiradcapabilitiesandintegratingdataacrossplatforms.Thisshiftsignalsafuturewhereretailersmaydominatenotjustretailmediabutthebroaderadvertisinglandscape.

Mediacompaniesarerespondingbyenhancingtheirshoppingcapabilities.Forinstance,Disney’spartnershipwithMercado

Libreenablesricheraudience

targeting,24whileTikToksupportsmorethan15millionglobalmerchants,25positioningitselfinthee-commercespace.

Meanwhile,paymentprocessorslikePayPal26andChase27areenteringmedia,usingfinancialdatatoofferuniqueshopperinsights.

Thisconvergenceofretail,media,andfinancesuggestsafuturewhereshopperdataiscentral

tocampaigns,withacquisitionspotentiallyreshapingtheindustryasboundariesblur.

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 16

RETAILRESHAPESMEDIA

GenZIsTiredofSocialMediaAds

WATCHVIDEOHERE

ByHarirataDiallo

ImagenInsightsCommunityMemberAge24,Switzerland

W

henI’mshoppingonacompany’splatform,

Idon’tmindtheads.

Infact,IkindoflikehowtheysuggestthingsbeforeIcheckout,ithelpsmecompareoptionsandmakeabetterchoice.Butwhenitcomestosocialmedia,I’mnotafanofadspoppingupeverywhere.Itfeelsforcedandinvasive.Igoonsocialmediatorelax,catchupwithfriends,andhavealaugh,nottobepushedintobuyingthings.

Inoticethedifferenceevenmorewithlocationchanges.When

I’minLondon,myForYoupagebecomesallaboutshoppingandbuying.Ithonestlytakesthefunoutofscrollingthroughsocialmediabecauseeverythingfeelslikeanad.ButnowthatIliveinSwitzerland,it’sdifferent.TheshoppinglawsmeanIdon’tgethitwithasmanyadsonplatformslikeTikTokandIdon’tfeelforcedtobuyanything.Idostillseesome

adsbutbecauseIcan’tcheck-outthroughthatplatform,Ifeelalotmoreincontrolsoit’sareliefnottobebombardedconstantly.

Itfeelslikeadsareeverywherenowandyoucan’tescapethem.Everyapphasalineupofadswaitingforyouassoonasyouopenit.Ithinkit’schangedwhatsocialmediawassupposedtobeabout,whichwasconnectingwithothersandhavingagoodtime.

Brandsneedtobemoremindfulofthetimeswe’rein,andnot

everyoneonlineisover18.Kidsareseeingtheseads,too,andsomemightevenusetheirparents’informationtomakepurchases,whichishowyouendupwithtrendslikekidsbuyingskincareandmakeup.It’sjusttoomuch!

ThisarticlewascontributedbyImagenInsights.

WhenI’mshoppingonacompany’splatform,Idon’tmindtheads.Infact,IkindoflikehowtheysuggestthingsbeforeIcheckout.

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 17

ABetterSupplyChain

Inaworldoverflowingwithcontentandendlessscrolling,capturingaudienceattentionanddrivinggrowthin2025willhingeonahigherquality

programmaticsupplychainthat’s

moresustainable,transparent,and

36%of18-24yearoldsintheUKwanttoseemoreplussizemodelsinadvertising.31

trustworthy.

Itallstartswithunderstandingadvertisingoutcomesbetter.Digitalmediacanmeasureeverythingfromsalesbooststocarbonemissions,andnewtechlikeeyetrackingishelping

brandsgaugeaudienceattentioninvariouscontexts.Infact,86%ofCMOsnowseeattentionmetricsascrucialformediaperformance.29

Brandsalsoneedtoprotecttheirprogrammaticadsfromfraudulentandunsafeenvironments,

usingprivatemarketplacesfortransparency.Ontheflipside,overlystrictkeywordblockingcanhurtengagement;manymissedopportunitiesariseduringhigh-profileeventsduetomisguidedsafetyconcerns.

Assustainabilitytakescenterstage,companiesareincreasinglymeasuringandreducingcarbon

emissionsfrommediaoperations,butaredoingthiswithinanincreasinglycomplex,crowded,andfragmentedtechnologylandscape.30

Withprogrammaticbuyingontherise,thefuturelookspromisingformoreeffectiveandresponsibleadvertisingstrategies.

TheGenZEffect|ShapingtheYearofImpact 18

ABETTERSUPPLYCHAIN

TheAuthenticityofAdvertising

WATCHVIDEOHERE

ByMariamKhan

StrategyDirector,dentsuXAge27,UnitedKingdom

A

dvertisingdoesmorethanpromoteproducts—itinfluenceshowpeople

seetheworld.Becauseofthis,brandshavearesponsibilitytoensuretheirmessagingreflectsthebroadrangeofexperiencesandperspectivesthatexist.Whenpeoplerecogniz