Marketing to Gen Z in 2025

As Gen Z now holds consumer purchasing power, brands are looking to extend their marketing efforts to reach this generation. In order to connect with this target audience effectively, you need to look at the context in which they grew up as well as what Gen Z values. Then you can understand their needs, preferences, and motivations. Equipped with Generation Z insights, you can drive value that converts.

What you’ll learn in this article: 

• Moments and events shaping Gen Z
• Difference between Millennials and Gen Z
• What platforms to market to Generation Z on
• Content format preferences
• Pain points and values

Who is Gen Z: Age range of Generation Z

Who is Generation Z (Gen Z) and how do brands reach them? Gen Z is the generation following Millennials. People born between 1997 and 2012 are considered Gen Z, sometimes referred to as Zoomers. 

Moments and events shaping Generation Z

With any generation, there are historical events and critical moments that affect each group. Consider the following:

• The 2008 financial crisis 
• The rise of TikTok 
• The Covid-19 Pandemic 
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Social justice movements

These prominent events are major influencers in how Gen Z thinks and behaves.

The difference between Millennials vs. Gen Z

Besides age, there are key differences between Millennials and Generation Z. In order to shift your marketing strategy, you need to know the nuances of Gen Z. You can’t merely copy and paste your strategy for Millennials and expect it to produce the same results for the next generation. Here are six considerations when building your marketing strategy for Gen Z:

1. Tech and communication: Millennials adapted to social media Vs. Gen Z who are digital natives.
2. Work and career: Millennials value work-life balance Vs. Gen Z who prioritizes financial stability and mental health.
3. Consumer behavior: Millennials prefer experience-focused travel vs. Gen Z prefers affordability and sustainability.
4. Brand loyalty and marketing: Millennials like brands with strong identities and social values vs. Gen Z who prefers authenticity and influencer marketing. 
5. Social and political views: Millennials advocate for change, driven by activism vs. Gen Z is more pragmatic and skeptical. 
6. Entertainment and media: Millennials prefer long-form content vs. Gen Z prefers short-form video.

Let’s dive a little deeper into the differences between Millennials and Gen Z. Once you understand these factors, your brand can refine its marketing strategy and brand communication. 

1. Millennials adapted to social media Vs. Gen Z who are digital natives. This explains Millennials’ preference to texts, emails, and curated content. Whereas, Gen Z was raised on smartphones and social media. As a result, they prefer short-form videos, Direct Messages (DMs), and real-time interactions (TikTok, Snapchat).
2. Millennials value work-life balance Vs. Gen Z who prioritizes financial stability and mental health. You’ll find Millennials seeking out passion-driven careers while Gen Z has a tendency to prioritize flexibility and is more open to contract work or gig work. 
3. Millennials prefer experience-focused travel vs. Gen Z prefers affordability and sustainability. Millennials are drawn to travel, dining experiences, and self-improvement. As a general rule, they prefer brands with strong ethics who take a stance. Gen Z on the other hand, prefers second-hand shopping and digital goods. 
4. Millennials like brands with strong identities and social values vs. Gen Z who prefers authenticity and influencer marketing. Millennials are loyal to brands they align with, whereas Generation Z has low brand loyalty and defers to trusted influencers and user-generated content (UGC) to make purchasing decisions.
5. Millennials advocate for change, driven by activism vs. Gen Z is more pragmatic and skeptical. Millennials like to be optimistic and outspoken, whereas Generation Z are sensible and care more about inclusivity, diversity, and mental health.
6. Millennials prefer long-form content vs. Gen Z prefers short-form video. Think Netflix, Spotify, podcasts, etc. and you’ve got Millennials engaged. On the other hand, Gen Z likes quick TikTok videos, YouTube Shorts, interactive content, and meme culture. 

Now that we understand how Millennials and Gen Z differ, we can move on to how Gen Z spends their time online. 

What Social Media Platforms are Gen Z on?

We covered who Gen Z is, but where is Generation Z? Where do they hang out? Gen Z are digital natives, fluent in online platforms. They are often found on the following social media platforms: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. 

It’s notable that TikTok and Instagram are the two most used platforms for Gen Z. According to a Sprout Social study, “91% of Gen Z social media users are on Instagram and another 86% are on TikTok.” By focusing on these platforms, brands can market to Gen Z, building that relationship.

Content format preferences for Gen Z in 2025

TikTok is widely responsible for the adoption of short-form video content, creating broader opportunities for trendsetting and virality. With the uncertainties facing the platform’s survival due to the Supreme Court ruling, brands are faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to build their social media presence on this platform. While social media is a powerful tool for businesses, events like this is a reminder that diversification and owned content are important pieces to any marketing strategy.

In any case, short-form video has spread to other platforms, including Instagram reels and YouTube shorts. Even LinkedIn is changing their mobile platform to make video content more prominent. 

While short-form videos are taking social media by a storm, static images are making a comeback in 2025. Along with memes and nostalgia, here’s another major reason brands shouldn’t sleep on static images: it’s becoming a novelty. Any time the masses move in a singular direction, that content form becomes saturated and loses its effectiveness over time. When you go against the grain, your brand will cut through the noise. 

Additionally, images are quicker to consume, and Generation Z tends to have a shorter attention span. This leads to their preference of consuming bite-size content over long-form content. Gen Z humor lends itself to nonsensical memes and digestible graphic design content. 

Pain points and values

What does Gen Z expect and what frustrates them? Based on the era Gen Z has grown up in and the state of the current digital age, here are pain points brands need to address:

• Affordability and value. With inflation and the current job market, Gen Z is financially conscious and leans toward products and purchases that maximize their resources. 
• Authenticity and trust. There’s a skepticism towards brands that are trying too hard or lack authenticity. Gen Z can spot a faker a mile away, and they don’t appreciate brands they perceive as performative. 
• Sustainability. This generation is environmentally and socially conscious. They care about where products come from, how they are made, and minimizing waste.   
• Convenience. They likely don’t remember a world without the modern conveniences of fast internet, mobile-friendly sites, online shopping, and Amazon prime. They expect first-class experiences online and immediate gratification. There is little tolerance for slow loading sites. One interesting thing to note is that Gen Z does prefer omnichannel shopping. They combine social commerce (buying directly through social media platforms), online shopping, and in-store experiences. 
• Personalization. Generation Z does not like mass communication or impersonalized experiences. They expect a unique and customized experience that caters to their needs.
• Social proof & community influence. They put a lot of stock in recommendations from influencers as well as social media buzz. It would be detrimental to a brand to not engage with customers online or to ignore feedback. Gen Z desires connection and a sense of belonging with brands. 
• Innovation. With AI and cutting edge technology, Generation Z wants to pay digitally and enjoy AI technology such as AR try-ons and AI recommendations. They really don’t appreciate poor UI/UX, making it critical to optimize your website for user experience, whether you have an eCommerce site or service-based business.

Make sure to take these values and pain points into consideration in order to resonate with Gen Z effectively. 

Conclusion 

We’ve covered quite a lot about Gen Z and how brands can connect with them as a target audience. From understanding what shapes, engages, and motivates Gen Z, brands can build out effective digital marketing strategies. These insights may vary based on location as well as your niche. It’s important to gather feedback from your customers and adjust your marketing strategy so you can best serve your target audience. 

If you need help with digital marketing, website UI/UX, eCommerce, or strategy, Never Settle is an award-winning, full-service agency. We partner with brands to help them reach their full potential. Contact our team to start a conversation and see if we’re a good fit.