Connecting with Generation Z is a challenge that continues to top the marketing agenda. However, according to research from System1, only one in three ads featuring Gen Z resonate with Gen Z viewers.

This is despite the fact that Generation Z is hugely over-represented in advertising. According to the research, 78% of UK ads feature Generation Z characters. This equates to double the representation of Millennials and almost four times higher than over-55s. 

According to System1, many campaigns fall into stereotyping and demographic generalisation, missing the emotional connection that drives effectiveness.

Using System1’s Test Your Ad platform, the study analysed 65 ads featuring Gen Z characters, tested with Gen Z men and women. Ads are assigned a Star Rating, based on emotional response, which predicts a creative’s long-term brand-building potential. Results show a marked drop in emotional impact

The research revealed that ads targeting Gen Z women saw an average 0.6-Star decline in long-term brand-building potential. While ads aimed at Generation Z men performed even worse, with a 1.5-Star drop. Spike Rating (short-term sales potential) also declined across both audiences, confirming that representation doesn’t equal resonance.

On social platforms, the gap widened even more, as resonance scores dropped by 1.7 Stars with Generation Z women and 2.5 Stars with Gen Z men, suggesting that brands are still failing to connect emotionally with Gen Z across the digital environments where they spend a lot of their time.

The wider analysis of 1,000 ads from System1’s Test Your Ad database showed that less than 1% of Generation Z portrayals address mental health, while only 6% touch on body positivity or financial pressures; three of the generation’s top concerns. The report calls on marketers to move beyond stereotypes and outlines five foundational principles for brands seeking to connect with Gen Z.

Jon Evans, Chief Customer Officer at System1 and host of the Uncensored CMO podcast, said: “The industry is obsessed with Gen Z, but it’s missing the mark. With dramas like  Adolescence highlighting the real challenges this generation faces, brands need to meet them where they are, on the platforms they use most, with content that feels emotionally real and meaningful.

He continued: “Gen Z is complex, and as an industry we’ve fallen into the trap of over-generalising and under-delivering. It’s time we stop treating them as a mystery defined by stereotypes and start seeing them as individuals shaped by their unique context and experiences.”