How Gen Z Really Feels About Advertising and Why Some Formats Still Win

Advertising has never been more visible, yet for Gen Z it has never been easier to ignore. Raised in an always on digital world, this generation has developed an instinctive ability to filter, skip and scroll past anything that feels forced or repetitive. But that does not mean advertising has lost its influence. It means the rules have changed.

Understanding how Gen Z engages with advertising today requires moving beyond assumptions about attention spans and platforms, and instead looking at where trust, relevance and context still exist.

Why Digital Advertising Feels Overloaded

Gen Z spends more time online than any generation before them, yet this constant exposure has created saturation rather than engagement. Social feeds are crowded with sponsored posts, influencer collaborations and repeated creative formats that quickly become predictable. When advertising appears everywhere, it starts to feel interchangeable.

For many young audiences, digital ads are associated with interruption. Forced video placements, repetitive messaging and trend led content often appear when users are trying to relax or disconnect. Over time, this creates irritation rather than curiosity. The result is widespread use of ad blockers, rapid scrolling behaviour and very low recall.

The issue is not digital advertising itself. It is how often it appears without relevance or context. When ads feel unavoidable rather than useful, Gen Z switches off.

The Trust Gap in Algorithm Led Advertising

Another challenge is credibility. Gen Z is highly aware of how targeting works, which makes poorly aligned ads feel intrusive rather than personalised. Seeing a product repeatedly after a casual conversation or brief search creates discomfort, not connection.

This generation is also quick to recognise patterns. Viral trends reused by dozens of brands lose authenticity almost immediately. Once something feels engineered rather than organic, attention drops.

What Gen Z responds to instead is timing and intent. Ads that appear when someone is actively searching for inspiration or information are far more welcome than those pushed during passive scrolling.

Why Out of Home Advertising Still Cuts Through

Despite rejecting many digital formats, Gen Z consistently responds positively to out of home advertising. The reason is simple. It does not interrupt. It exists within the environment rather than competing for attention on a personal screen.

OOH advertising is experienced in public spaces where people are already alert and observant. Whether it is a billboard, transport media or large format digital screen, these ads feel part of the landscape. They are visible, tangible and harder to dismiss.

There is also familiarity in repeated exposure. Seeing the same creative on a daily commute builds recognition and trust. Unlike digital ads, OOH does not feel like it is following someone. It is open, shared and transparent.

For Gen Z, that openness matters.

Memorability Comes from Experience, Not Frequency

The most effective advertising for younger audiences is often experiential or unexpected. Physical activations, creative takeovers and humour driven outdoor campaigns are more likely to spark conversation and social sharing than any sponsored post.

Interestingly, many of these moments end up living online anyway, but the starting point is offline. When an ad becomes something worth photographing or talking about, Gen Z willingly turns it into content themselves.

This shift highlights an important truth. Gen Z does not hate advertising. They dislike advertising that wastes their time.

What This Means for Brands Moving Forward

For advertisers, the lesson is not to abandon digital channels, but to rethink how they are used alongside physical media. Gen Z values relevance, context and authenticity far more than volume.

Advertising that respects attention, appears in the right environment and feels culturally aware still works. In many cases, the formats considered traditional are now the ones that feel most trustworthy.

As Gen Z continues to shape media consumption habits, the brands that succeed will be those that understand one simple principle. Influence is not about chasing attention. It is about earning it.