Once influenced by the brands themselves, today's cultural trends are now shaped by Gen Z. The same traits that make this generation unique - their eye for "what's next," their focus on authenticity, and their prioritization of brand values - can be pain points for brands that aren't marketing with intent. To build loyalty with Gen Z brands need to advocate meaningfully, tap into communities to stay ahead of trends, and lean on like-minded partners.
The Verizon Media-owned company commissioned Sparkler to conduct various studies across the UK, France and Germany in which they asked over 6,000 participants to determine the value of native ad formats via behavioural tests for a set number of brands. In the UK, 31% of people said the native ads they were shown across mobile and desktop devices drove purchase intent, for banner ads the figure was 27%.