Webinar Recap: Engaging Gen Z in 2025

 

Catch up on Tug’s latest webinar

It’s no secret that Gen Z is a crucial market for brands to tap into – but how can businesses and agencies effectively build genuine connections and foster engagement with this audience? 

This is the topic we explored in our latest webinar, ‘Engaging Gen Z in 2025’, with our expert panel of speakers from Merlin Entertainments, Snapchat, and Tug Agency.

 

Gen Z as Digital Natives

When we talk about reaching Gen Z, and more importantly, resonating with them, it’s imperative to understand exactly who this audience is – their personal values, their online habits and what’s important to them when it comes to brands. 

Skye Jusaityte, Paid Media Account Director at Snapchat, emphasised how crucial social media and staying connected online is in Gen Z’s daily lives – “Their phone is almost an extension of themselves,” she says. In fact, Gen Z spends 72% of their digital media time using smartphone apps. 

Another key characteristic of Gen Z is that they lean into authenticity and choose to show their true selves online. This is important for brands to keep in mind when appealing to Gen Z, as this audience has become adept at spotting inauthenticity. “They want to see brands do as they say, and not just say it,” explains Skye. 

 

Appealing to and Resonating with Gen Z 

With their online habits and values in mind, it’s key for brands to adapt their strategies when it comes to reaching out to Gen Z audiences, both by using traditional search more effectively for this audience and tapping into newer opportunities, like social search. 

 

Making Existing Content Work Harder

Traditional search is still important for appealing to Gen Z audiences, but optimising it to match their search intent is key. 

Neil Goddard, Head of SEO at Tug Agency, believes it’s crucial to understand the reasons behind why someone is searching, in order to align your content with the needs and desires of your audience.

At Tug, we approach this challenge with the use of our AI-based tool, Search Intent Mining. This proprietary Tug Tool uses natural language processing technology to map the actual intent of our audience, allowing us to understand the specific motivational or emotional intent of those users. 

 

Introducing Social Search 

The key role that social media plays in Gen Z’s everyday lives, as a source of both news and entertainment, provides brands with new opportunities to diversify their marketing mix.

Neil Baker, Head of Media at Tug Agency, explains that this has prompted marketers to shift away from traditional media to digital spaces. “Traditional media has always had the dominance…but the impact of social search and Gen Z’s media consumption has led to us see digital as a far more contextually relevant place to be putting our marketing strategies across,” he says.

So, how can brands reach a Gen Z audience through social platforms, while maintaining authenticity and consistency in brand messaging? 

Neil Goddard gave some top tips for optimising for social search:

• Make sure the content format can answer search intent. For example, if someone is opting to use social search over traditional search, they may be looking for a visual answer. 
• Encourage User-Generated Content (UGC), as Gen Z is likely looking for authentic recommendations.
• Keywords are important for ranking – so make sure you’re using keyword-rich descriptions and hashtags.
• Encourage interaction to boost engagement – reply to comments and try to participate in conversations.
• Leverage what influencers and content creators are doing for social search, as they have high engagement rates and their content is seen as more authentic. 

From a brand perspective, while you want to ensure content is optimised and discoverable, it’s also crucial that it remains true to brand values and consistent with brand messaging. 

Justin Skinner, Global Digital Director at Merlin Entertainments, spoke about the importance of making sure all content serves the purpose of protecting and enhancing brand perception. 

“We’re creating content that’s fit for technology…but at the same time we need to create content that’s short form for mobile, impactful and authentic – so it has to do both jobs,” he says. 

“A brand role is to make sure we’re checking the content that we’re putting on our sites to make sure it ticks the box for a human.”

Authenticity is the name of the game when it comes to Gen Z. In order to tap into this crucial audience, brands need to build trust with their content and ensure they’re staying true to their word.

 

Want more insights on connecting with Gen Z? Watch the full webinar recording here.