Meta has unveiled insights into the content consumption habits of Gen Z and how brands can connect with them. 

In order to help marketers understand how to connect, leverage culture, and drive commerce with this key demographic, Meta has partnered with BAMM Global to explore the social media habits and motivations of 18- to 24-year-olds in Brazil, Germany, Japan, the UK and the USA via a mix of qualitative and quantitative research.

Insights:

1. Connection Evolved - Content is the New Hello

• Sharing videos and memes has become a love language - an intimate gift for Gen Z to send loved ones throughout the day, letting them know they care. 67% have shared video content from Instagram or Facebook with family and friends.
• Perpetually seeking videos and memes that reflect their personal feelings at any given moment has invariably reshaped their relationship with content, and Gen Z has a more intimate connection with it in social media as a result.
• Gen Z also shift between apps based on mood, context, and intent; moving fluidly between platforms and the different formats within them. This includes code-switching into the 'language' of the platform, even with the same person in different places.

Putting this into action

• Brands must tailor their approach to content creation accordingly. Look for ways to break down the fourth wall through one-to-one conversations that bring the camera closer to subjects.
• Prioritising human connection delivers for brands, too. CreativeX and Kantar's data reveals that Meta ads featuring a single human or eye contact achieve 81% higher effectiveness.
• As Gen Z move fluidly between platforms, modes of communication, and even identities, reaching them on different formats across different platforms also becomes increasingly important.

2. Culture Curated - Fast & Furious (& Micro) Appetite for Video

• Personal passions shape Gen Z culture, with a shift away from mass trends and broad, mainstream content, to favouring more niche, individual, and interest-driven engagement.
• 63% of Gen Z say they actively curate their Instagram and/or Facebook feeds to be exposed to relevant content, feel more in control, and ensure their time is spent more purposefully.
• Raised on short-form video, Gen Z is used to diving into any niche that feels relevant to them. Short-form video also acts as a qualitative search engine Gen Z uses to make decisions about their lives. 81% of Instagram users told us they use it for self-development, from picking up new skills to learning about finances and nutrition.
• Micro-creators, with their niche expertise and focus, create much of the short-form video that Gen Z watches today. 71% told us they are open to hearing from niche content creators they don’t follow.

Putting this into action

• This generation has come to expect greater relevance in the content they see. That requires brands to embrace creative diversity in placement (from Reels to Stories to Feed), messaging (highlighting multiple benefits and showcasing different usage occasions), and the look of assets (ensuring it’s consistently branded but visibly differentiated at a glance).
• Marketers should aim to create a system of ideas that can come to life in a multitude of ways, rather than a narrow, singular creative concept that struggles to stretch to different mediums and messages.
• Partnering with craft creators and boosting their content to a wider audience via partnership ads is an effective way to achieve this and one that resonates with Gen Z. 94% say they like creators that use advanced technical skills.

3. Commerce Expanded - Always On Discovery

• AI-driven recommendations, short-form videos and creator content are reshaping how Gen Z finds and connects with brands, making discovery a welcome part of their online experience. 73% believe active curation leads to more relevant advertising and - across all formats available in social media - 78% say they are most likely to discover new products or brands in video.
• In an environment in which discovery is welcomed, Gen Z naturally incorporates shopping behaviours into their social media habits. They are almost always in “consideration” mode, rendering the old divide between in-market and out-of-market obsolete.
• And post-purchase, speed of response is essential too. Nearly 6 in 10 worry about getting a slow response when messaging a business directly, while 71% say they have no issue receiving an AI-generated reply.
• Gen Z are more concerned with achieving the quickest resolution possible, regardless of how it's delivered. Better AI assistants will increasingly offer the simplest, fastest way to achieve this.

Putting this into action

• In this environment of fast scrolling and recommended content, repeat exposure becomes more critical. 67% say they want to find out more about a brand or purchase a product if they have seen content or advertising for it several times on Meta.
• That means frequency takes on even more importance. Optimising for aggregate attention is integral to effectiveness, with multiple brand touchpoints building memories through volume and increasing purchase intent through variety.
• Lastly, Gen Z are not averse to commercial messaging and are sophisticated when it comes to the rules of engagement. So begin testing AI assistants for the faster response times they demand.