Most Gen Z marketing is loud, performative, and trying far too hard.
And Gen Z can smell it a mile off.
Despite record spend on TikTok, creators, and “authentic” brand voice, many DTC brands are quietly asking the same question in boardrooms and Slack threads:
“Why isn’t this working?”
The uncomfortable truth is not that Gen Z is hard to reach.
It is that most brands are optimised for the wrong version of them.
The real problem is not the channel
Over the last year, brands have doubled down on short-form video, creator partnerships, and trend-led content. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are treated as the answer.
But recent research shows a different story.
According to TikTok’s What’s Next Report 2025, Gen Z users are not looking for more branded entertainment. They are actively filtering out anything that feels like an ad, even when it comes from creators they follow.
Meanwhile, Google reports that Gen Z increasingly cross-checks brand claims across search, social, Reddit, and reviews before trusting a product.
In other words, visibility is no longer the bottleneck.
Credibility is.
Where brands are getting it wrong
From our analysis, Gen Z marketing typically breaks down in three places:
Surface-level authenticity
Brands borrow Gen Z language without adopting Gen Z values. Tone without truth never lands.One-way storytelling
Campaigns talk at Gen Z, instead of building feedback loops that let customers shape the brand.No trust infrastructure
Reviews, community proof, creator transparency, and fast feedback are treated as “nice to have”, not core GTM assets.
Gen Z does not reward brands for being present.
They reward brands for being consistent, honest, and accountable.
The shift CMOs need to make
Winning Gen Z is not about chasing trends faster. It is about tightening fundamentals:
Clear brand positioning
Visible trust signals
Feedback systems that actually inform decisions
Content that reflects lived reality, not campaign narratives
That is the gap most brands are missing.
And it is exactly what we will be unpacking throughout this newsletter. So what you waiting for? SUBSCRIBE!
Why this matters for GenZ GTM
This is the first issue of GenZ GTM.
Our goal is simple: help DTC leaders diagnose what is actually broken in their Gen Z strategy, before throwing more budget at it.
Next up, we will look at how Gen Z actually finds new brands, and why discovery today looks nothing like it did even three years ago.
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