Not Another Gen Z Report: Almost 4 in 5 Ads Feature Them, But Only 1 in 3 Actually Connect

October 15, 2025 at 09:00 AM EDT

System1’s ‘Seeing Gen Z’ report reveals a growing gap between representation and real emotional connection with the most-talked-about generation.

System1, The Creative Effectiveness Platform, today released a new study that challenges how advertisers are portraying Gen Z. The “Seeing Gen Z” report finds that 93% of U.S. ads feature Gen Z characters, doubling that of Millennial representation and nearly quadrupling that of audiences over 55.

Despite this over-representation, the research exposes a critical flaw: nearly all ads feature Gen Z but only one-third connect. Many campaigns fall into stereotyping and demographic generalization, missing the emotional connection that drives effectiveness.

Using System1’s Test Your Ad platform, the study analyzed 65 ads featuring Gen Z characters, tested with Gen Z men and women. Ads are assigned a Star Rating, based on emotional response, which predicts a creative’s long-term brand-building potential. Results show a marked drop in emotional impact:

Ads targeting Gen Z women saw an average 0.6-Star decline in long-term brand-building potential.
Ads aimed at Gen Z men performed even worse, with a 1.5-Star drop.
Spike Rating (short-term sales potential) also declined across both audiences, confirming that representation doesn’t equal resonance.

On social platforms, the gap widened even more, as resonance scores dropped by 1.7 Stars with Gen Z women and 2.5 Stars with Gen Z men, suggesting that brands are still failing to connect emotionally with Gen Z across the digital environments where they spend a lot of their time. The wider analysis of 1,000 ads from System1’s Test Your Ad database showed that less than 1% of Gen Z portrayals address mental health, while only 6% touch on body positivity or financial pressures; three of the generation’s top concerns. The report calls on marketers to move beyond stereotypes and outlines five foundational principles for brands seeking to connect with Gen Z.

5 Surprising Insights About What Really Works (and What Doesn’t) with Gen Z

Forget the clichés about short attention spans and social media trends, System1’s ‘Seeing Gen Z’ report reveals a more nuanced picture of how the generation actually responds to advertising.

1.	Overexposed, Under-Connected: Gen Z make up just 25% of the US population, yet they appear in almost 4 in 5 ads and 35% feature a Gen Z protagonist. Representation is high, but connection is not: showing Gen Z faces isn’t the same as creating stories that resonate emotionally.

2.	Tech Talk Turns Them Off: Ads that reference phones or AI saw a drop in appeal; down 0.7 Stars with Gen Z women and 0.3 Stars with Gen Z men. Trying to appear “modern” often ends up feeling impersonal or forced.

3.	Humor Helps When It Has Heart: Humorous ads performed better when they tackled meaningful topics such as mental health or climate change, increasing appeal by +0.6 Stars with women and +0.5 Stars with men. Substance made the humor more relatable.

4.	Family Beats Fame: Family and inter-generational stories generated the biggest lift of all; over 1-Star higher than celebrity-led campaigns. Ads that show genuine relationships and shared experiences feel more timeless and relatable to Gen Z.

5.	Authenticity Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All: Advertisers are still treating Gen Z as a monolith, but even a simple gender split reveals big differences. Gen Z women were more engaged by sports narratives, while Gen Z men responded more to stories centered on kindness and generosity. Authenticity doesn’t mean a single tone, it means understanding the nuances within the generation.

Jon Evans, Chief Customer Officer at System1 and host of the Uncensored CMO podcast says:

“The industry is obsessed with Gen Z, but it’s missing the mark. With dramas like Adolescence highlighting the real challenges this generation faces, brands need to meet them where they are, on the platforms they use most, with content that feels emotionally real and meaningful.

“Gen Z is complex, and as an industry we’ve fallen into the trap of over-generalizing and under-delivering. It’s time we stop treating them as a mystery defined by stereotypes and start seeing them as individuals shaped by their unique context and experiences.”

To download the report, visit: https://system1group.com/seeing-gen-z

About System1:

System1 is The Creative Effectiveness Platform that harnesses the power of emotion to drive growth for the world's leading brands.

Our Test Your Ad (TYA) and Test Your Innovation (TYI) solutions quickly predict the short- and long-term commercial potential of ads and ideas, giving marketers confidence that their creative concepts will resonate with consumers and drive profitable commercial growth. Complementing TYA and TYI is Test Your Brand (TYB), which measures the impact of ads and ideas on brand health.

With a database of over 100,000 ads, System1 allows brands to compare their ads against competitors, and System1’s expert guidance helps brands improve the effectiveness of ads and ideas.

System1 was founded in 2000 by Founder & President John Kearon and has operations in Europe, North America, Brazil, Singapore, and Australia. For more information, visit system1group.com or follow us @System1 on LinkedIn.