Zelene Thanzeer, written during her internship at Campaign Middle East.I’ll be honest. I skip ads. So do a lot of people I know. However, I’ve come to the realisation that I’m still being influenced and persuaded by brands – and the food, products and experiences advertisers have been trying to sell.
Before I get to the headline, let me add a bit of context: For the past few weeks, I’ve been an intern at Campaign Middle East, which has made me pay attention to advertisements through a slightly different lens. I’ve been learning from the perspectives of professionals within the marketing and advertising industry. I’ve learnt more about what they do and, more importantly, why and how they do it.
It goes without saying: they seem to know more about Gen Z than we know about ourselves. I mean, how else could they possibly persuade me to subscribe to a channel, spend time on a platform, visit a certain theme park or crave a certain scrumptious Happy Meal?
Reflecting on this, here’s my opinion on the effectiveness of ads from a Gen Z lens.
Why we’ve ‘cancelled’ digital platform-based ads
In the digital era, where every click of a button leads to a pop-up ad or not-so-discreet social media campaign, are younger audiences truly persuaded?
The Campaign Middle East team asked me for my hot take, so here it is: Yes, social media marketing was effective when it was first introduced; when it was a rare occurence. But now, it’s overly saturated and weighed down with an information overload as every other app, platform and website sponsoring and pumping out an unreasonable amount of ads.
We’ve been labelled the ‘digital-native’ generation. Hundreds of studies have been done on the time we spend on digital devices, social media platforms, and virtual arenas such as Roblox. And yet, the second someone mentions an ad, the ‘digital fatigue’ sets in.
In the stereotypical Gen Z lingo, ‘It ruins our vibe.’
Personally, I’ve seen most of us go as far as to block every ad that comes our way.
Sure, today’s teenagers and young adults seem to be a part of most brands’ segmentation – whether as convenience shoppers, thrill seekers, deal hunters or trend hoppers – but are we accurately targeted?
I’ve seen an ad for nearly every beauty label and seen how brands and content creators are collaborating on Insta and TikTok trends, but I’m not sure I’m ‘convinced’.
They’re asking for my attention – and time – but when I’ve got my feet up and wind down, these ads would get less than a millisecond of my attention.
The truth? I’d rather be scrolling for hours, watching summaries of DC character storylines, cat and dog Reels, and the occasional news update rather than spend a minute on an ad. If I scroll far enough, I can’t avoid the sponsored ad of the dancing cows (iykyk) on the first of the month, on my feed. I mean, at this point I’m a bit offended, because I don’t see myself in the same target audience as a generation of ‘brain rot’ consumers – no offense intended.
You might be familiar with the statement: ‘The algorithm works in mysterious ways,’ however, it seems to conform to a viral checklist. If you click on a trending audio, chances are, a brand has used it for an ad campaign. What I’m trying to convey is: it’s expected, and it’s getting boring.
I’d rather look at paint dry on a wall than a trend plastered on every corner of my digital feed – it’s uncanny, and you can find that many agree.
How did it go from us chasing ads to ads chasing us?
In my opinion, the slow build-up and sudden boom of social media marketing is the contributing factor. In our post-pandemic world, a five-second ‘forced’ ad has developed a negative connotation. It’s a reminder that I can’t afford to or don’t want to be forced into subscribing to a Premium version of a platform just so that I can skip it. So, imagine a brand’s ad playing at a point of time where my cortisol levels have already risen due to frustration or irritation.
Here’s a suggestion: Why not serve me an ad – contextually: when I’m scrolling on a specific app at a specific time of day when I’m diligently searching for a specific product or inspiration for an outfit for an ocassion.
Isn’t it surprisingly ironic that when we are explicitly searching for something, we don’t come across apt suggestions that could end up being rewarding, as opposed to being bombarded with a bunch of ads when all we want to do is sit and relax?
So why are we OK with OOH?
To put it simply, there is no way of ‘skipping’ or placing an ad blocker on out-of-home (OOH) billboards. Whether it’s a small Sephora digital signage inside a mall, a set of repetitive McDonald’s ads along Sheikh Zayed Road, or a massive Fantastic Four movie hoarding outside a mall, these are the ads that I remember, recall and connect with.
For others like me who spend a lot of time travelling in the Dubai Metro or waiting for the next one at a station, even the tiny static ads make an impact. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen the Skechers Go Walk shoes ad in the metro station and wondered what it would feel like to wear one of them.
There’s also a sense of familiarity in seeing the same billboards every day. They seem to be a part of the neighbourhood, almost like a landmark of friendly reassurance. And trustworthy because they’re out in the open – not sneaking up on my phone because I had a conversation about something with a close friend.
This brings me to …
Advertising in 2025 I paid attention to
If I were to take an example of a relevant and effective brand strategy that had left a tangible impression on me, it would be Sephora’s Ramadan campaign.
Branded Sephora trucks named ‘Sephora Majlis on Wheels,’ were all the buzz a couple of months back. I distinctly remember being on the school bus and hearing excited screams erupt out of nowhere.
When I looked to see what caused this uproar, I was amused to see the Sephora truck cruising alongside. Everyone on the bus had whipped out their phones to post it on social media. The irony: ‘digital natives’ who hate digital ads transformed into ‘users’ generating content (UGC) on social platforms because of an outdoor activation by a brand. Now, that’s how you get our attention.
In my opinion, finding a Sephora ad on my feed simply wouldn’t have created the same level of excitement, engagement or recall value.
Disclaimer: All said and done: Yes, this is the opinion of one Gen Z individual. Yes, this is anecdotal evidence of OOH preference. But having bounced these ideas off several of my peers, I know that I don’t stand alone.
This is less a case of ‘let’s not have digital ads’ and more a case of understand where we want them, when we want them, and how we want digital ads to be served to us.
At the end of the day, advertisements are a matter of preference. However, my time and attention are valuable, and I’m willing to engage with ads that are able to get through my filters of trust and relevance.
By Zelene Thanzeer, written during her internship at Campaign Middle East
