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Gen Zers鈥� and millennials鈥� encounters with affiliate marketing are the inverse of what Gen Xers and baby boomers encounter. Younger generations are social first; older generations begin in a web browser. There was a nearly 30-point gap between the share of baby boomers who had seen affiliate ads on YouTube (28.5%) and the share of Gen Zers who had seen such ads (58.0%).

Forty percent of Gen Z adults prefer TikTok over going to a medical professional because it doesn鈥檛 cost anything, according to a Zing Coach survey published in May 2024. This was by far the top answer among Gen Zers when asked why they like to get health information from TikTok. Getting quick responses to health inquiries matters, too.

TikTok also contributed $50,000 to a party for Gen Z Trump supporters and allies, per Politico. Apple and Google remove ByteDance apps from stores: While TikTok restored service for existing users, Apple and Google have yet to reinstate it to their app stores, which means the app can't be downloaded or updated. Apple also summarily removed ByteDance鈥檚 other apps, including Lemon8 and CapCut.

More than half (53.5%) of Gen Zers use social media for direct messaging. Promoting content that鈥檚 enjoyed by peers could provide a reprieve from the ads and divisive political content that can push social media users away. Brand benefits: Threads has mostly lacked any business-forward tools, but as it gears up to launch ads, it may be focused on building out offerings for brands.

Nonalcoholic beer, wine, and spirits retail sales in the US grew 31.3% YoY in 2024, per a November report from Circana. 83% of Gen Z adults typically buy alcohol in-store at a supermarket or liquor store, according to an October 2024 survey from Attest.

No. 1 in Q3: Gen Zers think TikTokers should be legally liable for health advice. The data: Some 63% of Gen Zers believe TikTok creators should be held legally accountable for the accuracy of the health-related advice they post, per a Zing Coach survey. Why it matters: Gen Zers have a magnetic-like affinity for TikTok.

Robust apps are especially important to Gen Zers. US Gen Z mobile banking users (ages 18 to 26) have above-average interest in six innovative digital money management features, per our September 2023 US Mobile Banking Emerging Features survey. This reveals an opportunity for banks to deepen their Gen Z relationships beyond typical mobile banking functionalities.

Concerns about teen mental health have spiked鈥攁 recent Gallup survey found that one in three Gen Z teens feel the need to be 鈥減erfect鈥� due to social media鈥攁nd regulators around the world are beginning to push back.

Temu soars while Shein matures: While both firms quickly won over US shoppers鈥攑articularly Gen Z and millennials鈥擲hein鈥檚 momentum has slowed as it struggles to keep pace with its deep-pocketed rival. Temu鈥檚 gross merchandise value (GMV) reached $20 billion in the first half of 2024, surpassing last year鈥檚 $18 billion, per a Chinese media report.

However, some valuable demographics have expressed wariness about AI's use, with Gen Z more prone to view AI-created ads negatively. As Gen Zers now make up 20% of the US population, that's an audience that advertisers cannot ignore. Over a quarter of Gen Z consumers (26%) said they would describe a brand as "fake" for running an AI-created ad, compared with 13% of millennials.

While using social for search isn鈥檛 new鈥�Gen Z has preferred researching brands on social media over search engines since 2020, according to GWI Core鈥擡nberg predicts that platforms will account for more of traditional search budgets in 2025. The missing piece these platforms must prove to advertisers is that they can reach consumers who already know what they鈥檙e looking for, she said.

Dutch Bros鈥� secret sauce helps it defy gravity: The coffee chain is thriving at a time when macroeconomic headwinds are creating clear challenges for companies like Starbucks and McDonald鈥檚.

Many young consumers view their favorite creators as one of their 鈥渇riends鈥� and therefore tend to follow their advice: Almost half of Gen Zers (48%) and 44% of millennials trust products recommended by influencers, per YouGov. Our take: Relying on word-of-mouth marketing also creates risks for credit card providers鈥攖hey can鈥檛 control the message being spread.

US Gen Zers鈥� top financial priority is saving. Canadian banks鈥攍ike those in the US鈥攁re still grappling with loan losses caused by high levels of defaults from customers paying back their debt. This article is part of 蘑菇AV鈥檚 client-only subscription Briefings鈥攄aily newsletters authored by industry analysts who are experts in marketing, advertising, media, and tech trends.