Gen Z Said: You’ve Got 5 Seconds, Impress Me, No Pressure Though

We live in an era of infinite scroll and zero patience. Attention spans are shorter than a Reels transition, and every thumb-swipe is a judgment call. Doomscrolling has become a reflex; we binge news, memes, and micro-videos in one blur of dopamine hits and existential dread. The internet doesn’t pause; it refreshes.

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Brands have had to evolve just to survive in this chaos. Storytelling isn’t slow anymore; it’s snackable. You have five seconds to be funny, clever, shocking, or stunning and then it’s on to the next thing.

Gen Z doesn’t have a short attention span. They just have standards. If something doesn’t grab them instantly, it’s gone faster than you can say skip ad. They grew up juggling ten apps at once, so unless your campaign hits like espresso on an empty stomach, good luck getting noticed.

For advertisers, that means the first five seconds aren’t the warm-up; they’re the whole show. So what actually catches their eye?

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Colour that screams.
Sound that tingles.
Stories that feel real.
And nostalgia, food, or a little absurdity never hurt either.

The Nostalgia Trap

Nothing gets Gen Z like a throwback with a twist.

Brands have figured out that nostalgia doesn’t need to be old- it just needs to feel familiar.
Remember the Happydent palace ad? It’s back in meme form every few months - because people still quote it like gospel. Or 5 Star’s Ramesh–Suresh duo, who walked so lazy marketing could run. Even Pepsi’s ‘Yeh Dil Maange More’ era is resurfacing on TikTok in sound edits and streetwear inspo.

For Gen Z, nostalgia isn’t about memory, it’s about irony. They love what’s retro, but only when it’s repackaged with self-awareness.

The CGI Supremacy

Colour, Prints, and the Pucci Effect

No one’s doing dopamine visuals like Pucci. Those swirling, kaleidoscopic prints? Impossible to scroll past. They don’t whisper luxury; they scream it in HD.

It’s colour therapy on steroids - Gen Z’s kind of chaos.

Metaverse Madness

Remember when Gucci hosted an entire supper in the metaverse? It was absurd, fabulous, and very on-brand. The internet didn’t even know whether to laugh or RSVP- and that’s exactly the point.

Luxury went digital, and Gen Z followed, screenshots and all.

Brands That Text Back (And Flirt a Little)

Some brands don’t need visuals, they just slide into your notifications.

Duolingo, Swiggy, and Zomato have cracked the attention code with push messages that sound like your chaotic best friend.
“Your biryani misses you.” “He’s typing... in Spanish.” It’s not marketing. It’s personality.

The result? You open the app, not because you have to but because you’re curious.

The Collab Era

When you can’t beat the algorithm, you collaborate with it.

Kim Kardashian’s Skims x Lana Del Rey-  Lana served tragic 60s siren energy; red velvet, white cats, heartbreak chic - while Kim turned minimal shapewear into cinematic seduction.
It wasn’t a campaign, it was a fever dream in lingerie ; the internet didn’t scroll past, it double-tapped in devotion.

Nike x NorBlack NorWhite played the opposite card: colour, motion, and cultural pride. The collection celebrated India’s textile legacy through sport, proving that authenticity is still the ultimate flex.

And Torani’s Juloos? A visual poem that reminded everyone that storytelling, when done right - can trend without trying too hard.

The Music Moments

Spotify Wrapped has become the Super Bowl of self-obsession. Every December, Gen Z collectively turns into unpaid brand ambassadors, flooding stories with pastel data charts and “my top artist is Drake again” confessions.

Speaking of Drake - he dropped a website that lets you peek into his house. Yes, you literally explore his mansion through your screen. It’s weird, intimate, and so irresistibly on-brand that even non-fans clicked in.

The Denim Drama

Fantasy, Barbie Pink, and the Internet’s Obsession with Escapism

The Airbnb x Barbie Dreamhouse collab was a pink fever dream come to life. A real-life rental straight out of a toy box. Within hours, it was fully booked and fully viral.

It tapped into what Gen Z loves most nostalgia, irony, and the chance to post something that screams “main character energy.”

Dunkin’s Pop Princess Era

When Dunkin’ does celebrity collabs, they don’t just pour coffee they serve culture. After Charli D’Amelio’s cold foam and Ice Spice’s munchkin moment, the brand crowned its new caffeine queen: Sabrina Carpenter.

In honour of her chart-topping single Espresso, Dunkin’ dropped Sabrina’s Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso a flirty, caramel-coded drink that felt straight out of her music video universe. From the campaign’s bubblegum pink visuals to Sabrina’s signature wink (and kiss mark branding, of course), the collab was a Gen Z fever dream in a cup.

The commercial? A chaotic masterpiece titled “Shakin’ That Ess” - hilarious, a little unhinged, and perfectly on-brand for Sabrina. It didn’t just sell coffee; it sold character.

What made it work? Timing and tone. The campaign hit right when Espresso was everywhere - TikTok edits, playlists, memes riding the wave instead of forcing it. And by embracing Sabrina’s cheeky, internet-native energy, Dunkin’ made a campaign that didn’t feel like marketing; it felt like an inside joke the whole internet was in on.

Because when your brand sounds like the soundtrack to the moment, people don’t scroll past. They sip.

KFC and Cadbury Make Simplicity Go Viral

So What Works?

The formula’s simple, but deadly precise:
Make it pretty. Make it loud. Make it weird.
Give us nostalgia, food, or a punch of personality.

Because Gen Z doesn’t want ads that talk at them, they want ones that talk like them.
Fast. Funny. Fearless.

The scroll never stops. But if your first five seconds do, you’ve won.