The $500,000 I spent on traditional advertising? Dead money. The micro-influencer campaign we ran for half that cost? Generated 10x the ROI and built an actual community around our brands. Gen Z isn’t choosing influencers over ads—they’re choosing trust over transactions.
I recently sat down with Influencer Daily to break down why this shift isn’t a trend—it’s a permanent change in how the next generation makes buying decisions.
Here’s what caught me off guard: Gen Z doesn’t hate advertising because they’re cynical. They hate it because they’re optimistic. They actually believe businesses can be authentic, transparent, and real. When a brand runs a polished ad, they see calculated manipulation. When an influencer they follow genuinely uses a product? That’s just information from someone they trust.
My golf coaches used to say, “Show me your practice routine, and I’ll show you your tournament results.” Same principle applies here. Gen Z grew up watching influencers document their actual lives—the wins, the failures, the mundane Tuesday afternoons. They learned to spot authenticity from a mile away because they’ve been trained by thousands of hours of unfiltered content.
At Pabs Marketing, we’ve completely restructured how we approach campaigns. Traditional marketing pushes a message at people. Influencer marketing starts with “Who does our target audience already listen to?” The difference in engagement rates isn’t marginal—it’s often 500-800% higher.
The controversial part? Most businesses are approaching this backwards. They’re trying to turn influencers into ad channels instead of building genuine partnerships. Gen Z sees through that instantly.
If you’ve ever wondered why your perfectly crafted marketing campaigns fall flat with younger audiences, or if you’re curious about how to actually connect with Gen Z without looking like you’re trying too hard, this conversation breaks down the psychology and strategy behind what works now.
Read the full article on Influencer Daily to see how we’re implementing these strategies across multiple companies and why traditional marketing playbooks need to be rewritten from scratch.
The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing—it feels like a friend making a recommendation.