There’s a common narrative around Gen Z: they have short attention spans, they’re chronically online, and they’re disengaged. And to reach them, marketers need to jump on the hottest microtrend and flood them with content.
But after a year of building Sunnie, Hello Sunshine’s Gen Z-focused media, experiential, and lifestyle brand, I don’t believe Gen Z has the attention problem that most people assume.
When something catches their interest, they’ll spend hours exploring endless rabbit holes—reading books, rummaging thrift store racks, and yes, scrolling through TikToks.
They aren’t incapable of paying attention, they’re just decisive about what deserves it—especially in today’s over-saturated media environment.
Being intentional about what deserves their time—and their joy—is a way for them to reclaim control and agency.
Here’s how marketers can crack the Gen Z code:
Start with a community-first strategy vs a social-first strategy
One of the biggest misconceptions about Gen Z is that their lives happen entirely online. With the loss of third spaces, Gen Z is yearning to take the group chat offline. Social platforms are often where their discovery starts, but we’re increasingly seeing that they’re looking for continued connection beyond social media.
Ninety percent of Gen Z girls value brands that help create opportunities for real-world connection, according to a study we conducted with Westfield Rise. We also found that 73% view malls as a primary social gathering place. They’re not necessarily shopping, but looking for somewhere to spend time together.
The brands that are breaking through today understand that offline communities are often more important than the online ones, and in-person vibes cannot be replicated.
Dig the rabbit hole, don’t build the billboard
Traditional marketing often focuses on reach, but we’ve found that Gen Z responds to targeted depth.
Whether it’s wellness, fashion, sports, or niche internet culture, this generation is constantly exploring rabbit holes that help them discover who they are. The deeper they go, the more they find a sense of belonging. The opportunity for brands is to be part of these journeys and to build alongside their consumers.
Some of the most successful experiences we’ve created at Sunnie, such as Sunniefest or Sunnie Reads, have worked because we created passion-based communities—we built third spaces where Gen Z immediately felt like they belonged.
For us, the goal wasn’t exposure, it was creating energy that can only be felt in-person and building low pressure environments that allow Gen Z to follow their curiosities and find community.
