Gen Z Playbook_WRM X Abbys

A Gen Z Playbook for brands in Social 3.0 Presented by Mitesh Kothari, CCO and Co Founder, White Rivers Media

What got me excited… Gen Z folks at WRM Our very own intelligence vertical 400+

The Faulty Lens to Gen Z Reality Beyond The Feed Social 3.0 Brands That Belong What to expect The Cheatsheet

The struggle is rarely about understanding Gen Z. It’s how we have learned to see them

The Tiktok Fallacy Faulty Lens #1 “We treat attention as something to capture”. But today, attention is earned and filtered through relevance, identity fit, and immediate value.

Linguistic Entrophy Faulty Lens #2 “We use the slang and think it has made the cut into Gen Z culture” But it fails because we’ve stripped of the cultural context that gave it meaning.

Monolithic Identity Faulty Lens #3 “ We create visual stories of a single, templatised version of Gen Z” In reality, the Gen Z identity is fluid, contextual, and constantly negotiated. They like to see themselves that way.

Using Humor as a shield Faulty Lens #4 “We treat humour as a format to entertain and gain virality” They use it to express discomfort, vulnerability, and truth in a way that feels safe to share.

The Truths We Don’t See on the Feed Beyond the picket fence…

SEEKERS OF RADICAL AUTONOMY are driven by passion not just pay. 49% of Gen Z say their goal is to be their own boss. 42% The 9-to-5 is no longer a default. It’s a constraint. Source : Intuit’s 2024 consumer

Source : Performing Prosperity: Instagram-Driven Social Comparison and Aspirational Overconsumption Among Generation Z in Urban India SOCIAL CAPITAL IS THEIR NEW CURRENCY Indian Gen Z has turned peer validation into a regressive tax. Today, nearly of their financial distress is self-inflicted. It is a direct price paid to maintain digital social capital. 30%

RETRACING THEIR LOCAL IDENTITIES Source : The Cultural Dualities of Gen Z, Kantar & ET Brandverse. Having found the Western lifestyle to be a source of burnout and 'cultural untethering,' nearly of the generation is pivoting back to Indic roots 2/3rd In a world of curated selves, cultural roots are what make identity feel real.

TRAPPED WITHOUT AN ARMOUR OF COMPETENCE of Indian Gen Z experience "Acute Decision Paralysis" 45% Source : The Cultural Dualities of Gen Z, Kantar & ET Brandverse. Deloitte - Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey: India Focus. fell into the "Silent Witness" or "Self-Preserver" categories—actively avoiding confrontation to maintain their own social safety 62%

How Gen Z Is Rewriting Brand Behaviour on social Into the Social 3.0 ocean

Social 1.0 Social 2.0 Social 3.0 Shallow Social Performative Social Deep Social “ Where connection existed without depth” “Where you expressed for the audience” “Where identity and emotional utility are intertwined”

Codes of Social 3.0 Cultural Co-Authorship Culture is no longer merely consumed, it is continuously produced, shaped, and filtered by users, turning participation and curation into everyday acts of strategic identity-making. These cultural fragments become a form of social currency, signalling taste, values, and belonging Networked Intimacy Against a backdrop of rising loneliness, Social 3.0 fosters networked intimacy, creators becoming the new meaning-makers, micro-tribes built on shared interests, offering a sense of belonging and pebbling of cultural fragments for low-stakes belonging. Contextual Expression Social 3.0 fragments identity across platforms, with each space serving a different social purpose, creating an identity stack - signalling taste, building credibility, or cultural membership, making expression contextual rather than authentic. Content Companionship taste, building credibility, or cultural membership, making expression contextual rather than authentic. Content Companionship Content has evolved from discrete media objects into a form of everyday companionship - News is processed through memes, micro-dramas enable effortless escapism, audio offers intellectual company, “with me” videos simulate togetherness, soothing videos offer digital rest stops, content now fills the gaps of daily life beyond informing & entertaining.

This leads to a new relationship between Gen Z and their expection from brands in this new social reality

They grew up on creators with distinct voices, opinions, and aesthetics. They’ve been conditioned to follow people So when a brand shows up sounding like every other brand or like distant personas, it reads as nobody home are more receptive to brands that carry a personality and “act human” I want Brands to have a Unique Personality 82% Distinctiveness is no longer optional. A voice that build memory structures is survival mechanism in a feed that never stops moving

I want brands to vibe with me and my values want to invest their time in brands that are purposeful and stand for something they believe in 85% Zoomers have developed an almost instinctive ability to detect hollow marketing speak. They are constantly reading signals — who you collaborate with, how you show up, what you ignore Aligning actions with intent build far deeper credibility than those that signal purpose episodically [Speaker notes] https://img.etb2bimg.com/files/cp/upload-1751519705-et-x-snapchat-genz-index-powered-by-kantar-q1-2025.pdf Change example

Keep your audience coming back for more is by making ownable and entertaining content I want brands to entertain me Gen Z prefer brands that are entertaining. They grew up with entertainment completely on demand. YouTube, memes, reels — they never had to sit through boring. Its the water they swim in 9/10 Their threshold for content that doesn’t immediately give them something — a laugh, a feeling, a reaction — is basically zero

Zoomers lean more into brands that take content as cultural commentary and actively engage with the things they are speaking of than brands that show up late and feel like an outsider looking in I want brands to keep with the social culture and move with me 80% Strive to feel ‘forever-in-plug’ and merge the ethos of your brand with the ‘timely’ and playful demeanor of the lean internet culture Gen Z doesn’t watch culture happen. They’re inside it — making references, starting trends and moving on. [Speaker notes] https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/youtube-trends-fandom-report-india-2024.pdf

They want brands to have a two-way communciation with them. Gen Z grew up in comment sections, reply threads, Discord servers. For them, conversation was never separate from content — it was part of it. I want brands to engage with me Don’t just perform social presence and make your audience feel recognised. A brand that only speaks in captions is a brand that’s still broadcasting [Speaker notes] https://www.okcool.io/wp-content/uploads/LET-THEM-EAT-LORE.pdf

Design for participation, not passive consumption I want to help shape the brands I like 83% Gen Z identify as creators - illustrating their creative ambition They treat creativity as an extension of their identity and are looking for the co-creator status from brands to express that creativity [Speaker notes] https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/youtube-trends-fandom-report-india-2024.pdf

What Winning Looks Like Now Brands That Are Getting It Right

They are owning the “Everyday speak” approach. It may look off-the-cuff, but underneath is a consistent, pre-defined voice and strategy that builds long-term familiarity and recall. The approach ensures these brands are remembered not for a one-off stunt, but for an ongoing personality that audiences return to. Built distinct, long-term personalities on social through cheeky bios, irreverent language, fan-gril vibes that audiences instantly recognise Their unhinged, Gen Z-favourite content style challenges the default “corporate voice,” carving out a niche of cultural freshness While their posts often look spontaneous, the consistency of humor, relatability, and visual cues is a deliberate choice — creating memory structures that signal this could only be done by them I want Brands to have a Unique Personality IN ACTION: They don’t just speak at their audience; they embed themselves in the daily cultural lexicon — memes, trending formats, and playful banter that feel like part of everyday scroll culture.

I want brands to keep with the social culture and move with me IN ACTION: These brands don’t try to echo every conversation, they step into ones the internet is already invested in by adding a distinct, brand-led perspective. This ensures they’re contributing to culture, not interrupting it, avoiding forced relevance and instead earning participation. The outcome is perception of the brand as something that’s alive - constantly present, evolving, and moving at the same pace as the audience it’s trying to connect with. Their content builds on trending conversations, turning them into contextual category education. This allows them to drive relevant reach while establishing a distinct thought leadership position.

The comments section is part of the content. From witty replies to chaotic banter, Duolingo extends the experience beyond the post — turning interactions into entertainment. They treat engagement as content, not backend. By responding to mentions and audience content, they stay present in real-time culture. This makes them feel more human, approachable, and worth engaging with. I want Brands to engage with Me IN ACTION: The comments and mentions become part of the brand content. Zomato turns everyday mentions into entertaining posts, making people come to them for their voice, not just the service.

These brands make consumers feel like participants, not just buyers. By involving audiences in conversations, decisions and brand moments, they create a sense of ownership that turns passive consumers into active brand advocates. I want to help shape the brands I like IN ACTION: They position consumer feedback as a key part of product evolution. By actively responding to suggestions and shaping innovations around audience inputs, UnderNeat makes consumers feel like they’re helping build the brand alongside them. They turn audiences into insiders by opening up brand moments for participation. From playful hiring campaigns to behind-the-scenes experiences, KitKat makes consumers feel personally involved in the world of the brand.

These brands don’t just sell products—they build around shared values. By consistently showing up for causes, communities and cultural beliefs their audience relates to, they create deeper emotional alignment beyond the purchase. I want brands to vibe with me and my values IN ACTION: They take sustainability beyond the product and into real-world action. Through clean-up drives, awareness initiatives and youth participation, Beco makes audiences feel like they’re contributing to a larger movement Their brand world is rooted in conscious living, nature and sustainability. It consistently builds a lifestyle that reflects the values their audience wants to associate with.

These brands don’t always lead with the product, they lead with a distinct content world. By building entertainment formats, personalities and pop-culture spaces audiences genuinely enjoy, they create relevance people return to beyond utility. I want brands to entertain me IN ACTION: They build content around a recurring character audiences recognise and return to. Through Suraksha’s dry, unfiltered personality, even everyday interactions become entertaining moments that feel like part of an ongoing series. They have an extension as a pop-culture hub. From movie recommendations to entertainment updates, Vi Pop builds a content-first ecosystem where the brand stays subtle, letting culture and utility drive audience interest.

Z O S T P S EITGEIST ELFHOOD Be a part of the emotional and cultural mood of the moment Know what role your brand plays in identity construction of the consumer ARTICIPATION Turn your audience into collaborators Build recognisable brand behaviour WNABILITY ENSIONS IGNALS Tap into real contradictions of everyday life of the consumer Understand what choosing your brand means to them

Brand Spotlight [Speaker notes] Dhurandhar case study Gukesh Myntra BGMI in game - YT Vijay Sales

Brands are no longer competing for attention. They are competing to become part of people’s identities, conversations, and culture. In Social 3.0, relevance is not claimed. It is continuously earned.

Thank You Presented by Mitesh Kothari, CCO and Co Founder, White Rivers Media