Decoding Generation Z to create content that really resonates

A look back at the Sommet création de contenu 2025 : focus Gen Z—myths, realities, and winning strategies.

From its collective anxiety and quest for identity to its distrust of algorithms and insistence on authenticity, Gen Z is playing by a new set of rules and reshaping Quebec culture along the way. But contrary to popular belief, playing to Gen Z is possible, as long as you’re willing to push creative boundaries and trust in the generation born between 1997 and 2012.

On May 27, Club Soda once again hosted the Sommet création de contenu, this time entirely dedicated to Generation Z. Presented by Formations Infopresse in collaboration with URBANIA, participants were treated to a event that truly spoke to the times, one where brands are struggling to come to grips with a generation that’s upending so many established codes in communications and marketing.

Getting onto their feed and staying there: a major challenge

The first lesson of the day was simple: forget everything you thought you knew about this generation. According to a Léger study of 15- to 28-year-olds, presented by Gabrielle Blais, research director at Léger, and Maryse Dupuy, director of consulting services at Léger DGTL, Gen Z is anxious and wants to feel better: 74% live with anxiety and 44% have experienced depression.

But here’s the good news: Unlike previous generations, Gen Z isn’t afraid to find helpful resources and tools, or to talk about these issues and normalize them.

The experts emphasized that this reality is reflected in their relationship with brands: Gen Z trusts brands conditionally (69% trust them somewhat), but 59% rely above all on recommendations from other customers. Their recommendations were to prioritize honesty, get down from the pedestal, always “walk the talk,” and make time for community management.

This generation also relies on the opinions of creators, with Instagram and YouTube being the two most popular channels. Although they have grown up with Instagram and TikTok, they still see the “regular world” as a more reliable source of influence.

Their platform use rankings are surprising: YouTube tops the list, followed by Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and astonishingly, TikTok in fifth place. But it’s important to know that each platform has its own specific codes:

• Facebook is more as a “yellow pages” (Messenger, Marketplace, general information). It’s important to maintain a presence, but the content effort isn’t the same as with other platforms.
• The Instagram focus is on private messages (DMs), proof of the pivot from public to private engagement. 74% of Gen Z still follow Instagram business pages.
• TikTok, on the other hand, emphasizes interaction with content.

That said, you must remain vigilant and diligent. This hyper-connected generation understands and distrusts algorithms. Having grown up with these platforms, Gen Z is frank, assertive, and not afraid to unsubscribe or flag accounts as needed. Over 40% of Gen Zers already use AI for various tasks, but only conditionally: They are aware of its usefulness, but also of its intrusive nature. Transparency, education, and respect for privacy are non negotiable.

Moreover, this generation doesn’t fit into a single profile; there are many types of Gen Z, each with their own backgrounds, interests, needs, and requirements. This can be seen in their sometimes paradoxical format preferences: 83% say they like graphic visuals more than lifestyle visuals, depending on the context (clarity, catchiness, etc.). What’s more, contrary to what you might think, they see polished advertising videos and user-generated content (UGC) as being on equal footing.

All this leads us to the conclusion that when it comes to content strategy, there’s no longer such a thing as “one size fits all.” Everything is malleable and can speak to the same people while reaching out to other audiences. What hasn’t changed, however, is the need to capture AND keep their attention by focusing on humour, relevance, and entertainment.

Debunking five major myths

Cédric Comte, marketing director at Ninety and former co-founder of SNDCHECK and Scène & Sauve, presented a powerful case study debunking five stubborn myths about this generation.

Myth one: “Because Gen Z is always online, they’re easy to reach.” Wrong. Because they spend so much time online, they’re overstimulated and harder to reach. You have to be on point, everywhere and all the time. Cédric reminded us that we often forget about real-life experience and word-of-mouth, which influences over 50% of purchasing decisions.

This stat was behind Cedric’s decision to ban phones at SNDCHECK events, essentially turning attendees into brand ambassadors who had to talk about the event and convince their social circle of the experience they had. “Maximize moments of truth,” he insisted.

Myth two: “Gen Z only listens to short-form content.” Wrong. Podcasts, documentaries, Twitch and YouTube livestreams, long-form content on TikTok. . . It all works, as long the content produced is relevant, dynamic, and adapted to Gen Z.

Myth three: “Gen Z isn’t loyal to brands.” This is true in part. What this generation really needs is authenticity, transparency, and engagement. Why? As Cédric explained, “The planet is burning, they feel powerless, there’s a dissonance, a quest for meaning because we have no power. . .” “They’re just beginning to try and make sense of our goals in life.”

This generation needs third-party spaces, real opportunities to find their bearings. Pivoting 100% to digital is a bad idea, especially if it doesn’t fit with the brand’s DNA.

Myth four: “Gen Z is woke.” Wrong. Gen Z isn’t woke in the negative, politicized sense of the word. On the contrary, Cédric reminded us just how alarming online radicalization driven by algorithms has become. Gen Z is, however, more engaged when it comes to social issues. As a brand, you have to respond to this online personality, not run away from it.

“Let’s be brave, assume responsibility, and occupy the space with awareness and impact,” Cédric said. Gen Z isn’t interested in slogans or logos; what it wants is proof.

Myth five: “Gen Z doesn’t want to work.” Wrong. They don’t want to work for employers who only value salary and other extrinsic motivations. According to Cédric, the most important thing to this generation is well-being at work, a sense of professional accomplishment, alignment with values, and work-life balance.

“It’s not just a trend,” he explained. “Trust them, give them management roles, they are the next generation that will make your businesses relevant.”

Quebec culture in search of meaning

The “Bleu” project was born of a major realization: young people consume very little content from Quebec! Mélissa Hébert, director of platforms and digital growth at Télé-Québec, and Jacob Khayat, content producer for Bleu at URBANIA, shared some revealing statistics:

• 86% of young people do not regularly consume Quebec content, and 61% consume English-language content.
• As they get older, they gradually shift from consuming content on a single platform to consuming it on multiple platforms, which Mélissa calls an increasingly “fragmented” distribution.
• Among 12- to 17-year-olds, 25% choose paid video streaming platforms, 25% choose video games, and 25% choose social media. Television comes a distant fourth, with less than a 9% share.
• 81% of 13- to 18-year-olds have at least one social media profile according to their parents, with TikTok leading the way at 67%, followed by Instagram and YouTube.

The Bleu team drew on this data in its content strategy efforts.

The idea at the heart of the project: Identity is very much defined by subcultures. This pillar needs to be broken down into different themes, with different creators talking about Quebec culture from different angles. Creators aren’t chosen for the size of their audience, but for the quality of their message and the niche they address.

The challenge? Merging two voices: Télé-Québec as a broadcaster versus creators with their own ecosystems.

The goal? Create a meeting point between the two by recognizing the experience of each (brand awareness and experience added to the collaborators’ knowledge of the medium).

According to Jacob, “A cultural ecosystem is being built alongside traditional media.” You have to trust Gen Z. Audiences get attached to personalities and content first and foremost!

A vision of media for a different kind of success

Mounir Kaddouri, also known by his pseudonym Maire de Laval, made a strong impact on the day by sharing his vision of media and content in an interview with Philippe Lamarre, President of URBANIA. According to him, “A good story is one you want to know the end of.” The key indicators to keep in mind are related to time spent viewing, not clicks. Ultimately, it’s a story you want to hear over and over again.

To do this, Mounir discussed the need to create a universe around culture. For example, you can use pop culture to bring people towards “substantive” informational and educational content. But above all, “it takes pop, it takes blockbusters—not everyone is aiming to be ultra-niche and referenced.”

What should brands do?

Create personalized media figures through company entities. Mounir also emphasized the need to regenerate Quebec’s star system, which not so long ago was still resisting American hegemony, but which is tending to fray with the new generations.

In his view, it’s also a question of capitalizing on the shift from podcasting to live broadcasting—a refined form of real-time telemarketing that’s a natural transition in a media landscape increasingly focused on immediacy. He mentioned that he wants to encourage “content houses” that illustrate living together, and stream and cultivate clips that illicit engagement. Editing is done downstream from the live content, without too much pre-production effort. Prioritize real and behind-the-scenes content.

He stressed the importance of being aware that “authenticity is a constant quest, that we’re always performing.” Let’s be self-deprecating, ironic, intriguing, historical, even gossipy, not in advertising mode. He said that the recent “Mike chez Rona” campaign is a perfect example of this approach: complete lore that generated culture rather than advertising.

Grab attention without being cringeworthy

Francis Mantha, strategic lead at LG2, and Alexis Prud’homme, art director at LG2, also delivered a powerful talk: To capture the attention of Gen Z, success lies in embodying “main character” energy.

The speakers talked about three things that are on the minds of 16- to 28-year-olds: social accessibility, the need for emancipation, and the quest for identity (the one with the greatest marketing impact). This quest can be broken down into originality (opposition to established norms), uncomplicated approach (choice in line with the group to which one belongs) and aspiration (desire for choice in line with ambitions). The distinctive approach is to increase brand flexibility without alienating loyal audiences.

The lifestyle projected by brands must be aspirational and/or accessible:

On the aspirational side, Francis and Alexis talked about Clarks and its “grandpa core” identity (idealizing stress-free moments, retirement) and Footlocker and its Y2K ethos (rap, 2000s pop, loose clothing).

On the accessible side: Any art direction inspired by real life that emphasizes humour and user-generated content.

In short, it’s a question of betting on a form that succeeds in making people dream, or in representing the real life of a Gen Z segment, all while breaking free of the codes of this category. However, it’s also important to realize that you can’t appeal to everyone in this category, let alone several generations at once.

Through the eye of the creators

At the end of the day, a panel of content creators—Ariane Brewer, Marc-Antoine Delage and Henri-June Pilote—shared valuable insights for on-site content marketing specialists.

The process designers go through before collaborating with Gen Z brands:

1. Ask yourself: Does this excite me? If the designer isn’t passionate about what they’re creating, it will show.
2. Run an upstream check: Know the potential controversies or “cancelled” elements to preserve credibility.
3. Check for alignment with the mission: Does this make sense with what I offer or represent?
4. Assess the added value for the audience: Can my audience benefit?

Criteria to focus on for a brand that wants to capture the attention of Gen Z through content creators:

• Focus on authenticity and choose designers based on their personality, not just their reach.
• Offer clear creative direction without restricting freedom of expression.
• Be proactive with trends or fully assume you’re behind the curve.
• Prioritize coherent, accessible storytelling to maximize engagement.

The panellists reminded participants that when it comes to sponsored content, the bond of trust with their audiences is fragile, which is why the preferential ratio of 80% original content and 20% sponsored.

TikTok is still the platform of choice for all three panellists, due to its micro-community aspect, strong interaction, inside jokes, social proof, etc. Brands should definitely bet on this platform as their main channel with Gen Z.

In conclusion: Believe in Gen Z

The message of the day was unanimous: “Believe in Gen Z.” Not just in your campaigns, but on your teams. Hire them, give them management roles, let them take control of content. They are the next generation who will make your business relevant.

And as the various speakers so aptly reminded us: “You can’t just grab the attention of Gen Z; you have to earn it.”