Ads targeting Gen Z miss the mark
In 2021, 72 percent of American adults were social media users, according to Pew Research Center — so naturally, networking apps like Facebook and Instagram are fertile grounds for advertising products, services and political campaigns.
As useful as it might be for advertisers, social media sites have become marketing free-for-alls where companies compete relentlessly for attention using the social media trends users are addicted to. Right now, for instance, at the forefront of it all are video advertisements using textto-speech algorithms popularized by the video app TikTok and cannibalized by corporate marketing — but it’s not working.
It is clear companies are unsure of how to reach Generation Z appropriately when it comes to marketing, so they’re clamoring to try to blend in on social media. An audience will be attracted to something they find appealing or that has some sort of allure to it. We may spend much of our social lives on the internet, but we still can recognize something of quality. And lately, that’s been hard to come by in our targeted advertisements.
Good advertising is usually defined by a few key elements. An attention-grabbing ad showcases the usefulness of a product and has an aesthetic appeal or gimmick that may or may not be annoying, but distinguishes itself. Finally, it connects to people in a meaningful way. That last one is particularly important because it determines if a product has a lasting impact.
On social networks like Facebook or Instagram, advertisements consist of paid content — often videos — pushed into your social media feed, whether you follow the content creator or not. If a video is watched in full, if you “like” it or internet cookies track your browsing activity, the algorithms programmed into the app will show you more related advertising and content. It’s not the same as the TV advertising more familiar to people who grew up without the internet. Whatever video trend is popular on TikTok invariably ends up getting crossposted on Instagram “reels” or YouTube “shorts,” a feature that was added specifically to mimic the influence of TikTok.
Video shorts are disturbingly effective at platforming unqualified content creators who talk about conspiracy theories, and now they’re being used to advertise virtually everything. Companies want to stay hip and current when it comes to advertising, so they try to emulate whatever behaviors or trends are current on social media in order to blend in. TikTok has changed and dominated these trends, unfortunately for the worse.
First, it frequently popularizes specific songs, which get reused ad nauseam — and eventually fall into the hands of companies trying to market products. Then there is the use of text-to-speech, a kind of programming that reads written text aloud using a computerized voice. Originally made to help visually impaired people surf the internet, the programming has become popular on TikTok as a way to allow content creators to add voiceover.
This kind of text-to-speech voice has infiltrated almost every form of advertising on social media targeted at Gen Z. It’s used to market services such as language-learning or grammar-checking apps, and hygiene and beauty products. Even public service announcements from government agencies such as the New Mexico Department of Health have used this format to spread information about vaccinations. For me, this kind of advertising hits many of the wrong notes.
There is little distinction between advertisements, and the quality and originality is lacking. It comes off as impersonal. A bit more problematic is the issue of reputation and reliability. I don’t necessarily trust what is being advertised is a fully legitimate product, especially when a computerized voice similar to one used in countless other videos is suggesting a miracle product will burn fat in 30 days. It’s suspicious and off-putting. Many of the advertisements on social media are not vetted for legitimacy.
When text-to-speech becomes a gimmick used for any advertisement, it undermines the credibility of whatever is being sold. I want nothing to do with it. In short, using a computerized voice to sell a product comes off as unprofessional — and it’s only the latest symptom of how social media trends are dictating advertising.
Marketing using social media trends in popular culture comes off as tone-deaf or overeager. It’s not necessary. It’s a good idea to be unique and understand who might want to buy your product, and having a bit of professionalism to your methods in presenting it can go a long way. A quality advertisement will always set itself apart from the others.
Ben Timm will be a sophomore at the University of Utah. Contact him at monkebusiness@gmail.com.