The Quick Call: Snap's playbook for capturing GenZ's attention in marketing

In this episode of The Quick Call, host and CEO of Social Samosa Network, Hitesh Rajwani sat down with Amit Chaubey, Head of Marketing Sciences at APAC, Snap Inc, for a candid discussion on the evolution of digital advertising and the critical shift towards measuring attention, especially among India’s Gen Z audience.

With social media consumption at an all-time high and platform-hopping becoming second nature for users, the stakes are higher than ever for advertisers to understand what truly drives engagement.

Chaubey opened the conversation by debunking a persistent myth in the industry, noting, “Just because you have data does not make it meaningful.” He cautioned marketers against blindly trusting device-based metrics, such as impressions, clicks and view-through rates, since these may not accurately reflect real human engagement, particularly in a world where multitasking and multi-platform usage are the norm.

The conversation quickly pivoted to the challenge of engaging Gen Z, a demographic of 377 million in India projected to reach $2 trillion in purchasing power by 2035. Chaubey stressed that Gen Z, much like broader modern audiences, shows low attention to advertising due to their adept multitasking and high-volume content consumption.

He further emphasised the need for brands to earn attention, rather than expect it, suggesting that marketers must choose the right platforms, design playful and immersive ad formats, and create authentic storytelling to resonate. “Avoidance of advertising is one of the realities of our business. However, there are ways that you can start overcoming that... The mindset we need to get into as advertisers is: how do we earn more attention for these audiences?” Amit noted.

He detailed how Snap, in partnership with WPP media and attention measurement company Lumen, conducted in-depth studies using biometric signals and controlled content exposure to determine which strategies secure attention.

Chaubey outlined practical steps for marketers seeking success in the attention economy. To get the detailed marketing insights, listen to the latest episode below.