Ah, Gen Z. The scapegoat for everything that baffles the older generations. Listen closely and you may hear the collective grumble of marketers, advertisers and content creators lamenting, “Oh, Gen Z has no attention span! They just can’t focus anymore.” Let me stop you right there, my chronologically advanced friends. The issue is not Gen Z’s attention span. The issue is your content.

You see, the narrative goes like this. Gen Z can’t sit through long form content. They are glued to their phones, endlessly scrolling, consuming bite-sized TikToks and 15-second Instagram Reels like digital junkies. The problem with that narrative? It’s lazy, outdated and quite frankly, annoying. If anything, Gen Z has mastered the art of content curation, not content avoidance. Let me explain.

Remember the good old days when people would skim through newspapers, channel surf on their clunky TVs or roam the aisles of libraries to find a good read? That was your version of scrolling. And guess what? It was exactly the same thing. The only difference is that we now have smartphones instead of remotes, TikTok instead of channels and Netflix instead of CD/DVD collections.

Scrolling through social media is not some indication of intellectual laziness; it is an evolved form of finding what is worth our time.

So, when people say Gen Z can’t sit through a feature-length film or a YouTube video over 10 minutes, I have to laugh. This is the same generation who eagerly binge watch entire seasons of shows in one weekend, listen to hour long podcasts, and wait for Niko Omilana to drop nearly hour-long YouTube episodes trolling the leader of the KKK (that could just be me).

They are not incapable of paying attention. They are just ruthless with what earns it. If your content doesn’t hook them within the first few seconds, that is not their shortcoming. That is your content problem.

Let’s unpack this ‘short attention span’ myth further. Gen Z isn’t disengaged; we are discerning. The truth is, Gen Z is inundated with content options – probably more than any generation before them. So yes, they have developed the skill to quickly judge whether something is worth their time. If it’s boring, repetitive, or trying too hard to be ‘relatable’ (more on that later), they will swipe away faster than you can say, “Okay, Boomer.”

But don’t mistake this quick judgment for an inability to focus. Once something resonates with them, they are all in. Look at the popularity of true crime podcasts, multi-part TikTok story times, or even book series like A Court of Thorns and Roses that dominate Gen Z’s reading lists. Gen Z is here for the long haul, just give them a reason to stay.

Here is a reality check. No generation has ever liked ads.

Not the Boomers, not Gen X, not Millennials and certainly not Gen Z. The difference is that previous generations tolerated them because they had no choice. My mother, for instance, would switch channels during commercial breaks. It wasn’t because she was impatient; it was because ads interrupted what she actually wanted to watch.

Now, Gen Z has the power to skip, block or scroll past ads entirely. And this terrifies us marketers. But instead of facing up to the real challenge and making ads that people actually want to watch, some take the easy way out and blame them for being ‘impossible to engage.’ Well, tough luck. If your ad feels like a chore, we are not sticking around. The art of advertising lies in making people watch something they didn’t want to watch and then convincing them to care. So don’t give us the ‘short attention
span’ excuse; make something worth our time.

Let’s talk about relatability. Somewhere along the way, someone decided that Gen Z’s interests could be boiled down to a checklist: hip-hop, dance, social causes and memes. Cue the barrage of ads featuring cringe-worthy TikTok dances, rap parodies and forced inclusivity. It’s like slapping a ginger wig on Voldemort and hoping Harry Potter will suddenly trust him because “Hey, he looks like Ron now!” Spoiler: it doesn’t work. True relatability comes from authenticity. It’s about reflecting our real lives, challenges and aspirations, not some caricatured version of what you think Gen Z will connect with. They will take a brand that is honest about who they are over one that is desperately trying to be cool any day.

Here is another thing that marketers love to do: jump on trends.

If one brand’s dance centric ad goes viral, suddenly everyone is putting out dance videos. But let me tell you, trends don’t equal insights.

The most powerful campaigns come from digging deep into human truths; the kind of insights that feel like confessions. You know, the ones that make you say, “Wow, how did they know that about me?” Case in point, Nike’s ‘What it takes to win.’ It’s not about hopping on the latest TikTok challenge; it’s about understanding your audience so well that your message feels personal, even universal. That is what hooks Gen Z and everyone else too. That is what keeps everyone coming back.

At the end of the day, the issue is not Gen Z’s attention span. It is the lack of creativity and innovation in the content they are being served. As a generation, they have grown up in a world of endless options. If you want their attention, you have to earn it. And yes, that is a high bar. But isn’t that what makes it worth striving for?

No Gen Z is looking for brands to pander to them with dance moves and slang. They are looking for stories that inspire, entertain and reflect the world they live in. They are looking for products that solve real problems or bring genuine joy. And yes, they are looking for ads that don’t feel like ads – the kind that make us laugh, cry or think.

So, to anyone still clinging to the idea that Gen Z has a short attention span: it’s time to let that myth die. They are not the problem. The problem is boring, uninspired content that tries too hard to be something it’s not.

If you want to capture their attention, don’t dumb things down or slap a trendy label on it.

Dig deeper. Find the insight that feels like a confession. Make them feel seen. Because when you do, they will give you their time, and not just for 15 seconds but for as long as your content deserves.

Sameer Ali is Creative Director, BBDO Pakistan.