Born into a world where the internet and social media are integral to daily life, Gen Z (ages 14 to 29) responds to marketing strategies differently than millennials (ages 30 to 45), who encountered the internet as adults.

“Millennials chose conventional [career] paths, starting with internships, getting a job, then growing to be an executive or business owner,” Ahmed Shawkat, co-founder of Shababco, a platform promoting local entrepreneurs under 30, told AmCham Egypt members in February 2025.

Gen Z entrepreneurs “follow their passion, using the internet and social media to build their careers,” he noted. “Social media platforms changed how Gen Zs work. They want to be entrepreneurs, self-employed, or take on side hustles, not work 9-to-5.”

Accordingly, older (traditional) decision-makers and marketers need to rethink their approach to attract Gen Z users, and do business and compete with Gen Z entrepreneurs.

Gen Z’s opinion leaders

According to research from Universiti Sains Malaysia, “Opinion leaders have always played a crucial role in influencing … decision-making.” However, the profiles of those “trusted figures” vary significantly between Gen Z and millennials.

Millennial opinion leaders are often celebrities, bloggers, and industry experts, noted Shawkat. “Gen Z looks to relatable influencers, content creators, and social activists on social media platforms who prioritize authenticity and real-time engagement.”

Digital platforms have increased the number and influence of “trusted personalities,” especially those catering to Gen Z. Social media “revolutionized opinion leadership … by democratizing influence, allowing everyday creators to gain massive followings through authentic, relatable and engaging short-form content, often driving trends and brand preferences,” Shawkat explained. “TikTok, in particular, is what TV was for past generations.”

Their digital content is also changing. “Short-form content is no longer simply an ad; it’s a short movie, given how very limited [Gen Z] attention has become,” said Shawkat.

Doing business with Gen Z

Not all businesses are led by Gen Z or executives who can accommodate how young entrepreneurs think and make decisions. Accordingly, when traditional corporate decision-makers and Gen Z seek to do business, there can be a mismatch in expectations.

“For Gen Z, speed, transparency, and convenience are baseline requirements,” said Aspekt, a consultancy, in November. “Legacy systems, designed for another era, struggle to meet these needs. The gap between what [corporates] deliver and what Gen Z expects is growing.”

Shawkat faced such mismatches in Shababco’ s campaigns when aligning traditional sponsors with Gen Z entrepreneurs. To bridge the gap, he guides sponsors on how to present themselves at events. “It was difficult at first. Sponsors believed their funding gave them control,” he explained. “Their attitude was: ‘You don’ t tell us what to do with our space.’”

However, sponsors’ attitudes changed once Shababco’ s events and campaigns gained traction in their second year. “We were doubling the number of sign- ups every year, eventually reaching over 3, 000 in our last event,” said Shawkat. “Now, sponsors come with open minds, seeing opportunity to do business with participants and attendees, who numbered 10, 10,000 at our last event.”

One notable example Shawkat highlighted was when he convinced a local telecom operator to connect three Gen Z entertainers with established figures and showcase their cooperation and development process in a mini- series sponsored by the telecom operator.

“At its core, this was an ad for the telecom operator. In the real world, it was perceived as a large corporation helping next- generation talents fulfill their potential,” he noted.

While that campaign succeeded, marketing to Gen Z remains a dark art, relying on luck as much as anything else. “It’ s impossible to explain why something performed well, while another didn’ t,” Hussein Shahbender, founder of Drop, which owns Gen Z-targeted coffee shops, shoes, and clothing brands, told AmCham Egypt members in February 2025. “All we can do is wait for the campaign numbers to know what worked and what didn’ t.”

Selling to Gen Z

Most Gen Zs don’t respond well to exaggerations conventional ads have long depicted about their products. They also demand greater transparency from companies that likely aren’t accustomed to such levels of disclosure.

“Gen Zers value honesty and authenticity and expect marketing to be personalized to their interests and behaviors,” Shawkat said. “They love memes, are attracted to viral content and humorous posts.”

Also, “they value experiences over material benefits, have a high awareness of social, environmental, and political issues, and they trust opinions of peers, influencers, and real customers more than reviews by topic experts or review sites,” he added. “This is significantly different from previous generations.”

Gen Z entrepreneurs don’t rely on conventional ads. Instead, they collaborate with peers and influencers. “For each participant in Shababco events or campaigns, we published a customized post on our social media announcing their participation. We also require those local brands to promote the event among their online users,” explained Shawkat. “That is how we become viral.”

That strategy also “gives us more time to market our event and is less costly, as we only need to design the original post,” he said.

Community power

A critical part of marketing to Gen Z entrepreneurs and consumers is making them feel they belong to a group of like-minded peers. According to Intuit, a consultancy, “Gen Z founders are building powerful micro-communities that share resources, swap feedback and collaborate on launches.”

Such “communities open doors that capital can’t” and “joining or starting a community of creators or mission-driven founders can lead to organic growth and new opportunities you won’t find on a funding application,” Intuit stressed.

Shababco’s community includes an online marketplace to showcase its members’ products, since the platform can’t accommodate everyone who signs up for its events.

Another example is having a brand produce a podcast that speaks to Gen Z, noted Shahbender of Drop, saying, “Podcasts can act like awareness campaigns for community-based brands.”

For large companies, a community can be a product specifically for Gen Z customers. That is what ValU, a consumer lending platform, did with its Ma3ak (With You) platform, which lends only to Gen Z. Salma Attia, head of marketing at ValU, told AmCham Egypt members in February 2025.

ValU also has a Gen Z platform called “The Story of You,” where youth can tell their own stories. “They become the stars of that platform, and this makes it go viral,” noted Attia. She also highlighted the gamification of marketing activations, with “subtle” ways to increase brand awareness.

ValU “also ensures [their] Gen Zers talk to Gen Z customers,” noted Attia. “Some are brand ambassadors. Others are given a commission incentive, which proved very popular, compared to a conventional internship.”

Plugging deficiencies

Shawkat said a community platform can help members hone their business skills. “We recognized that while it’s easier than ever for Gen Z to create and market a brand, sustaining the business side of the startup is a much bigger challenge,” he said.

One key challenge is managing the company’s finances, inventory, and day-to-day operations. “I think one in three Gen Z entrepreneurs can manage these aspects,” noted Shawkat.

Another challenge is planning beyond the launch hype. “There are aspects relating to the sustainability of strategy and keeping products fresh … These are areas where [Gen Z business owners] need more guidance and support.”

To address these gaps, Shababco is “working on creating a one-stop shop for our community members to give them the necessary training and education to manage all aspects of building sustainable companies and brands.”