Marketing to Gen Z vs Millennials: Key Differences Every Brand Should Know

Marketers often place Gen Z and Millennials in the same digital bucket. Both generations are highly connected, mobile-first, socially engaged and deeply embedded in gaming culture. But while they share similar digital environments, their motivations, expectations and attention patterns diverge significantly.

Understanding these nuances is essential for effective marketing to Gen Z vs Millennials – especially as both groups increasingly spend time in gaming and livestreaming environments, where attention has become the scarcest resource.

According to the Live Streaming Trendy 2025 Report, Millennials (25-34) represent 41% of livestream viewers and Gen Z (16-24) accounts for 32%. This makes livestreaming one of the few media spaces with balanced generational presence, but very different behavioural drivers.

Why Generational Differences Still Matter in Digital Marketing

While Gen Z and Millennials use similar platforms, the way they assign attention is shifting. Research from the McKinsey “Attention Equation” report highlights a fundamental change: younger audiences now make decisions based on a value-for-attention exchange. They only engage if content provides relevance, emotional resonance or cultural value. Interruptive formats increasingly fail because attention must be earned, not bought.

Similarly, the Dentsu “Attention Economy 2024” study reveals that active attention – not just exposure – is the most predictive factor for brand lift. Formats that integrate seamlessly into user behaviour drive significantly greater impact. In this sense, gaming and livestreaming environments are uniquely positioned: they combine presence, relevance, and contextual cues that traditional advertising lacks.

For brands, this means that understanding how each generation uses these environments is now more important than simply being present.

Gen Z vs Millennials – At a Glance (Mindset, Media, Expectations)

Gaming is a unifying behavioural layer across both generations. According to Live Streaming Trendy 2025, 93% of livestream viewers actively play games, and the two largest demographic groups are the core ages of Millennials and Gen Z. This makes gaming not a youth niche – but a mainstream space for both segments.

Different psychological drivers

Gen Z

• identity-first
• participation-driven
• highly sensitive to inauthenticity
• motivated by cultural alignment and peer influence

Millennials

• value- and utility-first
• motivated by clarity and product functionality
• more tolerance for structured, informational content
• nostalgia and lifestyle cues still relevant

Media behaviour

Gen Z uses media interactively – they engage in chats, react, and co-create.
Millennials use media more passively – they seek entertainment, expertise and product insights.

Both generations reject disruptive ads, but Gen Z’s use of adblockers makes respectful, contextual formats indispensable.

Purchasing Behaviors: What Drives Gen Z vs Millennials?

Before diving into the specifics of each generation, it’s important to understand that both cohorts operate within the same cultural ecosystem – but interpret brand signals differently. 

While Gen Z looks for emotional resonance and shared moments that feel native to the stream, Millennials seek clarity, functional value and credible guidance. These contrasting expectations shape how each group responds to brand presence during live content.

Gen Z: authenticity, participation and reactive storytelling

Gen Z rewards brands that appear naturally within the moment. Examples from inStreamly campaigns illustrate this clearly:

• Sprite – Heat Happens: triggered by in-game frustration using the Gameplay Reaction Feature, making Sprite part of the emotional arc.

• AlgoFlex – Pain Ambassadors: voice-triggered NPC reactions created humorous, meaningful branded interventions.

• Cheetos – Chepard Game: a Tamagotchi-style virtual pet controlled by chat commands generated 50,000+ interactions.

Gen Z sees these as shared cultural moments – not advertising.

Millennials: value, detail and credibility

Millennials respond strongly to clear product value and reliable information.

• Feature-heavy visual showcases (Samsung Why Galaxy, SteelSeries PRIME) drive high engagement.
• API-driven content (weather, stats, performance) builds trust and relevance.
• Video-rich product demonstrations support informed decision-making.

For both generations, creator association matters: 79% of Twitch viewers consider ads a way to support creators.

Content Consumption: Where Do Gen Z and Millennials Spend Their Time?

Both generations spend substantial time on livestreams, but with different motivations.

Gen Z motivations

• They want to be part of the experience, not observers.
• 73% actively participate in chat.
• They respond strongly to dynamic, reactive content: voice triggers, API triggers, gameplay-based triggers.

Example: In the Knorr × Żabka VRM campaign, viewers spammed custom emojis to encourage voice-triggered animations – turning brand presence into a cultural game.

Millennial motivations

• They seek entertainment, information and expert recommendations.
• They engage deeply with hardware showcases and product narratives – an effect seen consistently in the Electronics vertical.
• They combine content consumption with practical decision-making.

Notably, 62% of viewers have abandoned traditional TV, reinforcing that streaming fills multiple informational and entertainment needs.

Marketing to Gen Z vs Millennials – What Actually Works?

The difference lies in how brands show up inside the medium both generations already use.

Marketing to Gen Z: Contextual, Reactive, Community-Driven

Gen Z expects brands to feel like participants rather than sponsors.

From the inStreamly campaigns:

• Armani – Nicknames Feature created emotional micro-connections by pulling usernames directly into the creative.
• AlgoFlex & Sprite used gameplay triggers to react in real time.
• Mountain Dew – Voting Feature gave viewers direct influence over stream outcomes.

These approaches reflect McKinsey’s findings that younger audiences reward content that acknowledges them personally.

Marketing to Millennials: Value, Practicality, Expertise & Visual Clarity

Millennials prefer well-structured, informative messaging:

• Samsung Why Galaxy and ASUS ROG campaigns layered detailed specs into dynamic visuals.
• Martes Sport – Weather API connected apparel to real-world utility.
• CCC & House blended recognizable brand identities with clear benefits.

These approaches align with the dentsu finding that informational clarity enhances active attention in older digital-native cohorts.

Conclusion: Two Generations, One Cultural Space  –  and a Shared Expectation for Respectful Marketing

Gen Z and Millennials both live inside the same ecosystem of gaming, creators and livestreaming. But their expectations differ:

• Gen Z needs authenticity, interaction and participation.
• Millennials want clarity, value, and meaningful storytelling.
• Both expect non-intrusive, contextual marketing that respects their time.

To win the battle for attention – across both generations – brands must combine cultural fluency with technological precision. The brands that succeed understand not just where these audiences are, but why they are there and what they expect.

Sources

• inStreamly – Live Streaming Trends 2025 – demographics, behaviours and attitudes of live-stream audiences
• McKinsey – “The Attention Equation”  –  research on changing attention patterns and value-for-attention behaviour across generations.
• Dentsu – “Attention Economy 2024”  –  global study on active attention, contextual impact and advertising effectiveness.