Impact of Social Media Advertisements on Gen Y and Gen Z

Talankar, Akshata Sandesh (2024) Impact of Social Media Advertisements on Gen Y and Gen Z. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

The thesis investigates how Generations Y and Z respond to and behave with regard to digital marketing strategies in relation to social media advertising. The research is impelled by the fact that social media is generally influential on consumer behavior and that younger generations, who are active online, have high spending power and are therefore open to a myriad of digital marketing approaches.

It was a quantitative study through which the researchers administered questionnaires to a large sample drawn from Generations Y and Z. The application of this method would further raise the occurrence of robust statistical analysis in testing the influence of social media advertisements on consumer purchasing behavior in terms of impulse buying. Advanced statistical techniques were applied, with regression analysis quantifying these links between exposure to social media ads and purchasing behaviors.

The findings of the study underline that social media advertising tends to highly influence impulse buying behavior in both generations, with only subtle differences between them. Generation Y, being a generation that grew up in the digital age and thus often referred to as the "digital native," proved to be more susceptible than the skeptical and authenticity-seeking Generation Z.

The research has also found that social media platforms are one of the important spaces where the advertisers could actually craft the messages in an influential and focused way with this demographic cohort. The effectiveness of these advertisements is hugely influenced by the consumption habits of the media by consumers, their attitudes towards these ads, and credibility of the influencers that endorse these products.

Finally, the thesis is concluded by recommending some ways a digital marketer can make their strategy more effective for engaging these key demographic groups. Some of the recommendations arising from this research include appeals to Generation Z through authenticity and transparency in marketing and leveraging the Millennial segment responsiveness with relative ease through tailored and dynamic content strategies.

The study contributes to the emerging field of digital marketing and adds insight into the complex dynamics by which consumers interact with social media advertising. It thus lays the foundation for future research in this area.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Supervisors:	Name Email Tan, Eileen UNSPECIFIED
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > Marketing > Advertising H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > Marketing > Consumer Behaviour H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > Marketing Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > ZA Information resources > ZA4150 Computer Network Resources > The Internet > World Wide Web > Websites > Online social networks T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering > Telecommunications > The Internet > World Wide Web > Websites > Online social networks
Divisions:	School of Business > Master of Science in Marketing
Depositing User:	Ciara O'Brien
Date Deposited:	14 Aug 2025 11:39
Last Modified:	14 Aug 2025 11:39
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/8538

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