Avid Collective is set to hold ‘Vibe Check: Mastering Gen Z Engagement with Publishers, Community and Content’ content masterclass sessions in Sydney and Melbourne, delving into what makes Gen Z tick for publishers, agencies and brands.
Avid Collective’s masterclass series is set to be held in Sydney on 20 March and Melbourne on 3 April and aims to help marketers engage this audience, providing clarity for brands looking to connect with ‘Zoomers’.
Panellists for the sessions include Centennial World founder and director Lauren Meisner, Initiative associate strategy director Leah Franco (Sydney), Bolster Group media director Paige X. Cho (Melbourne), and Avid Collective head of direct advertising partnerships and marketing lead Leah Stalker.
Gen Z represents people born from the late 1990s to early 2000s and is a generation of digital natives, known for their distrust in traditional advertising, shifting media consumption habits and demand for community-driven experiences.
The sessions will bring together voices in publishing, media and strategy to explore how brands can build trust and relevance with Gen Z. It will offer insights into what’s working – and what’s not – when it comes to Gen Z marketing and content strategies.
Meisner is the founder and director of the digital youth publication Centennial World. Centennial World covers internet culture, the creator economy and social media trends. Meisner currently hosts Centennial World’s daily internet culture podcast, ‘infinite scroll’ and also consults for brands on youth marketing trends, habits and behaviours.
“Gen Z is a difficult generation to win over, but for brands that get it right, it’s definitely worth the pay-off. Gen Z has a whopping US$360 billion in disposable income, which is only set to grow as Zoomers continue to enter the workforce. The problem is that they also have advertising fatigue, which makes them a difficult market to engage. This masterclass series with Avid Collective is an opportunity for brands to learn how to effectively tap into the Gen Z market, as we share tried and tested strategies to boost engagement and the importance of authenticity and transparency in storytelling,” Meisner said.
Franco brings nearly 10 years of sales and media experience to the panel, working across a range of retail, education and luxury clients. She started her career as an intern at Carat before joining the Amplifi team as a media investment executive. She spent nearly three years at PHD as a planning manager, working across the Unilever account, before joining Initiative in 2022. She is currently Initiative’s associate strategy director, overseeing client strategy.
Cho is a Melbourne-based media strategist and music marketer. She is currently the media director at Bolster Group, an entertainment and culture marketing agency, working with clients including Laneway, Pitch Music & Arts, Rising and Beyond the Valley. She is a two-time Australian Independent Records (AIR) Women in Music mentor and has contributed to various advisory and assessment roles for organisations like Creative Victoria, Music Victoria, Create NSW and AIR.
Stalker has experience in publisher partnerships and tech, having held senior partnership roles at Seven, SBS, The New York Times and Blis. Stalker has led direct partnerships at Avid Collective for five years, working with tier one and blue-chip clients.
“Gen Z is reshaping the way brands communicate. Traditional campaigns are struggling to cut through, and brands need to rethink their approach to content, community and storytelling. These events will unpack how publisher-led communities, creator-driven storytelling and culture-first branded content are the key to unlocking authentic engagement. Publishers are the critical link between brands and culture – unlike other channels, publishers offer trusted, community-driven spaces, where audiences can actively seek out content, creating a more authentic and impactful environment for brands to connect with Gen Z,” Stalker added.
The Gen Z masterclasses follow content sessions held last year, which tackled the challenges of branded content in the finance and travel industries.
The ‘Vibe Check: Mastering Gen Z Engagement with Publishers, Community and Content’ sessions will be held in Sydney on Thursday 20 March from 3.30pm to 6.30pm at the Hotel CBD and in Melbourne on Thursday 3 April from 3.30pm – 6.30pm at Rokeby 100.
