Decoding Gen Z: The new blueprint for talent in Indian advertising

Gen Z is unlike any generation that has walked into the doors of an advertising agency before. Born into a world of algorithms and ambient screens, their sense of culture is fluid, their relationship with technology is native, and their expectations from the workplace are refreshingly direct. They’re not a tweak on millennials. They’re a reset. And they’re here to rewrite the agency rulebook.

For agencies in India, hiring Gen-Z talent has become less about filling a vacancy and more about adapting to a cultural shift. Here’s a generation that’s not waiting to be told what’s cool. Because they’re too busy making it.

How is Gen Z different?

One of the first things agencies notice is that Gen Z doesn’t pretend. There’s a visible lack of posturing in the way they present themselves – be it on resumes, in interviews, or in client meetings. They’re blunt, occasionally bordering on bold. But beneath that is a quiet conviction. They do their homework, often faster than others, and they value clarity over polish.

This directness translates to quicker iterations, fewer meetings about meetings, and ideas that come from lived experiences rather than long-drawn references.

For an industry plagued by jargons and pitch decks that are prettier than they are powerful, Gen Z offers a much-needed recalibration.

What agencies gain from Gen Z

Cultural literacy in real time

What took planners hours of research, Gen Z often knows instinctively. They understand meme culture, emerging subcultures, and internet humour in its most nuanced form – not because they studied it, but because they live in it.

A 22-year-old intern at a Mumbai agency recently rewrote a 30-second spot to fit a trending Instagram reel format. The campaign performed 2X better than its original version. Not because it was cheaper, but because it spoke the right language.

Comfort with ambiguity

Gen Z doesn’t flinch at briefs that are open-ended or even vaguely defined. Growing up amidst constant change – from social media trends to AI tools – they’re wired to experiment. And in an industry that relies on agile execution, this comfort with ambiguity becomes a competitive advantage.

Built-in digital fluency

They don’t need training on new platforms. From Figma to Discord, from CapCut to Midjourney – they’re already users. This familiarity reduces the onboarding curve significantly.

One Bangalore agency recently replaced a junior designer with a 20-year-old motion artist who had never worked at an agency before but had already created a 50K+ follower base through self-taught content. She now leads the agency’s short-form vertical.

Values that breed honesty

Gen Z is quick to call out performative values. They seek purpose, but they’re not naive. They know when a brand’s sustainability message is a veneer. This internal compass forces agencies to think harder – not just about campaigns, but about the companies they choose to work with. As a result, clients and agencies both are being nudged toward more meaningful action.

Distilling the needs of agencies

So, what exactly are agencies looking for when hiring Gen-Z candidates today?

● Clarity in communication
Agencies no longer want candidates who sound like ad people. They want those who can think clearly and write simply. Whether it’s a social caption or a strategic rationale, the ability to say more with less is valued over ornamental prose.

● Conceptual thinking
Tools can be taught. But the ability to arrive at an original thought – to interpret a brief with an angle no one else saw – is what sets candidates apart. Gen-Zers who show even a glimmer of such creativity are being hired early, mentored closely, and often fast-tracked.

● Initiative over obedience
The best Gen-Z recruits are not waiting to be told what to do. They come with side projects, self-initiated zines, or indie Instagram pages that have built micro-communities. These aren’t distractions. They’re signals of a mind that doesn’t stop thinking at sunset.

● Multidisciplinary dexterity
Writers who dabble in layout design, designers who edit videos, and account managers who understand how SEO works – these are the hybrids agencies love. Not for cost-cutting, but because integrated thinking leads to integrated campaigns.

The shift within agencies

Indian agencies are no longer hiring Gen Z to fill junior roles alone. Many are redesigning team structures, reevaluating creative hierarchies, and launching mentorship programmes with Gen-Z talent in mind. Some are even creating internal "Gen-Z boards"—informal panels of young teams that review work for cultural resonance before it goes live..

It’s not a trend. It’s a pivot.

The bottom line

Advertising has always been a business of relevance. And relevance cannot be retrofitted. Gen Z brings with it an urgency, a candour, and a creative velocity that is changing how agencies think, create, and operate. For those willing to listen, there is much to gain.

Just don’t ask them where they see themselves in five years. They’re too busy shaping what the next five will look like.

(Our guest author, Chirag Raheja, is the Co-founder at Human Global, a Mumbai-based creative agency.