What consumers actually want from ads (hint: it’s not your ROI deck)

We marketers love to talk about effectiveness.

ROAS. Funnel stages. Brand voice alignment. “Full funnel omnichannel synergy” (whatever tf that means).

But there’s one teeny, tiny problem; while we’re busy staring at dashboards, consumers are staring at, you know, the ads themselves. And the truth is, we’re not always giving them what they actually want.

Be for real right now: nobody wakes up thinking, “Today, I hope I see a really strong cost-per-click ratio. Gee-whiz wouldn’t that be nice.” While we’re over here worshipping at the altar of cost-per-click, consumers are looking at your ad wondering “is this worth my eyeballs?”

People want ads that feel like culture, not freaking chores.

10-year-old me didn’t like chores. Adult me doesn’t like them. Neither does your audience.

They want ads that entertain, inform, reassure, sometimes all three. And different generations can tell us exactly what they want to see… This isn’t new. We know different age demographics prioritise different creative, but when was the last time you actually stopped long enough to listen?

So, here's the breakdown:

Gen Z: treat ads like open-source culture.

Yes, Gen Z wants creativity. But not the “over-produced, expensive Super Bowl concept filmed in Prague” kind. They want ads they can do something with. A TikTok sound they can remix. A meme they can stitch. A campaign they can parody with their friends at 2 a.m.

Gen Z doesn’t want polished broadcast storytelling; they want participatory formats. Think of campaigns less like a billboard and more like a blank karaoke track. If they can turn your ad into a joke, a remix, or a chaotic duet, you’re winning.

E.l.f. nailed this with their TikTok #EyesLipsFace challenge. Instead of just slapping their product on an existing track, they made the track. The result? 7 billion views in six days and over 5 million UGC videos. The ad became the raw material for culture. The audience did the rest.

Millennials: The Office, but make it sponsored.

We’re a different beast. We’ve lived through banner ads, pop-ups, Vine, YouTube pre-rolls, and now the algorithm swamp. We are time-poor, sceptical, and drowning in choice. Which means we want two things:

1. Proof this product actually works.

2. Entertainment while you prove it.

The dream ad for a millennial is basically a Yelp review embedded inside an Office-style skit. Show me social proof; real people, not brand actors, but wrap it in a tone that makes me laugh so I don’t feel like I just read a 3-star TripAdvisor breakdown of a resort buffet.

Think of it this way: millennials want efficiency disguised as comedy. If an ad can collapse decision fatigue and amuse them, you’ve just hacked the system.

Example: Ryan Reynolds’ ads for Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile. They’re funny, they’re self-aware, and they sneak in the receipts. It’s like The Office cold open, but with a discount code.

Gen X & boomers: clarity, please.

Here’s the thing: while everyone obsesses over Gen Z and Millennials, the older cohorts are still online, still shopping, and still spending – probably more than any of the other gens.

But they’re less interested in irony and chaos. What they want is clarity. Trust cues. Storytelling that isn’t a migraine-inducing hypercut.

They’re not chasing memeability; they want a brand they can believe won’t ghost them after checkout. Which means digital creative aimed at these groups should stop pretending to be TikToks and lean into confidence, simplicity, and trust.

Think Apple’s early iPod ads; iconic, straightforward and irresistible to this audience. Fast-forward to today, and most boomer-targeted ads are messy hybrids trying to please everyone. Spoiler: they please no one.

The cultural backdrop: ad fatigue is so real.

It’s not just generational preference. We’re all tired. Oversaturated. Our brains are permanently buffering. That’s why consumers don’t just want ads that “work,” they want ads that respect their intelligence.

Ads are no longer competing with other ads. They’re competing with literally everything else on your screen. Memes, influencers, group chats, Netflix, that random subreddit about haunted dolls that has somehow taken up 2 hours of my day. If your ad doesn’t feel like content, it’s invisible.

The bottom line: make ads feel like culture.

Here’s the irony—the more brands obsess over effectiveness in isolation, the less effective they actually become. Because effectiveness is a byproduct of relevance. And relevance only happens when you give people something they genuinely want to see.

Gen Z wants ads they can mess with. Millennials want Yelp reviews wrapped in The Office humour. Gen X and Boomers want clarity and trust. And all of us want to feel like our time is respected.

Maybe the future of advertising isn’t about the fanciest new format or the slickest AI tool. Maybe it’s about remembering the obvious: people don’t hate ads.

They just hate sh*tty ones.

-Sophie Randell, Writer