The ad gap: Why marketers are falling behind consumers, and how to catch up
Opinion
Why are marketers pressing pause on more interactive platforms when consumers are playing forward? Snap’s senior commercial director believes ‘comfort’ is slowing marketers down.
There’s one golden rule of advertising: if consumers are there, marketers should be too. However, Kantar’s latest Media Reactions report suggests marketers are, quite literally, tuning in to the wrong channel.
For the first time, no platform appeared in the top five across both sets of rankings. While the preferred platforms of marketers remained the same as last year’s, consumers proved they expect ads to be part of their online experience on more interactive platforms. One such example is Snapchat, which ranked second on their list of preferred platforms for seeing ads.
This significant disconnect between marketers and consumers raises a critical question: why are marketers pressing pause when consumers are playing forward, and why is it being brought to light now?
The answer lies in a quiet and invisible force: comfort.
The ‘safe bet’ is slowing marketers down
While a recent survey revealed that one third of UK advertisers are focusing their investments on digital formats this year, most are still placing their bets on legacy platforms.
On paper, you can see how this happens. Legacy platforms and streaming hubs, such as YouTube, reflect the formats and metrics that marketers are accustomed to. However, digital platforms attract millions of users and offer innovative ways to reach niche and deeply engaged audiences. Advertisers may still be considering the platforms that exist ‘beyond’ – but consumers are already using them daily.
Advertising today shouldn’t resemble a random window cleaner ad interrupting your favourite creator’s video back in 2016. Just ask my teenager – consumers today gravitate towards entertainment-led platforms, where ads are seamlessly embedded into the content they’re already engaging with.
Platforms like Snapchat are the default operating system for young people, including my daughter. She uses chats, Maps and the camera to connect and engage with her friends. Marketers must understand and embrace this operating system and recognise their role in it.
Why the disconnect is happening now
As of 2025, approximately 55-60% of Gen Z are at the age of adulthood, and they are starting to hold an increasingly higher stake in the UK’s total purchasing power. As these digital natives grow more indifferent to the abundance of content around them, the industry’s greatest strengths – ‘creativity, instinct and risk-taking’ – will be key to building the user experience on these platforms.
Marketers need to find the sweet spot between performance, creativity and risk-taking. This is what will allow them to truly meet consumers where they are.
Some platforms are already hitting the nail on the head
Look, I may be biased when I say that Snapchat is a good example of a platform that is paving the way in terms of ad formats that resonate. However, with Kantar’s report ranking the platform as the second most preferred by consumers globally, the data supports my bias.
Not only is it a place for our community to connect one-on-one with the people they trust the most – their friends and family – but it’s also a space where ads do not interrupt the user experience; instead, they slot into it.
It intricately weaves ads into the tools that people already know and love. One example is our AR lenses. These are a creative canvas that allows advertisers to immerse people in their worlds, and are used by many brands, from Dior to Samsung to Nando’s, to create playful experiences.
Advertising isn’t just about how many consumers you reach (though of course that’s important). It’s also about the way you engage people organically, and the ripple effect this engagement has when people share their experiences within their own communities. For marketers, this sort of relationship with consumers is gold dust.
Amazon, also appearing on Kantar’s list, utilises its built-in shopping context to make viewers more open to sponsored ads, which are tailored to their interests. Creative solutions, such as the Brand Innovation Lab, go to great lengths to tap into the younger generation’s appreciation for customisation and depth.
One example is ‘Sound it out’, a digital tool that champions conversations about feeling and emotions. It allows parents/guardians to type an emotion (such as ‘happy’ or ‘angry’) and receive a tailored list of songs from the Amazon Music library to reflect that emotion. This is how research-backed, innovative experiences can speak to consumers on a deeper level.
The key takeaway for marketers
To close the gap between where consumers are and where ads appear, marketers need to rethink the way campaigns are created. This begins by challenging the traditional top-down approach and understanding how consumers actually use platforms.
Rather than crafting a ‘one-size-fits-all’ message and forcing it to fit across platforms, the script needs to be flipped, with a focus on immersive spaces that their audiences genuinely enjoy.
Ultimately, the future of advertising isn’t about forcing consumers to pay attention. It’s about earning it by showing up in ways that feel natural, relevant, and worth engaging with – in the places where they are.
Jake Thomas is the senior commercial director at Snap.