A View From Gen Z : TouchPoints Launch 2025

As an apprentice at True, I’ve loved every moment learning about the advertising industry. I’m thrilled to have been asked by the IPA to report on my experiences as a Gen Z so far, and when attending different industry events. This month, I was invited to their annual TouchPoints launch—where they unveiled their database of UK media, used by agencies and owners to gain unique insights into consumer behaviour.

This article was originally published by the IPA here.

To be quite honest, I don’t really know where to start. I think that’s what happens when you have so much to say about an event you didn’t even know what it was going to be about. But I came out the other end more influenced than ever…in the best way possible.

The truth is, people don’t live their lives by your media plan. They live through moments, moods, and movement.

Maybe the best place to start, as an Account Executive Apprentice at True, is with what I see more often than not: our clients obsessing over impressions, reach, and attention seconds. Which means we spend all our time building decks, stacking graphs, and convincing ourselves we know exactly how people spend their time.

But do we really?

And that’s why I loved the TouchPoints Launch. It asked us to pause, stop, look at the consumer and start thinking like them. Because, when you strip everything back beyond the dashboards and flood of KPIs, it’s just people choosing how to live their lives with a little influence from a smart ad at the right moment. It really is that simple.

But you may be still wondering – what are people actually doing? Let these four incredible talks explain.

Scroll time isn’t screen time

Dan Flynn, Deputy Research Director at the IPA, kicked things off with this gem: the average scroll time is 3 hours and 30 minutes. Continuous scrolling? Yes. But does that even mean anything? Also, yes.

Dan challenged the assumption that time = value. Gen Z (including me) can swipe through four trends, five influencers, and a full mood shift in under a minute. Therefore, It’s not about how long we’re watching — it’s why we’re watching. We want to feel something.

But I am also a strong believer in the algorithm not telling you what’s really going on, whereas your gut will.

On a side note, Dan highlighted that we must stop teaching future planners to lean solely on AI. Yes, it’s useful. Personally, I love when it gives me meal prep ideas to hit my daily macros. The problem with this is that we risk losing the human instinct, empathy and intuition that great planning is built on.

London has its own kind of day

Vicky Fox, Chief Planning Officer at OMG UK (major Spurs fan), reminded us that media behaviours are shaped by a place. In London, the commute is media time — completely opposite to New Zealand, which is one of the least comparable countries to London.

Here’s why:

• Mornings in London: News, OOH and mobile dominate — and as someone who lives for a good OOH ad on the train, I notice them, the good and the bad.
• Evenings in London: Audio and TV win. Whether it’s Love Island (my top pick) or a podcast on the way home, the mood most certainly shifts with the day.

As a result, Vicky emphasised the fact that it’s a call to plan with context. Because we talk about personalisation constantly, but often ignore regional nuance.

She was also right to call out the industry’s blind spot — media planners are so afraid of distinctiveness when creatives aren’t? I believe you can’t have a memorable campaign without visibility or visible campaign without meaning. Right?

TouchPoints gives us the tools to be braver.

Here’s how: It gives us daily, real-life insight into multiple audiences and creates a 360° view of how people actually spend their time — so we can plan cross-media campaigns that resonate everywhere. Which is why all four speakers are winning.

Rebalancing the numbers

Jamie Parks-Taylor, Director of Insight & Analytics at Cream, reassured us with the fact:  data is not just about numbers. Although numbers are a big part of it, I hate maths.

He talked about ROI and efficiency, but also the quantifiable factors that are harder to measure: emotional resonance and planning innovation. Things that actually move people and performance.

Therefore, as an industry, we need to stop chasing ubiquity and start chasing effectiveness. At True, we live and breathe that mindset. We believe the key to real marketing impact isn’t just ROI — it’s the ability to define and measure true effectiveness. And if we want better creative work (and stronger relationships with finance teams), that definition matters.

To close, Jamie left us thinking with this question: Are we optimising for reach — or are we optimising for impact? Because there’s a difference.

Fragmentation or flexibility?

Lucy Cook, Strategy and Planning Director at Wavemaker Manchester, who gave us a stat that made the room gasp: The number of media channels a person uses has jumped from 6 to 18.

A clear representation of flexibility, not fragmentation. And with tools like TouchPoints, we can optimise the media mix, so no audience gets left behind. Great news for anyone who works in digital marketing.

As a result, Lucy stated that in a world where data has never been so relevant, and everyone is obsessed with the new and shiny — your best friend is still media. It defines what you do with that data.

Be less predictable. Be more brave

Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman at Ogilvy UK, closed the launch with the mic drop. Literally.

His take was that we’re addicted to predictability. Clients want to reduce risk. Agencies want to reduce waste. And no one wants to talk about upside.

But Rory highlighted that upside is everything. And the best marketing isn’t cautious — it’s courageous. It doesn’t just solve problems; it reframes them. And if we’re always benchmarking against the norm, we’ll never create anything that moves people. So reverse benchmarking is the way to go. For restaurant owners, research a top competitor, visit it, judge what that restaurant does badly. Make that your selling point.

Rory reminded us: “Don’t try to change the world. Change how people see the world.”

After the event, I had the privilege of attending the Rising Stars Lunch with Rory himself. Being in a room full of like-minded people reminded me that youth isn’t a disadvantage in this industry — it’s an asset and we’re just getting started.

TikTok came up and Rory was surprised when we everyone said it’s their go-to search engine. Why Google when you can see the answer? And that, right there, is the shift in media.

We’re not looking for logic. We’re looking for language. Movement. Sound. Subtext.

To conclude my final takeaways from the TouchPoints launch 2025, from someone who isn’t a planner, strategist or media buyer, but loves learning:

1. 1. Start with how people live, not just what they watch.
2. 2. Plan for emotional relevance, not just media weight.
3. 3. Make brave choices, not just measured ones.
4.  

Because the truth is, people don’t live their lives by your media plan. They live through moments, moods, and movement.

And if you’re not starting there? You’re already behind.