Google has launched the Gen Z Music lineup, a new tool that helps marketers better connect with young people.
The paid-for feature is now available globally to assist advertisers who would like to increase their appeal to 18- to 24-year-olds.
Why we care. Google has identified that the music favored by Gen Z plays an important role in shaping today’s culture. By finding out what songs are trending and allowing advertisers to have their campaigns displayed near media that uses the music this cohort has on repeat, brands will be seen at the forefront of culture.
The Gen Z Music lineup also provides marketers with an opportunity to better connect with Gen Z – a group of people that is rapidly becoming one of the largest online consumer groups. If advertisers aren’t paying attention to content that engages these potential customers most, then they risk failing to secure their buy-in.
How it works. The Gen Z Music lineup feature uses data from audio, long-form and YouTube Shorts to identify trending music. It follows these steps:
- The Gen Z Music lineup identifies trending songs amongst 18- to 24-year-olds using regularly refreshed data across audio, long-form and YouTube Shorts.
- Google AI then uses this data to package relevant music videos into the Gen Z Music lineup.
- Marketers then have the option to buy the lineup.
- Upon purchasing the lineup, advertisers’ campaign will then be served alongside content that plays the identified trending songs.
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What has Google said? Brian Anderson, Google’s Global Head of Music and Audio, released a statement via the Google Ads Help newsroom. He said:
- “Gen Z plays a huge role in shaping the cultural zeitgeist. And this largely happens on YouTube, where Gen Z music fans discover, consume, and participate in music across multiple formats.”
- “Now we’re helping advertisers align their brand with the music Gen Z audiences (18-24) love on YouTube with the new Gen Z Music lineup.”
Deep dive. For more information, read Google’s full Gen Z Music announcement.
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About the author
Nicola Agius is Paid Media Editor of Search Engine Land after joining in 2023. She covers paid search, paid social, retail media and more. Prior to this, she was SEO Director at Jungle Creations (2020-2023), overseeing the company’s editorial strategy for multiple websites. She has over 15 years of experience in journalism and has previously worked at OK! Magazine (2010-2014), Mail Online (2014-2015), Mirror (2015-2017), Digital Spy (2017-2018) and The Sun (2018-2020). She also previously teamed up with SEO agency Blue Array to co-author Amazon bestselling book ‘Mastering In-House SEO’.
