12/03/2025
Gen Z doesn’t want “influencer campaigns.”
They want situations to watch.
Scroll behavior is telling us:
People binge micro-stories, not isolated ads
“What happened next?” is the real retention hack
Cast chemistry beats perfect scripting every time
That’s why I’m obsessed with vertical reality:
Short-form, phone-native reality formats designed to be watched in pieces across a weekend — lives, confessionals, chaos, aftermath.
From a brand POV, vertical reality means:
Your product shows up naturally across multiple moments
The audience builds a relationship with a cast that keeps using your brand
You walk away with a bank of TikToks/Reels you can repurpose and run as Spark/whitelist ads
That’s the engine behind The Messy Weekend – 1 chaotic weekend, 1 cast, and a brand baked into the story.
Curious if you’re experimenting with anything similar in your 2026 plans.
What’s the most non-traditional creator format you’ve tested so far?
