What does it really mean to market with Gen Z instead of to them? That question anchored a thoughtful session at POSSIBLE 2025, featuring voices from Pinterest, Delta Air Lines, UrbanStems, and content creator Davis Burleson. Framed around authenticity, collaboration, and cultural speed, the conversation encouraged brands to rethink how they engage — not just on social, but in how they build relevance day to day.
Hosted by Krystal Hauserman (CMO and Strategic Advisor, UrbanStems), the session featured Sydney Stanback (Senior Manager of Brand Research, Pinterest), Davis Burleson (host of What’s Poppin’? and TikTok Radio), and Nathan Smith (GM, Brand Marketing, Delta Air Lines).
Trust the Creator, Not Just the Brief
Davis Burleson’s rise from TikTok hobbyist to full-time content creator gave the panel a lived-in perspective on brand partnerships. His main takeaway: the most effective campaigns are those where creators are trusted to speak in their own voice.
In his early brand work, Davis was handed rigid scripts that rarely performed. Over time, as he pushed for more freedom, performance improved — and sometimes went viral. “I may not know everything,” he said, “but I do know my audience.” His advice for marketers: brief less, trust more, and co-create with the people closest to culture.
Pinterest Predicts — and Delivers
Sydney Stanback offered a data-led view of Gen Z culture through the lens of Pinterest’s trend forecasting engine, Pinterest Predicts. With an 80% success rate over the past five years, the platform’s insights are based on what people actually plan for — rather than what they share for social clout.
Pinterest’s activation at Coachella illustrated this shift. Gen Z users had been planning for the festival months in advance, and the platform partnered with Gen Z creators and cultural figures like Ramesha Sitar to bring those aesthetics to life in real time. The goal, Sydney explained, wasn’t just to show up — but to add value and invite the audience into the process.
Legacy, Reframed
Representing a century-old brand, Nathan Smith spoke candidly about the role younger audiences play in Delta’s strategy. He challenged the idea that Gen Z loyalty is fleeting, noting that Delta’s most loyal SkyMiles members often join early in their lives — and stay for decades.
For Delta, staying relevant means focusing less on nostalgia and more on relevance. That includes collabs like their recent campaign with BÉIS (which began in a TikTok comment thread) and deeper partnerships with brands like Uber and YouTube, aimed at making the travel experience more personalised. “It’s not just about flights anymore,” Nathan said. “It’s about lifestyle.”
Real Culture Moves Fast
One recurring point from Davis: if a brand joins a trend two weeks late, it’s already over. Brands need systems — and internal trust — to move at the speed of culture. That might mean letting social teams take more creative risks or investing in original content series that don’t rely on approval chains.
The strongest examples highlighted by the panel — like Reformation’s Pete Davidson campaign, Crocs’ continuous reinvention, and Pinterest’s Coachella presence — all shared a common thread: relevance, not reach, was the starting point.
In Summary
This session offered a clear message: Gen Z isn’t asking brands to perform. They’re asking them to participate. That means co-creating with creators, trusting first-party data, and showing up in a way that feels timely, useful, and self-aware. The brands that win in this space won’t be the ones with the most polished creative — but the ones willing to listen, adapt, and move forward alongside their audience.