Tanzania makes it to the global list for ads targeting Gen Z

That puts it ahead of peers like Ghana, ranked 25th, but trailing regional heavyweight South Africa in second place globally, with Greece topping the list followed by Serbia.

The findings, drawn from campaigns spanning August 2022 to August 2025 across 184 countries, reveal a stark divergence in strategies: while fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) firms dominate worldwide with 51 per cent of such ads, Tanzanian telcos lead locally at 67 per cent, followed by education providers.

According to the World Data Lab, Gen Z spending across Africa is projected to reach over US$800 billion in 2025. Faced with high unemployment rates, many Gen Z individuals are turning to "lifestyle entrepreneurship."

They are leveraging digital platforms to create their own businesses and income streams, from social media content creation to small-scale e-commerce ventures.

Business development manager at Eskimi in Tanzania Ms Stella Rose Mwangi said,

"Gen Z is the first generation to grow up entirely online, fluent in social media, e-commerce, and digital platforms from an early age”.

She added, “They move seamlessly between apps, content, and shopping channels, and expect brands to match their speed and creativity. Brands that delay learning about this audience may struggle to maintain relevance and, ultimately, revenue growth”.

Ms Mwangi said this data shows the significant role Gen Z consumers play in emerging markets. Their mobile-first behavior is shifting advertising and commerce from traditional channels to digital platforms.

The study spotlights a local quirk: traditional sectors like telecoms—think Vodacom or Airtel pushing data bundles via eye-catching banners—are outpacing nimbler fields such as tech or entertainment.

Eskimi’s data shows education ads in second place, targeting exam-prep apps and online courses amid a youth bulge where over 70 per cent of Tanzanians are under 30.

Globally, education claims 11 per cent of Gen Z campaigns, with tech at five per cent, hinting at untapped potential in Tanzania’s fintech and edtech scenes.

A separate Eskimi probe found news sites yielding 35 per cent of top ad performance here, trumping job portals at 20 per cent, as young users seek timely, credible content.

“Many industries still underestimate their influence, risking falling behind as this generation forms loyalties. Despite growing up on social media, Gen Z’s media habits are deeply cross-platform, and display advertising remains a powerful way to reach them at scale,” Ms Mwangi said.