-
Sep15In Person Event12:00 PM – 07:00 PM
The Gen Z Authenticity Trap: How SiriusXM Built Cultural Credibility with a Generation That Doesn’t Trust Brands by Default
Chicago, Sept. 15 - 17
Connect with us at the Corporate Researchers Conference (CRC) to learn how leading brands, including Coca Cola, CVS Health, Toyota & more, are leveraging culturally trained AI to gain a competitive edge. Visit Booth 205 to experience how Collage helps brands.
Attend our session:
- Date & Time: Wednesday, Sept. 16, 12:10 - 12:40 p.m. CT
- Room: Glessner House
Many brands are trying to win Gen Z by moving faster: chasing trends, borrowing creator language, jumping into cultural moments, and optimizing for whatever the algorithm rewards next. But speed is not the same as credibility. For a generation highly skeptical of corporate motives, reactive relevance can quickly read as inauthentic, opportunistic, or simply out of touch.
So, what are brands getting wrong?
In this session, Collage and SiriusXM will unpack how brands can move beyond trend-chasing to build lasting cultural resonance with Gen Z. Syncing across SiriusXM’s audio ecosystem through YouTube Audio, SoundCloud and Pandora, the session will explore how deeper cultural truths, trusted discovery, human curation, and data-informed personalization can help brands earn attention more credibly.
The discussion will connect Collage's cultural resonance research with practical lessons from SiriusXM’s growing relevance with Gen Z, showing how cultural credibility is built through a clearer understanding of who Gen Z is, what they trust, and where brands have permission to participate.
Attendees will leave with a practical framework for moving from trend-chasing to trust-building: how to identify the cultural truths that matter to Gen Z, translate those insights into credible content and brand experiences, and pair authentic storytelling with smarter media targeting strategies that reach Gen Z in environments where credibility already exists.
Presenters:
- Nicole Buchanan, Senior Director, Head of Cultural Strategy & Multicultural Sales, SiriusXM Media
- Jack Mackinnon, Senior Director of Cultural Insights, Collage
