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Poster Session 2, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM: Campus Center Auditorium [A44]

Presenter: Maram Bensaber

Faculty Sponsor: Zaur Rzakhanov

School: UMass Boston

Research Area: Marketing

ABSTRACT

This honors thesis looks at how Generation Z users tell the difference between honest and manipulative marketing on TikTok, an app where advertising is often woven into everyday content. Unlike traditional ads, TikTok marketing is designed to feel casual, personal, and authentic, which can make it hard for users to realize when they are being marketed to. As TikTok continues to influence how Gen Z discovers and purchases products, this study explores the persuasion tactics creators and businesses use and how those strategies affect both trust and decision-making. Using Federal Trade Commission (FTC) disclosure guidelines and Cialdini’s principles of influence as a framework, this research takes a mixed-method approach that combines content analysis of TikTok videos with surveys and interviews of Gen Z college users aged 18–25. Overall, this study highlights how difficult it can be for Gen Z to identify sponsored content and helps highlight the importance of media literacy, ethical advertising, and transparency in digital marketing.

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