Grace Kao (Snap) | The Truth About Gen Z and Why Marketers Keep Getting It Wrong

**Jim Stengel** (0:00)
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What's the first brand, Grace, you remember making an impact on you as a young girl?

**Grace Kao** (0:45)
You know, I don't know if it's because it's the NBA Finals, but I remember when Spike Lee showed up with It's the Shoes with Michael Jordan. I remember being kid watch. I'm like, it just blew my mind on the creativity, the black and white, the artisticness. It was so provocative and different. Like, that was just moment like, oh, this advertising thing is amazing, you know, to feel that. And yeah, it was just the two of them, black and white and Mars Blackman, you know, it's incredible.

**Jim Stengel** (1:20)
Hi, I'm Jim Stengel. I've helped hundreds of major brands discover and activate their purpose because when a brand's purpose is clear, compelling and authentic, profit naturally follows. Each week, I welcome the CMOs, the chief marketing officers of your favorite brands, to speak to how their job is so much more than marketing. These leaders share their inspiration and challenges, along with how they try to build a full, healthy and happy life in and out of the office. And it's that energy that reaches everyone they touch. And we're glad you're here to feel that energy and to learn from these remarkable leaders. So here we go.
Every generation reshapes marketing in its own way, but few have challenged marketers' assumptions as much as Gen Z, the generation that is now in high school, college, and in early career jobs. This week, we're returning to our series exploring how brand leaders are learning which audience is the most important for their future. And for this specific generation, there's no one better to help us understand Gen Z than my guest, Grace Kao, Chief Marketing Officer at Snap Inc. Founded in 2011 by Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy, Snap began with a simple idea, creating a more authentic visual way for people to communicate. Now in 2026, Snapchat reaches more than 940 million monthly active users around the world and has grown into a nearly $6 billion by revenue business. My guest Grace joined Snap in December 2024 as Vice President of Consumer and Business Marketing. Just a few months later, in April 2025, she was promoted to Chief Marketing Officer. Grace leads the company's global marketing efforts and helps brands, creators, and developers build meaningful connections through the Snapchat platform. Before joining Snap, Grace led global business marketing at both Spotify and Instagram, working with businesses and creators. Now, tune in for a conversation with a leader who is preparing for the Cannes Lions Festival, which opens next week, and who is leading the way on how brands can build authentic connections with the Gen Z audience. Here's Grace.
Well, Grace, welcome to The CMO Podcast. We are recording the show about a week before Cannes Lions 2026, and I will be hosting you and a few other leaders on stage on Monday morning early for quote CMOs in the spotlight. So I get you twice in 10 days. I'm a lucky guy.

**Grace Kao** (3:36)
Love it. I'm a lucky girl. Thank you so much, Jim. I'm so excited about today's podcast and even more excited to see you in Cannes again.

**Jim Stengel** (3:42)
So fun. In person in Cannes, which is so good. Now, first question, we were chatting before the show started and a memory popped up on my phone last night of your Ferris wheel.

**Grace Kao** (3:52)
Oh, yeah.

**Jim Stengel** (3:52)
The Snapchat Ferris wheel back in, I don't know, 2017 or 18?

**Grace Kao** (3:58)
We're dating ourselves, Jim. Yes.

**Jim Stengel** (4:00)
Yeah, I know. I've been going there many years. So my question for you first is, how is Snap showing up this year at Cannes?

**Grace Kao** (4:07)
Oh, yeah. I'm super excited for how we're showing up at Snapchat this year. I think because it's a very big year for Snapchat, obviously there's Snapchat itself and there's lots of amazing things that we're doing, whether it's sponsored snaps, or however well we're working with AI, and also promote to places, which is our map.