by By Natalia Pruklang
The big mystery every one wants to know is who runs their favorite brand’s social media accounts. From Duolingo to the MLB, social media admins have become a huge anonymous celebrity. And it’s all apart of a PR strategy.
Typically, the idea of referring to the admin of a brand’s social media account as “the intern” was seen as an insult. “Oh, the social media intern messed up again,” or “what intern got ahold of this.” But now? Brands are capitalizing on the fact that they have a younger generation calling the shots.
Whether it’s the sassy attitude in responses or simply trolling fans, the behavior of these interns are bringing engagement levels up. An example being from Netflix’s Outer Banks Twitter/X account during the promotion for Season 4 Part 1. Responding to fans was a huge part of gaining traction and excitement for the new season. 
Sports are joining in on the fun too. The official MLB TikTok account had a busy week last week with the World Series. That did not stop our lovely intern from having fun. MLB posted this TikTok the day of the World Series. If you try explaining the reasoning behind how funny this is to anyone other than someone that is Gen Z, you’d be called crazy. 
And that’s the whole idea of a “Gen Z” Social Media Intern. The insanity and randomness of these posts are what the people want. It is what is attracting new customers, it is what the algorithm will push. Like the recent TikTok trend of corporations and brands posting a video with the caption “We asked our Gen Z intern to edit our video.” The video will feature an older employee attempting to show us around the business or explain a campaign but being cut every time they speak. Some of these TikToks will be for a local business that gained over 1 million likes, simply for following a trend others would call stupid or pointless.
What is the logic behind this? Why should we encourage this almost unprofessional behavior from these huge brands? It all comes down to this: relatability. Every one wants to fit in these days, especially brands. By embracing the new age of social media trends and the Gen Z slang, brands are able to reach a new demographic they might have never thought they could reach in the first place.
A new type of marketing era has arrived and brands better hop aboard, or they will soon be left behind.
This is a really interesting take on how brands are adapting to the ever-changing landscape of social media! I agree that this “Gen Z intern” persona is definitely making waves and challenging traditional marketing norms. My favorite “Gen Z intern” marketing i’ve seen is when Delta Airlines participates in TikTok trends.
Hi Natalia,
I loved reading your thoughts on Gen Z marketing tactics. I have also been intrigued with this idea after seeing so many companies participate on TikTok. It is really cool to see how this trend is increasing interaction between brands and consumers. I am interested to see how this “Gen Z Intern” trend continues in the future through various PR/ Marketing tactics.
Hey Natalia, great read! Your blog highlights the importance of brands staying relevant and relatable. Younger audiences quickly lose interest if something doesn’t align with current trends or their interests, so brands that work with Gen Z interns often see a boost in engagement. People often worry that artificial intelligence will take everyone’s jobs, but I think it might actually be Gen Z! I’ve noticed I’m more engaged with brand marketing lately thanks to PR strategies led by Gen Z.
Hey Natalia! Gosh, I love Gen Z humor. That Radio Rebel video actually made me follow MLB on TikTok. That literally should prove the power of social media strategy. It is so random, it seems thoughtless, but Gen Z has such a great understanding of what their audience will react to and engage with that it works. I love that you pointed this out, great post!