Verizon & MGB

Exploring emotional insights to launch ground-breaking new technology.

An image representing a fieldwork interview with gen z participants and a moderator.

In the United States alone, there are 70 million Gen Zs. Practically born with a smartphone in hand, this generation grew up mostly online. And they approach the role of technology in their lives differently than any other generation. Verizon, and agency partner Dentsu McGarryBowen, engaged Subjective to identify unspoken and unmet emotional needs to innovate where it would make a difference.

Through a combination of online diaries, home visits, and hosted conversations, we set out to gain a deep understanding of the everyday habits, meaningful rituals, and custom hacks that make up GenZ's world. To be relevant, it would mean tapping the mixed emotions around being online—positive and negative.

An image of a mind map.

The three-month-long research effort was encapsulated in a 15-minute documentary and fully interactive report mapping emotional tensions. The work resulted in an emotional blueprint to guide innovation in high-speed internet and related services.