22yo marketing student claims she boycotts brands that show repetitive and intrusive ads and the Gen Z is marching right behind her: ‘I hold grudges’
Who even finds such ads convincing?
The eye-twitching frustration of seeing the same ad five times in a single streaming session is baffling. But one Gen Z business marketing student says it’s no longer just an annoyance. It’s a reason for a total brand boycott.
TikTok creator @croissantwoman, a last-semester marketing student, is going viral for a PSA that should have corporate ad agencies shaking in their boots. Her video, which has garnered over 16,000 views, explains why traditional high-frequency marketing is actually driving her generation to consume less.
Her video serves as a blunt rebuttal to the old-school marketing “Rule of 7.” She proves that for Gen Z, seeing a brand seven times doesn’t lead to a purchase. If anything, it leads to a grudge.
Repetitive ads are causing her to boycott brands
The creator’s primary grievance is the sheer frequency of repetitive ads. She specifically called out a Reese’s Pieces “Nugget” commercial that seems to haunt her streaming services. “You show me that ad every 30 minutes for about a month—I’m never going to buy that chocolate,” she stated.
She emphasized that she has actively stopped buying the brand because the marketing became a nuisance rather than an invitation. For her, the pop up of the brand name triggers irritation instead of a craving.
Constant exposure at events leads to total disengagement
It isn’t just digital ads; the student notes that the “omnipresence” of marketing at live events is equally counterproductive. She describes being at a hockey game where a single company is mentioned every ten minutes for three hours. This eventually caused her to stop listening entirely.
According to her, this relentless exposure doesn’t build brand loyalty. It only creates an association between the brand and the feeling of being interrupted. She also trashed the annoying app selling strategy we all have experienced first hand. “You are playing a game, and the game says, “Watch this ad to keep playing.’” The creator reiterated that nobody’s buying that app because of sheer annoyance.
Marketing as we know it needs a shift
The creator concludes that the traditional “saturation” strategy, where brands try to appear on every newspaper page, app screen, and billboard is fundamentally broken for her generation. While these tactics succeed in making her remember the slogan, they fail the ultimate goal of conversion.
She notes that this over-saturation is actually a “good thing for the planet” because it’s making her and her peers consume less simply to avoid the noise of the industry.
Why are people so annoyed by these high-frequency ads?
The psychological reason behind this frustration is a phenomenon known as advertising wear-out. While advertisers believe that repetition builds familiarity, over-exposure leads to “ad blindness” at best and “ad resentment” at worst.
Gen Z, having grown up in a digital-first world, is more sensitive to the interruptive nature of ads. When a brand interrupts a “flow state,” whether that’s watching a show or playing a game, it creates a negative emotional anchor. The student’s grudge is a logical response to a brand that values its own visibility over the consumer’s user experience.
What marketing strategies could work better for Gen Z?
To win over a generation that “holds grudges” against traditional commercials, the industry likely needs to pivot toward native, value-driven, and community-focused content. Instead of “Mmm, nugget” on a loop, brands find more success with creator partnerships where the product is a natural part of a story.
Strategies that reward a user’s attention rather than demanding it also reduce the feeling of being “forced” to watch. These include interactive ads or opt-in content. Agencies need to understand that Gen Z values the discovery aspect of a brand. Low-frequency, high-quality placements often feel more premium and less desperate than a three-hour loop at a hockey game.
A brand’s loudest ad is often its most ignored
The creator’s video, or rather, the rant is a reminder that in 2026, attention is the most valuable currency. And brands that steal it through repetition shouldn’t be surprised when they’re left in the dust.
We’d love to hear from the creator about any ads she actually likes. And so will ad agencies. Until then, the Gen Z will probably just stick to the snacks that don’t yell at them every thirty minutes.
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