Manila-based culture writer, consumer researcher, and content strategist, Angel Martinez runs a weekly column with PhilSTAR Life, where she initiates conversations around Gen Z behaviours and issues. Her pieces on identity, the internet, and their intersections have been published in 

, and Business Insider, and commissioned by think-tanks including Crowd DNA and Forge Futures. Outside of work, she can be found reading her book of the week in any cafe that serves iced matcha lattes.

Once a signifier of luxury or novelty, custom products and services are now within reach of the everyday consumer, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, algorithm-led platforms, and the COVID-era digitisation boom. Today, everyone wants to be the main character of their brand experience. 

Personal Worlds

Today, audiences are shaping the cultural agenda. Empowered to speak up for the causes they believe in, people are actively calling out brands they see as inauthentic. What are the main drivers of this behavioural shift? And how can brands win the trust of these outspoken advocates?

Assertive Audiences

Finance academic at RMIT University, Dr Angel Zhong specialises in empirical asset pricing, digital finance, global financial markets, investor behaviour, and recent trends in retail investing. In 2021 she received the RMIT Award for Research Excellence, Early Career Researcher (Enterprise), and in 2022 the College of Business and Law Research Excellence Award. She is also an editorial board member of two prestigious field journals (

Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money

). Her commitment to translating her research to improve financial literacy and wellbeing among Australians has seen her recognised as the finalist of the Women in Finance Awards 2021 in Australia, in the category of ‘Thought leader of the year’.

Australia

Insurance

Youi

Adnews

Yahoo! Sports

Australian Securities and Investments Commission

Interview with Angel Zhong conducted by the author

Insurance Business

McCrindle

Risk Management and Insurance Review

Australian Retailers Association

Swiss Re

PayPal Australia

Innocean Australia

Little Black Book

The insurance industry has a reputation for being traditional and low-interaction. With Youi’s promises of “you-shaped” plans, products, and brand partnerships, Australian Gen Y and Z can build their financial confidence in ways that resonate with their vibrant, digital-first lifestyles.