ILCC Reading Tools

This study investigates the impact of three digital content marketing strategies: storytelling, user-generated content, and influencer marketing, on Egyptian Generation Z consumer behavior in the context of startup projects, by analyzing their brand recall, trust, purchase intention, and engagement level. Guided by Dual Process Theory (DPT) and Media Richness Theory (MRT), the research inspects how intuitive versus analytical content formats shape Gen Z decision-making. It employs a mixed-method approach, where the survey collects data from Egyptian Gen Z consumers, and the in-depth interviews gather creator insights from startup founders in Egypt. The survey results show that emotionally appealing content enhances brand engagement and recall, while intuitive-processing formats (formats with high cues) such as: short videos and visuals, drive spontaneous behavior. It also shows that analytical processing content formats (formats with low cues), such as: reviews and detailed posts, drive purchase decisions. The findings also highlight the significant differences between the three strategies examined, where storytelling creates strong emotional brand-consumer connection which enhances brand recall, while user-generated content fosters authenticity and community trust, and influencer marketing increases brand exposure but with mixed effects on trust. This contributes to literature on digital marketing in general and digital content marketing in specific, and consumer behavior by understanding a strong purchasing power demographic like Egyptian Gen Z, offering actionable insights to startup owners in Egypt into how to choose their content strategies and how to enhance content in ways to optimize brand trust, awareness, recall, and purchase intention.

Received on: 02 November 2025

Accepted on: 16 November 2025

Published on: 04 December 2025