The Shortlist: The power of personalization

Curated by Liz Hilton Segel, chief client officer and managing partner, global industry practices, & Homayoun Hatami, managing partner, global client capabilities

Twice monthly, we bring you four new insights out of the dozens we publish that we think are worth a second glance from any business leader in any geography. In this edition, we complicate assumptions about Gen Z and social media, get specific about how knowledge workers can use generative AI, and more. We hope you enjoy the read.

—Liz and Homayoun

Illustration of blurred lines representing speed.

What’s new

Slow and steady wins the race? Not necessarily. Fast and steady is a reimagined mantra that can guide today’s leaders as they transform their companies. Speed is key: a common challenge is getting everyone running at the speed needed to power true transformation. We’ve identified three elements to get the company moving at the requisite pace.

Find out why speed thrills in Ready, set, go, and keep going: Why speed is key to a successful transformation, by Louisa Greco and Zachary Silverman .

Illustration of different sized cubes stacked on each other.

What’s now

Let’s get personal. Marketing leaders around the world are reimagining customer relationships in the era of generative AI. The new technology is remaking the ancient art of customer segmentation—and then creating astonishingly relevant content specifically for the new groups it has found. Gen AI tools then help sellers follow up with hyperpersonalized emails at scale (which should be arriving in your inbox any second now). Dozens of other uses are also taking off.

Plan your revolution with AI-powered marketing and sales reach new heights with generative AI, by Richelle Deveau , Sonia Joseph Griffin, and Steve Reis .

An illustration of abstract, blue flowing liquid.

What’s next

As gen AI continues its rapid advance, our experts help business leaders make sense of what stands to change across the enterprise. This week, we explore how four kinds of knowledge workers—coders, relationship managers, customer service reps, and research scientists—can put gen AI to work today.

Generate your company’s future with What every CEO should know about generative AI, by Michael Chui , Roger Roberts , Tanya Rodchenko, Alex Singla , Alex Sukharevsky , Lareina Yee , and Delphine Zurkiya .

Photo of a young person in the dark, staring at a mobile device.

What’s needed

Gen Z and social media: it’s complicated. On one hand, it’s all-consuming: 75 percent check in every day. But why do they do it? More Gen Zers say that social media harms their mental health than other generations. And the more time they spend scrolling, the worse they feel, according to McKinsey Health Institute’s new survey of 40,000 people. But correlation is not causation; social media also has some surprising benefits. And companies that understand social media can help attract and retain dynamic younger workers.

Double-tap Gen Z mental health: The impact of tech and social media, by Erica Coe , Andrew Doy, Kana Enomoto , and Cheryl Healy.

We hope you find this synthesis helpful. See you in two weeks with four more ideas from McKinsey.

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