Gen Z perspectives: NDP 2026, AI caricatures and do mascots still matter?

Happy Friday, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE readers and welcome back to Gen Z Perspectives, your go-to feature where we unpack the week’s top stories and trending topics through the eyes of Gen Z. From the biggest industry moves to viral moments and marketing controversies worth dissecting, we’re bringing the heat with authenticity, awareness and probably a few unfiltered takes.

This week: NDP 2026 is on the hunt for a creative agency to drive its nationwide campaign, IKEA Singapore jumped on the AI caricature trend, and we asked, do brand mascots still matter in 2026?

No AI here, just the real stories you'd want to see. 

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1. National Day Parade 2026 calls creative pitch

Singapore’s National Day Parade (NDP) 2026 organising committee is looking to appoint a creative agency to lead its nationwide branding and publicity campaign. According to tender documents released on GeBIZ, the selected agency will oversee the strategic development, creative execution and publicity management for NDP 2026, with the contract running until 31 August 2026. 

The appointment aims to ensure coherent messaging across multiple platforms while translating NDP 2026’s theme into a unified brand identity and integrated communications campaign.

Read more here. 

2. How IKEA is making trendjacking part of its personality

Over the weekend, the "Caricature trend" took over social media feeds, with individuals sharing AI-generated caricatures of themselves. To join in, users are encouraged to use ChatGPT with the prompt "Create a caricature of me and my job based on everything you know about me". 

Amidst the playful and exaggerated cartoon-like self-portraits, IKEA Singapore has put its own twist on the trend by turning its beloved panda (Kramig), bear (Djungelskig) and shark (blahaj) soft toys into caricatures.

Read more here. 

3. Keeta unleashes Kiki: Do brand mascots still matter in 2026?

By now, most of us have seen Keeta’s new face—KiKi, a lively cheetah inspired by the "cheetah" roots of the Keeta name. Whether you love her or question the choice, one thing's for sure: she's got people talking. The buzz across social platforms signals a bold shift in the brand’s identity.

Despite their emotional power, brand mascots may feel like a relic of marketing past. Icons such as Koko the Koala or Tony the Tiger have mostly faded. Even the still-visible M&M’s characters and Geico Gecko first appeared in 1954 and 1999, respectively.

Read more here. 

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