28 November 2008
	YOUTH MARKETING Becoming young at heart By Sharda Naidoo Generation Y is the future - ignore them at your peril

They are wired, savvy, brand-informed and literate. They have substantial buying power - an estimated R80bn direct cash spend. In addition, they influence much of their parents' spend, especially on items such as cellphones, entertainment and aspirational brands. With 52% of the population under the age of 23, SA's youth are the future business and thought leaders, and will soon be the country's biggest single consumer group. Today's youth are exposed to new media, the Internet, gadgetry, social media networks on their mobile phones, and other modern innovations. Absa marketing boss Mohale Ralebitso says: "They're the people for whom sex appeal has the most traction and they're the authority on what is and what isn't in." So, how do you capture the imagination of this market, with its addiction to technology, in a creative, interactive, entertaining, nonpatronising and nonintrusive manner? Any niche advertising is challenging. Research shows that youth, also known as Generation Y, are suspicious of traditional advertising. Their framework of experience in business contracts and engaging with brands is often based on what they get from cellphone providers. The trick is to advertise through multiple channels. In building brands with youth appeal, the quest is to create an icon. It is also to avoid fads, trying to be cool, or even becoming a staple brand and therefore a commodity. Authenticity is also crucial. "They just want honest advertising... that is purely functional or informative. Young people are looking for messages that are tailor-made for them and talk to their chosen culture. They share brand experiences with friends," says Vodacom strategist Anneke Botha. "Young people are looking for messages that are tailor-made for them and talk to their chosen culture" - ANNEKE BOTHA Typical of adverts that resonate with SA youth are Coca-Cola, Axe deodorant and Chicken Licken, according to the 2 500 respondents who voted in this year's Khuza Awards run by HDI Youth Marketers. But for these brands to keep up with the expectations of Generation Y, mobile and Internet are the future of advertising. Tyler Reed, of Younique, which specialises in advertising to youth, says: "Coca-Cola is looking to spend 50% of its budget on mobile in the near future. That translates to US$11bn - and Coke is not a brand that has to market itself." Chris Gotz, creative director of advertising agency Ogilvy Cape Town, says SA is slow in matching international trends in advertising to youth. "We're not successfully reaching this market. Internet and mobile are the future. The youth are touching more mediums, and they will be the biggest uptakers of the Internet. Its penetration is about 2%-4% in SA, but once bandwidth increases, you'll see more youth consumers pulling away from TV and radio." Gotz has run campaigns for brands such as Coke, Stimorol, Schweppes and Valpré. He says the growth of mobile as a communication device is obvious, but marketers have failed to latch onto the power of mobile advertising. "We have a whole generation of people using mobile phones that are becoming technologically able," he says. "Many of the youth will probably skip PC-based Internet and use telephone-based Internet. This might happen overnight and we might not be talking to them." He says that the SA advertising industry has been left behind in this worldwide digital marketing trend. "We're still a country that talks in big TV ads when we want to talk to people." Some youth brands, like Stimorol, are trying to catch up. "Stimorol has been using traditional TV to speak to the youth market, but it is now looking at mobile and viral communications, which is when I can get someone to tell another 30 friends, like through Facebook. I can make 1m people hear me in a day. "This is an extremely cost-effective way to advertise as it doesn't cost me anything. The ultimate victory with the youth is when a piece of animation gets around because it's cool and powerful because it's coming from a peer and it's also free." Botha says young people respond to imaginative campaigns delivered in attractive fashion. Advertisers should "surprise and push boundaries. Take the familiar and accessible mediums and turn them on their head". Self-expression is important. Says Botha : "Let the youth also have their say, give feedback and play with or adapt the message. Brands that allow young people to cocreate will win hearts. They love to show off their creative skills and thinking." Cadbury's and Converse Sneakers are examples of such brands. Cadbury's allowed young consumers to create their own Cadbury's gorilla viral ads based on the gorilla drummer character in TV ads (Check out the original: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZB6S1C9qWM and one of the spin-offs:www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCEe0D146zM). The Converse sneaker website features dozens of 24-sec films made by fans, who are asked to express what Converse shoes mean to them. Selected films are then broadcast on Converse's website, with the possibility of being aired later on MTV.