Poised to shake up traditional notions of living standards to measure consumer segmentation (LSM), the New Urban Tribes of South Africa trend report is set to deliver valuable new anthropological and marketing insights into a cross-section of our society.

Chang and his research team have identified 12 distinctive groups who live, play, work and spend in contemporary, urban South Africa. These new 'tribes' – as well as what makes them tick, and how to effectively communicate with them – will be revealed during the day-long Flux Trend Review conference at the University of Johannesburg’s Arts Centre on Thursday, 7 June 2012.

“Segmenting people solely by virtue of their ownership of cars and home appliances is fast becoming obsolete,” explains Chang. “It still tells part of the consumer story, but not the full picture.”

The unique South African groups have been identified for their cultural poignancy and/or spending power:

The Diamond Chips: the brand-conscious trophy kids of the original Black Diamonds.

The Faith Based Youth: youngsters who have found stability in new non-hierachical forms of religious or spiritual communities that focus on greater human connectedness and social justice.

The Technohippies: those with hippie ideals, who are passionate about saving the world, but rely on technology to do so.

SA’s New Desperate Housewives: featuring the new black ‘Empowerment Kugels' along with the more liberated, skillful Domestic PAs of today.

The Afrikaans Artistes: comprising the Generation X creative ‘culture vultures’ of this country, and the liberal free-spirited millennial passionate about preserving their Afrikaans language and heritage.

The Indo- Asians: Indian and Chinese students or post graduates living in South Africa, who are grappling with their identities and slowly taking over the economy due to their strong work ethic.

The Black Pinks: South Africa’s growing black, gay community, who are set to become our future “DINK’s” (double income no kids) - a marketer’s dream.
Single Parent, Double Life: young black women in South Africa who rely on parents to look after their child, either out of necessity or to maintain their own glamorous lifestyle.

The Bieber Brats: the young digitally native Mandela generation--precocious in their knowledge, and spoiled, pampered and indulged.

The Rainbow Revolutionaries: multi-racial children who are a product of families who represent liberal values of a democratic South Africa.

The Lost Generation: the unemployed, uneducated, disempowered 18-24 year olds, who are demoralized and angry. South Africa’s ticking time bomb.

“As we cross the threshold into a new world order, it is time to rethink and readjust – especially in South Africa. Flux Trends attempts to do just that with this New Urban Tribes of South Africa report.”

The New Urban Tribes of South Africa report, which is being launched at the conference, is also being produced as an e-book in collaboration with Pan Macmillan, and will be released on multiple digital platforms (Amazon, Kalahari and Kindle).

The line-up of local and international speakers joining Chang and contributing their insights on the forces and trends shaping the new world order, includes Arthur Goldstuck, Adrian Lee, Christo Davel, Ferial Haffajee, Khaya Dlanga, Rich Mulholland, Mokena Makeka, Dennis McEniry, Nozipho Mngomezulu and Chang himself.

Find out what motivates today’s truly eclectic and multicultural “Rainbow Nation” by booking for the 2012 Flux Trend Review … innovating with Samsung.

Tickets cost R1 850 each, with a 10% discount for bookings of 10 or more from the same company and a 20% discount for students. Book by emailing connected@fluxtrends.co.za, or visit www.fluxtrends.co.za for more information.