Nokia came out tops, Shoprite came second overall, Mr Price third and Edgars fourth.
Interestingly telecommunications and retail outlets dominate the youth market brand usage. The product category importance differs from Ask Afrika’s Icon Brands winners, brands which are used loyally across the South African demographic and all age groups, where food and drink product categories dominate. This demonstrates what the youth prioritise in their spending.
Youth brand usage is significant if you consider that 51% of the population in South Africa are under 34. In line with national Stats SA’s definition, youth are regarded as persons aged 15 to 34 years.
“Ask Afrika’s Youth Brands rise above the clutter and resonate with South Africa’s youth. In the South African market, the changing traditional family structure has elevated the youth’s influence in purchasing decisions. Understanding what makes them tick is vital,” says Maria Petousis, TGI director at Ask Afrika.
Appealing to the youth is not as simple as being on social media or having a cool ad or app. A plethora of information is vying for the youth’s active yet short attention span. Finding common ground between your brand and the savvy youth market is vital. The purpose of the Ask Afrika research is to enable solutions for brands to deliver measurable results in terms of their status across the youth market in South Africa.
“The Ask Afrika Youth Brands benchmark seeks to understand which brands are used loyally by the youth, the nuances which define this market and what is required to cultivate loyal relationships, well into South Africa’s future. Our research provides insights for marketers, guiding them in how to engage the youth to ensure relevant and sustainable brands,” says Petousis.
The Ask Afrika Youth Brands survey interviewed a sample of 8374 youth consumers and the survey represents the views of 11 952 000 youth living in South Africa. Face-to-face interviews were also done. The results were audited by an external company BDO and sampling expert, Dr. Neethling, was asked to check all results, weightings and so on. For consistency and credibility, the same calculation was used as in the Ask Afrika Icon Brands and the Ask Afrika Kasi Star Brands.
Marketers can tap into the expertise of Ask Afrika’s Youth Brands reporting solutions to maximise market opportunities within this segment. Tailor-made Ask Afrika Youth Brands research reports are available to help strengthen youth marketing strategies, benchmark brands amongst youth brand winners and understand the youth market. Two types of reports are currently available, a Youth Brands Life Stage Segmentation Report and a Category Overview Report.
For more information, visit www.askafrika.co.za. Alternatively connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.