´Generation Next´ brand survey results announced

1 June 2007

Mr Barrie van den Berg, marketing teacher in the Monash South Africa Foundation programme.

The results of the 2007 annual “Generation Next” youth brand-preference survey were announced at a function held at Ster Kinekor, Montecasino in Johannesburg last week.

This survey is the result of collaboration between the Sunday Times, Hdi Youth Marketers and Monash South Africa. The research is driven by Mr Barrie van den Berg a marketing teacher at the Monash South Africa Foundation Programme.

“Over the past three years, this survey, conducted among South Africa’s urban youth, has yielded insights into this exclusive market segment and has achieved increased industry credibility and popularity, “says van den Berg.

The youth market represents the single largest segment of South Africa’s population (53%) and young consumers often influence the brand or purchase decisions of others – such as parents, siblings or friends. Urban youths form a significant part of the target market for virtually every product or brand.

The purpose of the survey is to track the evolving brand preference and consumption behaviour of young South Africans. The researchers target three groups: tweens (aged 8 – 13) teens (14 –18) and young adults (19 - 23) and analyse preferences and consumption differences by age, gender and subculture. The survey was undertaken in three phases from January to April 2007.

Adidas was rated the coolest brand among the youth with Billabong second. An anomaly in the results was that Adidas ranked only sixth as the coolest fashion label behind competitors such as Puma and Nike. Coco-Cola was rated the top company with BMW second.

“The next generation of urban South African youth have developed skills, capacity and the reputation to deal with complex ethical issues and have filed roles normally associated with adults,” says van den Berg.

“Many of the trends that we noticed in our first Generation Next report are today a fact of life – for example that kids are growing ‘older’ or more mature, younger.”

“This year’s report also shows that our young adults are adapting incredibly fast to an environment that is unpredictable. Our South African youth are adopting a new paradigm that:

• “Respects conservatism within a context of universal values such as honesty, fairness, openness, truthfulness, empathy and self control;
• Practises tolerance in the context of a desire for unity in a world where wealth versus poverty if the new divide; not politics, race or religion; and
• Expresses materialism in new ways.

“On the last point, there is often an abundance with the only lack being time and the associated lack of attention. Much of today’s ‘stuff’ is becoming meaningless because of increased transience in a fast-paced world.”