Generation Y knows the coolest brands

With more technology at its fingertips, this generation, more than any before it, broadcasts its opinions and views on all manner of issues and topics across all the social media platforms.

"Any brand, looking to strategically break through into the youth market, needs to know what this market 'likes'," says Enver Groenewald, GM of advertising revenue and strategic communications at The Sunday Times. "As the buying force of tomorrow, youth need to be validated as consumers, as they have the potential to make or break a product or service."

Cool is in the eye of the beholder

This year, over 7200 young South Africans, from six provinces, were polled on everything from the fast food outlets to cellular network providers, celebrities to fashion brands and banks to tertiary institutions.

The survey illustrates what the leaders, movers and shakers of tomorrow are responding to today, as well as measuring the effectiveness of marketing and branding campaigns - aimed either specifically or not specifically at this particular target market - are being consumed and interpreted.

This year's survey includes an additional eight brand personality categories to serve as a gauge with which to measure the success of the growing trend of utilising celebrities to endorse big name brands.

Spanning 72 categories and unpacked into two studies - Coolest Brands and Lifestyle Habits - the survey illustrates young consumers' brand preferences based on what they deem 'cool', irrespective of their financial constraints. The survey also offers key insight into trends likely to shake the bottom line for some brands.

Technology is tops

Amongst various trends, the survey points to a prominent year-on-year increase in tech consumption amongst the youth and, although a given for some, it does denote this particular market's preference for products and services that are simultaneously functional, multi-purposeful and affordable.

For this reason, the Blackberry smart phone, with its widespread appeal, gained enough clout in the eyes of Generation Y to scoop this year's Coolest Brand Overall title. It also took top honours in the 'Coolest Cellphone', 'Coolest High-Tech Gadget' categories and BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) was named 'Best Cellphone Application'.

"BBM is the archetypal 'killer app' - it's one of the best examples ever of intrinsic functionality driving demand for a cellphone, or any device for that matter," explains Jason Levin, MD of HDI Youth Marketeers, which annually conducts and consolidates the urban youth market research. "The service turned the phone, originally a smartphone used for business purposes, into a cool tool for youth."

Craige Fleischer, regional director Southern Africa at RIM, the company behind the BlackBerry solution adds, "Generation Y's choice of the smartphone for the coolest brand overall reflects the importance it has assumed in the increasingly connected lives of a tech-savvy generation. They have become the choice of South Africa's youth because they are both aspirational and affordable."

Repeat winners

CAR has been voted the Coolest Male Magazine for the third successive year, recognising the magazine's initiatives in reaching SA's young movers and shakers where they play - in the new media space - said the magazine's publisher, Neil Piper. He cited the magazine's recent augmented reality cover and QR codes used in its pages as an example of its ongoing innovation.

"We realise how important it is for us to stay relevant to our large base of tech-savvy young readers. Using technology this way, allows content to come alive for this segment of our audience, enabling them to interact with their favourite motoring brand and establish brand loyalty from early on," he said.

Other repeat winners include ABSA as the 'Coolest' Bank, Pick n Pay as the 'Coolest' Grocery Store and 5FM as the 'Coolest' Radio Station. Newcomers in the top five rankings include Jay Jays, Avon, 8.ta and Top Gear in their respective categories.

Media consumption is bite-sized

Additional insights from the lifestyle and consumer behaviour segment of the study show how young urbanites consume media and how it influences their broader lifestyle habits. Living in a brand-cluttered environment, young urbanites have acquired the capacity to dismiss immediately branded content that doesn't appeal to them.

They tend to consume bite-sized portions of information as opposed to copy-heavy content. Though most might not yet be able to drive a car, they're almost certainly convinced they can take control of their media experience and marketers are ill-advised to connect with them in a way that undermines this.

Relevance, connections

Relevance is also very much top of the list, with the youth unequivocally demanding that in order for brands to entice them they need to really know them. "Youth demand irresistibility in a brand - and that's possible to do but it does require investigation, exploration, bravery and willingness," continues Levin. "It's worth doing though because only irresistible brands will have the necessary traction and stickiness to succeed with this generation."

With this advice comes the understanding that a 'spray and pray' approach to marketing will garner quantity brand awareness but does not guarantee quality brand awareness. "Connect with the people you want to have spread the word about your brand," advises Levin. "Make them the focus of your communication, keep them captivated and enticed and you'll undoubtedly reach their peers, and their peers."

Levin concludes, "Brands need to understand how to involve young consumers, which a survey such as this helps achieve. Bear in mind that over 50% of South Africa is under the age of 23 and spent in 2010 alone, R95.3 billion."

The survey will be available as a supplement in the 29 May 2011 edition of The Sunday Times.

Results of the survey