Youth marketing in 2017 - five trends

Khethi Ngwenya

Owner and MD of SchoolMedia, Khethi Ngwenya, has put together five 2017 trends that outline just how the youth should and could be targeted in the coming months.

“We need to be savvy about how we go about reaching this particular market, because they are not interested in reams of text, being told what to do or how to do it. This is a generation that is empowered by tools such as the internet and mobile technology, so we need to make sure we are leveraging off these resources ourselves rather than competing with them.”

Five trends

1. Location, location, location: “In order to truly reach the youth, the message needs to be accessible to them. It is important for the right information to be near schools, sports fields and pivotal areas in the community where young people spend their time. A strong and innovative message will be completely missed if it is not in a place that the youth market frequents.”

2. Go mobile: “Screen time is unavoidable – it is what the youth of today use for all of their communication. If you cannot beat them, join them.”

3. If content is king, imagery is queen: “While a well-worded sentence, a clever paragraph or a strong essay may pack a punch, a picture speaks a thousand words. In 2017, it is all about infographics and images that tell a tale.”

4. Gain their trust: “The youth market has the potential to be a very loyal consumer base, but you need to build their trust. Your messaging should not be condescending or patronising. Get down to their level and give them something that they can relate to. Privacy is also a big deal to the youth market, so make sure that you give it to them.”

5. Give them an appropriate youth ambassador: “If there is a face of a campaign or a brand who the market can relate to, it will be that much easier to get the message across. Choose a young person who represents your brand and let him or her run with it. This sets up all sorts of opportunities in terms of networking and interaction too.”