Youth market - have you seen me anywhere?

Townsend says the youth market is becoming as popular as the 'emerging market' for most brands in SA. It's difficult to find a brand not interested in one or the other. Combine the two, and the radar goes wild, he says.

"But, in order to maximise revenue, advertisers need to grab young people's attention by proving their brand has a philosophy of life that the youth market will buy into first, before buying the product," he says. "The youth identify with the philosophy, as opposed to merely enjoying the product," he says.

For the youth, establishing personal beliefs and values is part of gaining independence. "Buying into a philosophy says something about your own beliefs and the way you want to live your life - the brand becomes an extension of you and a reflection of your personality," he says.

This does not however mean that this philosophy just appears out of the ether, but has to be rooted in a brand truth.

For example, Townsend says the recent Sprite campaign builds on the philosophy and pay-off line, 'See through it', which plays on honesty, self-confidence and self-expression. Sprite, as an image brand, focuses on the philosophy as opposed to the functionality of the brand. "Consumer insight revealed a growing realisation and disdain for fake news, advertising, politics and even people. The link was made between the transparency of the product and the evident transparency of these elements, which led to a brand core of 'Refreshingly Honesty'," says Townsend.

Wandi Collis, Strategic Planner at Ogilvy Johannesburg, says the search for independence and the wide range of options out there have made young people much more difficult to please. "The youth is very savvy these days and they resent being patronised. For them it is important that the brand is true to itself. It therefore cannot say one thing and do another. If it makes a clear statement about its philosophy above-the-line, then it better behave that way below-the-line, or run the risk of being seen to be false," she says.

When this approach is achieved, the benefit for advertising clients is brand loyalty, provided it continues to offer the core philosophy that they identify with. Says Collis: "The market is looking for substance. They are using brands to express a point of view. If you contradict that point of view in any way, you will let the consumer down and dilute the message they are conveying - rejection will soon follow."

"We are also finding it is important to mix and match brand identity with a strong South African identity rather then merely transplanting global brands into the local market," she says. "The youth respond positively to brands that are tailored for the local climate while retaining their global identity. Translating the brand truth against a local insight usually achieves this."