Youth Influencer Awards select 2016's winnersThe winners of the 2016 Youth Influencer Awards (YIA) were announced late last week. Several top South African brands were in attendance to witness the awards, including Castle Lite, Heineken, Nestle, AB InBev and Standard Bank. The Gamechanger - Pap Culture The awards highlight recognised youth influencers under 25, with the focus on remarkable youth who are creating their own success through influencer marketing, without the support of fame. According to Marc Kornberger, director and co-founder at Student Village, “Heading into the awards, we found that celebrities have been brands go-to source for achieving scale and reach in their influencer outreach, however this has not opened the floor for influencer marketing to develop in South Africa, as it has been able to in other countries. “Student Village wants these awards to provide a platform for authentic young influencers to be recognised and give brands a better view of what influencer marketing really is and has the potential to become.” Winners
• Best Female Lifestyle Influencer – Tsepang Modisane • Best Social Media Influencer – Tshepi Vundla • Best Campus Brand Ambassador – Isaac Mnguni • Most Influential Visual Artist – Themba Mbuyisa • Most Influential Vlogger – Moshe Ndiki • The Socialite – Tshepi Vundla • The Game Changer – Pap Culture• Best Brand Influencer Marketing – Adidas Judges Since influencer marketing is already changing the way brands market to the masses, Student Village also put brands in the spotlight with a Best Brand Influencer Marketing category, which was won by Adidas, with other nominees in the category including Sunglasshut, Superbalist, Levis and Standard Bank. “The influencers and brands nominated have set the bar for winners to come and we look forward to see how the influencer game evolves until we host our next Youth Influencer Awards,” concludes Kornberger. |