YOUTH MARKETING
@Marketing4Youth
#Africa
By Soumya Saklani
B
rands should have a bad case
of FOMO (Fear Of Missing
Out) when it comes to
marketing to the youth in Africa,
because if you engage with the youth
market now you could potentially
have a customer for life.
Africa has the youngest population
in the world, with around 200
million people between the ages of
15 and 24 and more people under
the age of 20 than anywhere else in
the world. The population is set to
double to 2 billion by 2050 and as
the workforce grows and education
improves, there is huge potential for
economic growth and development.
Life on the continent is changing.
Mobile has leapfrogged over the
lack of infrastructure in Africa,
connecting the youth to the global
village by giving them access
to information that previous
generations did not have. Mobiles
are central to life in Africa and
many people make huge sacrifices to
recharge their phones, even skipping
meals.
In some African countries more
people have access to a mobile
phone than to clean water or
electricity. Phone penetration
increased from 1% in 2000 to
54% in 2012. With around 650
million mobile users, the continent
is witnessing one of the biggest
increases in mobile data usage across
the globe, and forecasts suggest
mobile internet traffic will increase
‘‘The youth want to please their parents but
fit in with their peer group simultaneously.
Teens in particular want to stand out from
the crowd with whatever they can use to put
them ahead and brands can help the youth fit
in yet ‘stand out’ in a way that elevates their
social standing.’’
60 MAL 11/16 ISSUE
20-fold by the end of the decade.
Africa’s youth use mobile phones
for everything: communicating,
listening to the radio, entertainment
(such as Kulahappy in Kenya or
AfriNolly in Nigeria), gaming, music
(mobile music is a multimillion
dollar industry in Nigeria), as well as
banking, shopping, social media and
more.
Access to social networks and
crisis mapping technologies such
as Ushahidi have given them
a platform for self-expression
and civic participation that has
impacted elections, governance and
accountability.
Millward Brown has conducted
lots of research across Africa, so we
can share with you the ABC’s of
understanding the Y’s and Z’s!
Although Africa is a huge continent
with dozens of cultures, we find this
generation has more in common
with each other because of global
influences (despite local differences).
Technology is the unifying factor even those who have not had access
to it, hear about it and desire to
access it – and global brands can
play a great role in bringing cultures
together.