YOUTH MARKETING
Celebrating Youth Diversity
By Angela Mwirigi
F
rom technology, work, fashion
trends, healthy eating to social
issues, the millennial generation
is changing the tides of society’s focus.
This group, most people confuse for being
made up of 18 to 34 - year-olds (upto 38
years old) has captured the attention of
marketers, investors and employers.
So many factors have helped them form
their identities; their attitudes, economic
backgrounds, friends and families,
educational achievements and religion. It
is these diverse influences that desperately
need to be understood and celebrated.
Millennials form a large consumer base
worldwide and are the number one source
of global income - spending and wealth
creation. With a population of one in three
persons globally, which translates to over
two billion people, their representation
is the largest in history and accounts for
86 percent of those living in emerging
markets.
According to the Youth Dynamix 2017
Research Report, in Kenya, youth aged
between 16-24 are a billion-shilling
economy.
On average, an urban youth between
the ages of 16 and 21 spends about
KSh.12,500 monthly. The bulk of it,
KSh.5,000 is used on transport while
KSh.3,000 goes to food and KSh.1,500
is used on pampering themselves with
fashion and accessories. And because
majority of them spend so much time
online, their monthly expenditure on
airtime is about KSh.3,000.
Because of the unemployment rate in
Kenya, majority of these young people
make their money through side hustles
which is complemented by a little extra
money from their parents.
As much as millennials command
attention, they often get flak for what is
perceived as poor work ethic with short
attention spans. They have been labelled as
lazy, spending too much time on gadgets,
‘experiences’ and generally feeling entitled.
Millennials form a large consumer base world-
wide and are the number one source of global
income - spending and wealth creation. With
a population of one in three persons globally,
which translates to over two billion people, their
representation is the largest in history and ac-
counts for 86 percent