Marketing to Millennials and Other Generations in South Africa 2021
Millennials hold the most buying power of all other generations, which means they are also the most targeted.
This post explores what it takes to grab the attention and hearts of Millennials, a.k.a Generation Y, and why it’s prudent to keep generations Alpha through to Z in mind, too.
For reasons that you’ll see below, this feature focuses on generational marketing in a South African context.
Mind the [Generational] Gap – What is Generational Marketing?
Generational marketing is a highly favoured method of psychographic audience segmentation. The theory goes that people born around the same time will experience similar technological, economic, political and social shifts. Thus, they will have similar emotional drivers that influence their attitudes towards spending their money or connecting to a brand.
Think of it this way. If you’re trying to tug on well-to-do retirees’ heartstrings, you’re not going to use TikTok. A Sunday Times editorial, however, might find their favour.
“…The high of gen Y won’t last forever!”
Understanding what shapes a generation helps us to tailor our communication effectively. Generational marketing affects our decisions around brand values, voice, and the channels on which to advertise. [/vc_column_text][us_image image=”8010″ align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Geographic Boundaries Matter Too
Segmenting audiences by birth years seems logical enough, but remember that the crux of generational marketing is about shared life experience.
While all Millennials have lived through two economic crashes, the term “Born Free” means nothing to anyone outside of South Africa. We can’t ignore that growing up in SA in the 1980s was vastly different to anywhere else in the world.
As most generational marketing profiles are modelled on the USA, it’s wise to adapt your boomer, Gen X; Y and Z profiles to a South African context.
Boomers to Zoomers: Meet the Generations
Why fuss about the other generations when you want to know how to market to Millennials? Because the high of gen Y won’t last forever! This cohort of 21- to 40-year-olds will eventually age, and then your sights will be fixed on the next generation with the deepest pockets.
Your next target audience is busy completing school. They’re not making decisions to purchase from your company yet—but they will surely remember what they’ve seen when they get there. Think about the BMW drivers who are living out their adolescent dreams.
OK, Boomer: The Baby Boomers
Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, get their name from the surge of babies born during the economic boom after WW2.
They lived through almost all of the cold war and enjoyed the cheap price of oil. Like their American counterparts, South African boomers were influenced by civil rights movements. However, South African boomers more so—they are often referred to as “the struggle generation”.
They are nearing retirement and becoming grandparents. Their children are mostly Millennials. If you want to find them, they’ll be on Facebook, followed by Pinterest. While they might not eagerly adopt new technology, this group knows how to shop online—some reports say they account for 20% more online purchases than Millennials. Though, those purchases were likely made from a desktop.
X Marks the Sore Spot: Generation X
It seems like poor generation X has been X’d out of the plans. Born between 1965 and 1980, this is the smallest generation and the most overlooked.
X-ers have a strong sense of individualism—possibly affected by the formation of the ANC and the Republic of South Africa in 1961. They are dubbed the “Transition Generation” and are credited as being more politically loyal than any other generation.
The majority were born before digital technology and have adopted it. They remember when video killed the radio star though 80% of them are online. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn are their preferred social media channels.
You’ll find they are media hybrids as they still enjoy newspapers, magazines, listening to the radio, watching TV (a lot of it) and shopping in-store. Coupons and loyalty programmes tickle their fancy. Ads with a bit of nostalgia will do well.
Born Free, Digital Natives: Generation Z
Here’s the funny thing about generational marketing. It takes roughly 10-15 years to gather enough ‘intel’ to peg down a profile. By the time researchers are confident enough to define a cohort by one name and firm birth years, that gen is already well into adulthood. So, Gen Z is still, by and large, a work in progress. Here’s what we know so far:
They are also called iGen or the Internet Generation, as this is the first group that grew up with tech as we know it today. In the USA, they would have received their first cell phone at roughly ten years old but grew up playing on mom or dad’s Smartphone years before. Here in SA, our digital natives are also the official Born Free cohort. The world general accepts that they are born between 1996 and 2010.
They are so used to electronic communication that they don’t have to be face-to-face with friends to socialise. Their attention spans are short, and they seek instant gratification. They know how to tune out digital marketing messages that they consider irrelevant. They are the most ethnically diverse, “politically woke,” and care a great deal about equality.
The generation to follow, born from 2010 onwards, has been dubbed Generation Alpha. We will write more on Generations Z and Alpha soon.
Near Middle-Aged and Holding the Megabucks, Millennials: Generation Y
By global consensus, Millennials are born between 1980 and 1996-ish (some research suggests as late as 2000).
Disclaimer: A distinct digital divide has caused experts to split generation Y into two further segments, Y1 (older) and Y2. The below provides a broad view of the whole group. Accurate marketing requires consideration of both groups.
They are sometimes referred to as the “content generation”. It’s no coincidence, then, why content marketing is in its prime.
Millennials represent the largest portion of the workforce and are considered skilled, multi-tasking, achievement orientated employees. They know how to work well in teams.
As most entered the workforce during the first economic crash (of this century), they became the largest generation of entrepreneurs! Millennials focus on innovation and are more likely to own a Mac computer and the latest iPhone (their most preferred device).
When it comes to communication, they thrive on social sharing, email and SMS. They’re well versed in reading and creating blogs, and they love social media initiatives. They listen to the most radio and podcasts.
This generation takes environmental, social and healthcare issues seriously. They care about the world they are leaving behind for their children. As such, they support brands with similar values. Brands must be authentic; they see through veiled attempts at sounding good.
Family and quality experiences matter more than work and acquiring things. That said, though, they use Instagram to decide where to eat, choose services from Facebook, prefer online shopping and having groceries delivered to their door.
You’ll find them socialising on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and planning on Pinterest. Once they are done promoting their business and personal brand on LinkedIn, that is.
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