GENERATION Z
SUCCESSFUL GEN Z MARKETING STRATEGIES IN AFRICA Having won PepsiCo’s sub-Saharan Africa account in early 2022, IMA will be working on a number of its key brands including NikNaks (cheese puffs), Pronutro, Weet-Bix (both breakfast cereals), Sasko (bread and baking products) and Simba (snacks). In addition, the agency also works with a number of banking and financial services companies and is increasingly active across the continent. Freemantle’s advice to marketers working on brands in different African countries is to “physically go in there and visit. Immerse yourself in their space and understand what is turning them on and turning them off.” If you don’t, she warns, and if you create a campaign that tries to force a viewpoint or comes across as inauthentic, this will immediately be spotted by the Gen Z consumer. Freemantle explains that IMA was recently awarded a campaign for global sportswear group Adidas and Africabased sporting goods retail chain Totalsports, which aimed to promote powerful young women in sport. The way that her copywriter, Sisipho Sojola, and the project’s director, Meghan Daniels – both of whom
14
strategicmarketingforafrica
are on the Gen Z/Millennial cusp – approached the campaign ensured that it resonated with a Gen Z audience. In particular, Freemantle recalled how Sojola (who is a sounding board when it comes to ensuring the authenticity and digital tie-in of the agency’s creative efforts) responded to the shoot. “Sisipho was on set and was aligned with the diversity of the four women cast …. this resonated with her value
› The trick is creating covetable content system,” said Freemantle. The Adidas campaign features female boxers from the Pride Fighting Academy, as well as local krump dancer and choreographer Ashlynn ‘She-Fore’ Erasmus; Quanita Bobbs, an Olympic hockey player; and digital marketer, fitness trainer and Adidas ambassador Mapule Ndhlovu. Readers of our Digital Edition can watch a video of the Adidas/Totalsports campaign here.
IT MUST BE LIKE CONNECTING WITH A VERY CLOSE FRIEND Adds Lyn Wilson, Senior Through-
Issue 2 2022
the-Line Strategic Planner at marketing communications agency Wunderman Thompson SA: “As Gen Zers pursue their aspirations, we see a predisposition to content over programming. Gen Zers are more likely than Millennials to ‘like’, ‘share’ or ‘tag’ comments, and prefer content that speaks with them as peers and flows like a conversation with a friend.” She continues: “As content becomes more and more ubiquitous, the trick will be to create covetable content. One way for brands to do so is to develop, own and share their unique points of view on category, culture, or the consumer mindset they are tapping into. “It’s imperative for marketers to find sweet spots for content, own their subject-matter expertise and work towards becoming go-to references.” According to Wilson, a Pew Research Centre study suggests that Gen Zers are rewiring their brains to adapt to the glut of information and are finding shortcuts to manage what they need to know and see what they want to learn. When content is commerce, and everything is readily available, one of the best things marketers can do is be ‘about something’ and ensure their content is easy to find, easy to relate to
