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Sunday Times Combined Metros 1 - 2018/06/18 01:42:16 PM - Plate: SOUTH AFRICA’S YOUTH SURVEY REVEALING THE BRAND PREFERENCES OF KIDS, TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS. Sunday Times Combined Metros 6 - 2018/06/18 01:46:32 PM - Plate: 6 2018 Make the Con nection Eye on new generations Sustai nabi l ity Going beyond Youth have M i l len n ials future in m i nd It’s important to future-proof brands By PALESA VUYOLWETHU TS HANDU for new consumers, writes Alf James ● Abouttwo yearsago clothingre- tailer Woolworths launched its rands need to mimic consumers and may not buy into #AreYouWithUs campaign with US human relationships mass consumerism as we know it. artist Pharrell Williams that aimed with their consumers. “Not many brands have really at making sustainability part of the Instant gratification, developed an understanding of Picture: 123RF conversation with their younger hyper - personalisation , generation z and generation alpha customers. The retailer spent mil- and technology as a and who their future consumer is, power, which brands should look lions influencing popular narrative Bmeans to utilise or a value-add will because their focus is on seriously at utilising.” that Going Green and making con- determine the brands that understanding who the millennials Van Loggerenberg contends that scious decisions on their purchas- generation alpha will choose to are and what makes them tick. an understanding of the way in ing habits, was in fact the right engage with, according to “However, they need to look at which technology is going to propel thing to do. And as more younger Marthinus van Loggerenberg, who the z and alpha generations and a brand forward is pertinent. consumers focus the efforts on sav- heads strategy at digital agency how they can future-proof brands “Brands need to understand ing their environment, retailers are Hellocomputer, in Cape Town. from a generational perspective.” their customers’ cultures and sub- responding accordingly. He says one may even go as far as Van Loggerenberg says cultures and then try to ultra- Feroz Koor, Woolworths Group saying that generation alphas (those generations z and alpha are more customise a solution for their head of sustainability, said: “Ou r born since the year 2010 and until likely to support smaller, niche and consumers that will enrich the loyal following of customers that the year 2025), who are the children customised offerings as opposed to Marthinus van Loggeren- brand ’s relationship with the really care about where products of millennials, are likely to focus on major brands pumping out mass- berg, who heads up strategy at consu mer. are made, who made them and what a brand stands for and how it produced merchandise or cookie- Hellocomputer, Cape Town “If a brand understands the how. We see this as part of what behaves in its business practices cutter services. human condition, has human sets us apart, and many customers more than the image or even the “They will spend time and awareness, appreciates human shop with us because they know communication message that it is money with brands that have necessities . needs, and can speak to those our products are produced with the trying to relay to them. relationships with them and make He says in order to future-proof insights, it can cut across future in mind.” “They will focus on buying the an effort to understand them in brands there is an urgent need to demographics and psychographics Woolworths was one of the first product or making use of a service, more than just one dimension of understand the consumer of the to the extent that the brand retailers to have a sustainability most likely in isolation of brand their life. They will carefully choose future, because generation z are becomes memorable and is a brand partnership with the World Wide image, with a considered choice to which brands they want to build starting to enter the workforce that consumers will want to build a Fund for Nature (WWF-SA), to the brand or company’s actual best relationships with,” he says. already and generation alpha, who relationship with,” he says. leverage on the resources and cre- practice and ethics,” says Van “Brands with a virtual presence although only up to seven years old, “Generation alpha will most ate a value-sharing platform to as- Loggerenberg . will take preference to bricks-and- have a great influencing power on likely adopt brands that utilise sist in addressing climate change- Although generation alpha is mortar offerings. While alphas are their millennial parents’ pu rchasi ng technology to enhance and related issues, especially in their most likely to mimic the spending still young they may enjoy the trip patterns . facilitate their encounter with the supply chain; as well as recognising behaviour of their parents, Van to a mall, but mostly because of the “Both millennial parents are brand to make it a more seamless the interrelationship between food, Loggerenberg says businesses that entertainment factor. They will working so hard that they association, which offers an energy and water issues. are seriously considering the probably just frequent malls for emphasise the necessity of giving experience that delights and is Africahas oneof theyoungest future-proofing of their brands either entertainment or luxury their children a voice in the more than merely a solution to a population, with over 60% falling should take into account that alphas experiences, and perhaps if there decision-making of the household problem, but enriches their below the age of 25, with many of are also likely to be more selective are discounts or specials on that gives the children immense identity, ”says Van Loggerenberg. them looking to have a smaller im- pact on the environment, as they become much more socially aware. Generation alpha The recent #DayZero campaign, warfare; what happens if globalisa- lypse — millennials are already very saw retailers make a concerted ef- tion decreases and localisation in- faddy shoppers. The parents are do- fort to address the water crises is- Likely to demand more creases together with polarisation ing their pre-shop and price-check- sues in Cape Town with the youth, and a more insular perspective, be- ing online; then they price-check in launching various campaigns to in- cause that trend is already discern- the retail store online or by phoning clude their younger customers in custom isation able; the rise of black consciousness in; then they go to the retail store the narrative, which will have a as a dominant culture; and the fact and try the shoe on; and then th ey greater impact on the environment. that generation alpha is growing up go home and place the order online. Last year, Africa’s biggest retail- in a hostile environment. “So they are using stores for test- er, Shoprite, launched the #Smart- By ALF JAMES Bush, co-author of Future proof “Alpha generation’s world is driving a product, but not necessar- WaterMeterChallenges which fo- Your Child. hostile; their social media world is ily for purchasing a product. cused on initiatives to save water at ● Generation alpha are mostly the However, she says generation al- hostile, because it is so competitive Bush says, interestingly, that Cape Town’s top water-using children of the millennial genera- pha are too young for us to single and everything about their lives is alphers will still crave the human schools. The programme has seen tion, who are just starting to have out what their defining characteris- compared to so many people out touch and a sense of belonging and over 18-million litres of water saved children, the oldest of whom are tic will be that will trigger a differ- there . togetherness, in the human sense, is by 75 schools (this is increasing) now around seven years of age. ence or change in their behaviour “Although it is too early to tell, still going to be incredibly impor- and aims to save 1-million litres of “Millennials are expected to have from generation z. these kids could become more tant for them. water a day at schools across Cape smaller families. This trend is al- “For example, whereas conservative. What we do “There is still nothing that can re- Town and the Western Cape. ready evident, due to cost and the generation z, which over- know already with generation place a human relationship. We will Day Zero was launched by the fact that they take parenting seri- laps a little with generation z, and it is likely to continue always seek human beings to help City of Cape Townto focus every- ously and with time-constraints alpha, has largely been de- with the alphas, is that they us fill our emotional cup to validate one ’s attention on managing water caused by stressful jobs, they want fined by smartphones, gen- are the generation that will who we are, which might increase consumption as tightly as possible to be able to parent one child well eration alpha might be the recycle, upcycle, repurpose with the alpha generation. by cajoling water consumers into because they value parenting,” s ays post-cellphone generation and reuse, because they’ve “This means that brands will reducing usage as the taps ran dry. Nikki Bush, parenting expert, by the time they reach had environmentalism needto focusoncustomised Swedish retailer Hennes & Mau- speaker and author. their late teens or early drummed into them at lifestyle experiences that bring fam- ritz (H&M) currently has a garment- “So generation alpha is likely to 20s. school and by the me- ilies together as opposed to mere collecting initiative, where cus- grow up receiving a lot of attention “The kind of fac- dia .

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