THE SOUTH AFRICAN BLACK YOUTH'S LIKEABILITY OF AFRICAN—AMERICAN ADVERTISEMENTS by ANGELA ODETTE HUGO DISSERTATION submitted towards the completion of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF ARTS in COMMUNICATIONS in the FACULTY OF ARTS at the RAND AFRIKAANS UNIVERSITY Supervisor: Ms A Crystal JANUARY 1997 DECLARATION I herewith, declare that the dissertation, which is, handed to the Rand Afrikaans University for completion for the degree, Master of Arts, is my own unaided work and has not been submitted to any other University. , • A.O.H. JANUARY 1997 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincerest gratitude to: My parents Hans and Penny for their love, support and motivation over the years. Jaco my fiancé for his love, patience, understanding and faith in me. Barry, Ester, Rencia and Jonathan for their resolute interest. All my friends and family for their encouragement. Mom, Jaco, Porky, and Lisa for the typing, the data capturing and the proof-reading. Andrea Crystal for her guidance, support and inspiration. The staff at Sonnenberg Murphy Leo Burnett; Ogilvy & Mather; Impact Information; Integrated Market Research and Hunt Lascaris TBWA who helped me. Tholoana Qhobela; Andre Minaar; Emma Leach; Anthony Bennett; Eric Du Plessis; Teddy Langschmidt; Gill Stacey- Mhkasibe; Hope Madikane-Otto; Caroline Godide; Tholi Ngwenya and Hilary De Kok, you were all fabulous. And Our Heavenly Father, who makes all things possible. A.O.H JOHANNESBURG ABSTRACT The objective of the study was to determine the influence of African-American culture and the impact of African-American advertisements within a South African advertising communications context. The study focused on the urban black South African youth for two reasons: the first is that most of the African- American advertisements are targeted at them. The second reason is that they can be considered innovators when it comes to adopting new attitudes and trends. Before the evaluation could be completed, the singular definitions for the terms African-American, Eurocentric and Afrocentric were compiled with input from people in the advertising industry. The relevance of this study is that the black South African youth are incessantly being exposed to the African- American culture through advertisements and the media. By implication they will increasingly be able to relate to the African-American ideals, values and norms as reflected in the afore-mentioned and they will potentially start to neglect and eventually abandon their own cultural heritage. The issue that was raised was that marketers and advertisers should be adopting the philosophy of "mashakane" and be aiding nation building in South Africa, not encouraging the fragmentation of it. The other concern that was raised was that in South Africa, whites are creating advertisements for blacks. There are cultural differences between the two and therefore inter-cultural communication is occurring. A literature study on inter-cultural communication revealed the similarities and the differences between white and black South Africans. In general terms with the primary difference being that whites can be classified as individualistic and by implication a low-context communication culture. Blacks on the other hand are collectivistic which means that they are a high-context communication culture. On the macro level, the South African socio-economic environment in which the black South African youth are growing up in, was analysed as it will impact directly on them as receptors .of advertising communication. The study then concentrated on the evolution of black market segmentation in South Africa. The future trends that are emerging in the black market, which will assist in advertising positioning strategies, were also briefly discussed. The black South African youth market was analysed in detail particularly from an advertising and consumer point of view. Advertising's psychological implications on them were also discussed. Furthermore a demographic and sociographic profile of the black South African youth market was completed. This demographic and sociographic analysis was based on the results of the 1994 "Youth Survey" conducted by Mkhasibe (1995). The research that was conducted for this study evaluated the shift in the trends (from 1994-1996) influencing the black South African youth (this included their media consumption, their role models and the country they would most like to visit). Furthermore the aspirational appeal that America holds for them versus South Africa was examined. Finally the likabilty of certain African-American advertisements versus Eurocentric and Afrocentric advertisements was determined to assess the effectiveness of African-American advertisements for this target market. From the study it is evident that fashion, movies and music are important to the black South African youth. They also prefer examples of the above-mentioned that are African-American. Fashion is the only exception where Italy and France (specifically Paris) are appealing to them. It is also evident from the study that their Africaness is important to them and they criticise those who have adopted the African-American culture in its entirety. They are considered sell-outs. There is value in advertisers utilising an African-American positioning for advertisements targeted at the black South African youth. However advertisers should be aware that their Africaness should not be ignored and should be . incorporated into the advertisements. Therefore by procuring the African- Americans positioning the advertisement retains desirability and by embodying an Afrocentric aspect the identification with the advertisement by the black South African youth is much stronger. OPSOMMING Die doel van die studie was om die invloed van die Afrika-Amerikaanse kultuur te bepaal en die waarde van die Afrika-Amerikaanse advertensies uit te lig vir die adverteerder in Suid-Afrika. Die studie het gefokus op die verstedelike swart Suid-Afrikaanse jeug en wet om twee redes: Die eerste rede is dat die oorgrote meerderheid Afrika-Amerikaanse advertensies op hulle gemik is. Tweedens word hulle beskou as die voorlopers met betrekking tot die navolging van nuwe modes en giere. Vir die doeleindes van hierdie studie was dit van uiterste belang om enkelvoudige definisies van die terme Afrika- Amerikaans, Eurosentries en Afrosentries te bepaal. Die relevansie van hierdie studie is daarin gelee dat die swart Suid-Afrikaanse jeug deur die media en advertensies word aan die Afrika-Amerikaanse kultuur blootgestel. By implikasie sal hulle toeneemend hulself met hierdie kultuur kan vereenselwig, en meer van die Afrika-Amerikaanse waardes, norme en ideate aanvaar. Daardeur mag die bogenoemde teikenmark moonttik begin om hul Suid-Afrikaanse tradisies en kultuur te verwaarloos. Die onderliggende probteem is dat adverteerders nie werklik die filosofie van "mashakane" aangeneem het nie. Die filosofie sou 'n bydrae lewer tot die land se huidige nasie-bou stemming. 'n Verdere probteem wat na yore getree het, is dat reklame gerig op swartes, deur blankes geskep word. Die feit dat daar kulturele verskille tussen die tradisionele swart en wit mense is, beteken dat 'n vorm van interkulturele kommunikasie plaasvind wanneer blankes advertensies skep vir swartes. Bogenoemde ooreenkomste en verskille tussen swart en wit Suid-Afrikaners is duidelik deur die literatuurstudie uitgelig. Dus in bree trekke, vanuit 'n kommunikasie oogpunt, is die primere verskil daarin gelee dat blankes as 'n individualistiese kultuur beskou kan word, met die gevoig dat hulle as 'n lae-konteks kommunikasiekultuur gekiassifiseer kan word. In teenstelling hiermee, kan swartes as 'n kollektiwistiese kultuur beskou word, wat beteken dat hulle .geklassifiseer word as 'n hoe-konteks kommunikasiekultuur. Analise van die Suid-Afrikaanse sosio-ekonomiese omgewing op die makro vlak waarin die swart Suid-Afrikaanse jeug grootword, is voltooi om rede dit hul as verbruikers beInvloed. Die ontwikkeling van swartmark-segmentering in Suid-Afrika is ook bespreek. Ook die toekomstige tendense in die swartmark is geevalueer aangesien die tendense 'n bydrae tot die strategiese posisionering van die rekiame lewer. Voorts is 'n demografiese en sosiografiese profiel van die jeug getrek. Hierdie analise is gebaseer op die uitslae van die 1994 "Jeug Studie" deur Mkhasibe (1995). Die navorsing het die verskuiwing in jeugtendense wat vanaf 1994 tot 1996 piaasgevind het met betrekking tot rolmodelle, gewoontes, mediagebruik, en lande wat graag besoek wil word, uitgelig. Die nastrewing en verwagtinge van Amerika in vergelyking met die van Suid-Afrika is bepaal. Ook die doeitreffendheid van bepaaide Afrika-Amerikaanse advertensies in vergelyking met Eurosentriese en Afrosentriese advertensies is vasgestel vir die teikenmark, met die gewildheid van die advertensie as maatstaf. Uit die studie blyk dit duidelik dat mode, films en musiek deur die jeug as baie belangrik beskou word. HuIle verkies ook dat die Afrika-Amerikaanse kultuur in bogenoemde uitgebeeld word. Mode is die enigste uitsondering, waar Italie en Frankryk (en veral Parys) baie aanlokiik is. 'n Feit wat duidelik uit die studie blyk is dat die swart jeug se wortels en verbintenis met Afrika sterk is. HuIle kritiseer diegene wat die Afrika-Amerikaanse kultuur ten voile aaneem ten koste van hulle eie Afrika kultuur. Diegene word as veraaiers beskou. Daar is beslis waarde vir adverteerders in die gebruik van Afrika-Amerikaanse rekiame, veral indien dit op die verstedelike swart jeug gemik is. Dit is egter