06 Nov Marketing To AFRICA MILLENNIALS
Bynow, you are no stranger to the word; Millennials.
Accordingto the Cambridge dictionary, millennials are people born in the 1980s, 1990s,or the early 2000s. And for the record, Millennials and Generation Y are boththe same thing.
Africanmillennials born from early 1980s been perceived as the generation that changedthe world’s understanding of Africa. Thereby ushering it from the old tagline; DarkContinent to the new slogan; Africa rising – with the aid of blogging andsocial media.
Oneof the challenges faced by marketers today is; marketing to millennials –especially when it has to do with new products.
This generation of people do not trust traditional methods of advertising, and therefore, it is pertinent to make use of well-tailored contents.
Millennialshave changed the focus of marketers, as communications are targeted at bothonline and mobile marketing. The traditional newspaper ads, TV ads, and directmail, no longer have the influence and attention-grabbing as they once had.
7IMPORTANT FACT ABOUT THIS GENERATION
This generation has never lived in a world without the use of smartphones and the internet – which has been seen to be part of their life and is being used daily to; share content, carry out various forms of online transactions, shopping, and socialise with their peers. They were born in the age when the internet came into existence and also witnessed the rise of the mobile age.
Formarketers, the beautiful part about this is, this generation is more open tochange and new marketing activities on their mobile devices as compared to theprevious generations.
1.According to a report by Survey Sampling International (SSI), nearly half of millennialsare online at least 4 hours during weekdays, and 1 in 3 millennial spends anaverage of 5 hours daily on their mobile phones.
2. They are young and the majority.
Africa, as we now know happens to be the youngest continent globally. But unlike what you have heard in the past, Africa millennials are neither the youngest nor the majority.
In Africa, the age of the oldest millennial in the continent is recorded at 38-years-old, and the youngest recorded at 23-years-old.
With a population of over 1.2 Billion as recorded in the continent, those of age 19 and below, is captured at 51%. Therefore, the millennials in Africa make up less than 30% of the continent’s population. The new generation, which is the majority in the continent, Generation Z or better referred to as the iGen cohort. They fall under the age of 15-20 years. They are young, and they are the majority.
3.According to a report by Time Inc, millennials tend to switch media types atleast 27 times every non-working hour.
4.They are all on Social Media.
According to the Digital in Africa 2017 report presented by Hootsuite and We AreSocial, there are only 170 million active social media users in Africa,matching a penetration rate of just 14%.
However, the percentage of the Africa population that uses social media is quite low, and these numbers can be different from one country to another. As compared to other millennials in other parts of the world, the growth in the use of social media sites as a source of news and information, communication with their friends and loved ones – is on the rise for Africa millennials. Popular social network platforms such as; Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter have become an essential part of their daily life.
5.In a recent publication, it was stated that the population of this generationis envisaged to peak in 2036 at 81.1 million.
6.According to MobCo Media, about 83% of millennials own a smartphone.
7. Another report by MobCo Media says that millennials are more likely to make a purchase using their mobile, with a figure of 74% having made at least one mobile purchase. It was recorded that about 36% of millennials have made a purchase using a brand’s mobile app.
HereAre a Few Tips to Consider When Targeting Millennials
1. The need for speed, efficiency, and convenience is their lifeline.
Millennials are used to things being instant. They expect technology to work fast without glitches. Marketers, on the other hand, need to bear this in mind when engaging with millennials through mobile apps and social media if they must receive a positive user experience. One negative experience with one user, you can expect your name to be mar amongst all their peers. With this generation, one of their most considerable arsenals is the power of word of mouth on social media – which can make your brand, or break your brand.
2.They are influencers.
Their culture has become mainstream. With this, they are the leadinginfluencers of today’s space. As a marketer, to predict what will trendtomorrow, you must know what is popular among the millennials today.
3.They are easily distracted.
This generation is easily distracted just as a 6-month-old puppy. It is acceptable for millennials to be havinga nice time with their friends, and loved ones – engaged in a conversation,while at the same time scrolling through their social media feed, surfing theweb, or checking their emails, or notifications.
Itis important that marketers understand for a fact that the window for capturingthe attention of Millennials is limited, and you need to be sure to do itright. For a start, get to know their behavior, give them something they needbefore they even realize, they need it.
In conclusion,
According to a report by Quantcast; 43% of people are more likely to buy from an organisation that sends them relevant mobile ads, while 76% are more willing to accept receiving push notifications when they are more relevant and well-tailored. With this been said, marketers can now see the need to use this openness of millennials to their advantage. They can gain access to collect as much personal information as they can, which can be used to create tailored messaging targeted to these individuals.
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