The market is dynamic, evolving, and in a state of active acquisition of goods and services.

The mass market provides a wealth of good advertising targets, it is a materialistically aspirant market which is status orientated, loves shopping and acquiring material possessions, and is brand and fashion conscious. Over and above, this market is proudly South African in product choice.

Ads24’s mass market titles, Daily Sun; Son; Ilanga, and their digital properties, have a national reach of 7.3 million people, which is comparable to the entire population of Hong Kong. The readers of these titles spend R32-billion each month, and 24% of this reach is in LSMs four to seven. Ads24 are offering tailor made packages across these titles, including digital, to optimise reach and fit for advertisers.

"I think that the data shows quite clearly that the Black Middle Class continues to grow, it totals over 5.3 million people right now and they are the major driving force of our consumption-driven economy," says professor John Simpson of the University of Cape Town (UCT) Unilever Institute.

The number of homes in South Africa with electricity has increased by 55% in 10 years, that equates to 5 million more people who can buy TVs, microwaves, washing machines, fridges, radios. The increase in people living in RDP housing means they’re paying less rent and therefore have more disposable income. Access to formal housing grew from 6 million in 1996 to 11 million in 2010. When people have stability, the purchase of durables goes up.

"Our experience suggests that quite a few marketers still have a long way to go, this market trusts the products they know. If you’re not talking to them, you’re forgotten, they feel misunderstood, a company that understands what they need and speaks to them regularly will win loyalty," says Tania Barzu, portfolio manager for Trade Marketing and Business strategy.

Simpson says, "Many advertisers, for instance, don’t really understand this market and their approach shows that. There are some, though, who are close to the market and this makes sense. The closer your team is to the market they serve, the more likely they are to relate to them."

Ads24 titles like Daily Sun, Son, and Ilanga connect with the individual and the community; they understand their reader’s needs and mind-set and provide a valuable opportunity for marketers to connect with the mass market.

Ilanga provides an opportunity that is important in the newspaper space. "The issue of language is an important one and needs debate. We recognised that many marketers simply use English in their messaging, because it is the low risk route to take. They know that English is the most spoken language in South Africa but it is for the vast majority, their second language," says Simpson.

There is certainly growth in this market, the survivor sector, defined by the UCT Unilever Institute as those people who live in households with a total monthly income of less than R6000 per month, isn’t getting any smaller.

"We are quite often misled by the use of LSMs to segment consumers and the suggestion from that model is that people are moving out of poverty. That simply isn’t so. In fact the LSM measure is now inappropriate. The evidence is that nearly 68% of Survivors are in LSM four to six" says Simpson.

When money is gone, they rely heavily on each other to borrow or offer services in exchange for things. This market saves more than R44-billion in stokvels every year. Having said this, survivor incomes have grown, in 2015 spending on grants will increase from R118-billion to R145-billion. There is also ‘hidden’ from people’s own small businesses, informal loan income, lobola income, sale of produce, sale of sheep or chicken, employer gifts, ad hoc employment and rental.

Much of the mass market lives in townships and Ask Afrika’s recent Kasi Star Brands survey revealed that key elements that marketers should take into account when targeting the township shopper are accessibility, affordability and an in-depth understanding of how the Kasi consumer lives, avoiding stereotypes. There is a complex system of calculation and planning in the buying behaviour of this target market.

"One cannot think of township residents as walking demographics. Proximity does not create homogeneity, it is important for brand owners to understand how to deliver the best return on investment (ROI). Marketers need to understand the complex levels of planning, calculated living in the township environment, where purchase decisions are often less impulsive and spontaneous," says Sarina de Beer, MD of Ask Afrika.

Ads24 has undertaken to understand the mass market and to provide advertisers with tailor made packages across their mass market titles, and can advise clients to ensure that the correct marketing message is delivered to the target market optimising ROI.

For more information, visit the Ads24 website.