Study finds one in four South Africans reads an Ads24 Mass Market title

The combined unduplicated reach of the Ads24 Mass Market bundle is 9.5 million. (AMPS 2015BA, EM Feb 2015)

LSM 4 to 8 makes up three quarters of the entire South African population and 85% of Ads24 Mass Market titles readers fall into this segment. This market segment is highly aspirant and in a state of active acquisition.

There is buoyant consumer confidence in this market and 50% of the Ads24 Mass Market titles readers believe their family will be better off financially a year from today. (TGI 2014A and 2015B) The vast majority say that they look forward to the future (86%) and 64% say that they can now afford to go out and enjoy themselves. (AMPS 2015BA).

Despite tough economic times, the middle class in South Africa is growing, according to the UCT Unilever Report ‘4 Million and Rising’, the Black Middle Class grew 240% between 1994 and 2012 to 4.2 million and the number of household to R1.62-million. An updated report would reveal even greater growth by now.

This upward mobility seems to be a global phenomenon. A recent article on Moneyweb claims that lowest economic rungs globally are rising, “The ‘Bottom Billions’ earn R14.50 to R140/day ($1 to $10/day), yet collectively they have $5-trillion in purchasing power and $7.4-trillion in wealth. Harnessed correctly, this group represents the world’s next big growth engine,” says Bank of America Merrill Lynch in a recent report called the Bottom Billions.’

“This is because changing population dynamics – such as urbanisation and better access to education - means that a healthy segment of this population could be uplifted to the lower-middle class, that so-called economic sweet spot where significant numbers of people are earning more than R140/day ($10/day). Demographic forces will drive these changes over the next 15 to 20 years.”

“Firms and investors would be wise to pay attention to these changes: those at the bottom of the pyramid are the largest socio-economic group in the world. People are living longer, more children are going to school and more people have access to clean water and basic sanitation. The digital revolution is connecting people across societies and countries. This progress goes hand in hand with increasing incomes, leading to the highest standards of living in history.”

It would be fantastic from every perspective if this is true for South Africa. Brands that reach the Mass Market now and talk to its aspiration in the right way, understanding the lifestyles of this market segment, and build a relationship of trust and loyalty, are creating a legacy that will carry them into the future.

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