By David Jenkin

Could you give us some background on how you got to where you are?

I was born and raised in Port Elizabeth. My mother raised me all on her own for most of my life, so things weren’t always easy. In matric, I managed to secure a partial bursary to study social sciences at the University of Cape Town. Unfortunately, however helpful the partial part of the bursary may have been, times became tougher and harder.

But just when I had considered giving up and packing ship, I was presented with an opportunity to study graphic design at the Tshwane University of Technology (a dream I had always had, but had put aside due to financial constraints). At TUT is where I found Student Village, where I started work as a promoter. A year later, I was chosen to become a campus brand ambassador for Alcatel South Africa (a brand ambassador programme run by Student Village).

Marketing was one of my major subjects in graphic design, so being a brand ambassador then allowed me to live out the practical side of all the concepts and theories learned. At the end of my year as a brand ambassador, I was announced as the Brand Ambassador of the Year and subsequently offered an intern position to join the marketing team at Student Village.

To this day, my internship period sits at the top of my list of the most memorable moments/seasons in my life. After probably the toughest (and equally amazing) six months of my life, my title then changed from intern to ‘youth insights specialist and business development consultant’.

My advice is keep on going. Put your head down and invest yourself wholeheartedly in everything that you do because you may never know where the next opportunity lies.

About being a brand ambassador, did you find it was an adjustment to represent a brand?

Definitely. One of my biggest lessons from my period as a brand ambassador was how I realised that it’s a job that never stops. For that fixed period, you represent the brand holistically, in all spheres of your life. The change was quite hectic to adjust to, but having a team of fellow brand ambassadors (and brilliant coaches from Student Village) made the whole experience more enjoyable. We watched each other’s backs, advised one another where applicable and, armed with intense training from Student Village, made sure we all stayed on the right track.

Do you think brands in South Africa are generally in touch with young people or not?

One of the biggest challenges faced by brands wanting to penetrate the youth market is them not knowing enough about it. Or worse, they come into meetings filled with incorrect generalisations about the youth, their buying behaviour and influences. Don’t get me started on terms like ‘viral’ and ‘make us trend’ (eye roll).

One of the most important things about getting it right with the youth (especially as a marketer) is making sure you know exactly who you’re talking to so that your messaging can speak directly to their likes, wants and needs. One often sees that at the base of many successful youth marketing campaigns lie concepts, campaign mechanics and research that all help mould and create killer campaigns that make the right mark on the youth. In the past three years, we’ve seen a major trend of big brands aligning themselves with influential youths.

This purposeful alignment has helped propel many brands from ‘forgettable’ to the sneaker brand everyone wants on their feet. So yes, there are definitely some brands getting it right and with more brands taking an active effort in understanding this lucrative market, I foresee some hot campaigns on the horizon.

What advice would you offer to a brand that wanted to run a campaign aimed at young people?

Just like it was so easy to spot the ‘teacher’s pet’ or the kid that tried too hard to fit in at school, the youth can instantly see through all pretence. Don’t try too hard. Don’t butcher slang in your copy in attempts to sound ‘cool’. The youth want to know and feel that you (as a brand) are genuinely interested in them, their needs and desires.

And when pertaining to social media, brands should remember to not just exist on the medium for the sake of existing. Don’t only use the platform to share repetitive brand messaging or buy pop-up ads to appear on people’s timelines. The question to ask, how can our presence on that medium help grow the brand?

Do you think the youth of South Africa have their heads in the game?

They definitely do. One of the best things about the youth of South Africa today is how they are so often at the forefront of some of the most impactful conversations and movements within the modern day socio-hegemonic landscape. They are opinionated, aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, and with the web at their disposal, are putting South Africa on the international map in more ways than one. Something that has been so amazing to watch in the past two years has been the growth of young entrepreneurs. More and more young people in this country are not letting their circumstances define who they are, but are instead taking ownership of their destinies.

For more information, visit studentvillage.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.