“HDI Youth Marketeers builds bridges between brands and youth for the mutual benefit of both." -Jason Levin, MD.

Spotlight on the youth

Young South Africans are significant contributors to our society and our economy: not only do they represent more than 50% of South Africa"s population, but the total spend of the youth market has increased by 5% from 2007 to an estimated R80.6 billion p.a in 2008. They also wield serious power as purchase influencers, carefully collaborating with their parents when it comes decision-making for a wide variety of household goods and family expenditure. And, of course, they"re also future consumers.

HDI Youth Marketeers works to create value for brands while relentlessly looking out for young people"s interests in all three youth markets: tweens (from age eight), teens and young adults.

What makes HDI Youth Marketeers different?

HDI Youth Marketeers is forever curious, and so believes in developing platforms and campaigns that do more than just skim the surface, but rather create real impact in the lives of the youth and the brands they consume. Platforms include Pick ‘n Pay School Club, Junior Board of Directors, Khuza Awards, Star-in-U, Youth Consumer Board, Savvy, Cool2Care and Youth University. These programmes are designed to allow brands to interact with youth by the agreement of the constituencies they serve and for the mutual benefit of both.

In order to understand the fast-changing dynamics of youth culture and young consumer behaviour, HDI keeps itself and its clients right up to speed with what"s happening on the ground. HDI Youth Marketeers does this through platforms like its Junior Board of Directors (JBoD): three hand-picked boards of outspoken, opinion-leading, trend-setting kids, teens and young adults chosen as counsel to HDI Youth Marketeers and its clients. Two large, annual preference and perception studies: Sunday Times Generation Next Brand Preference Study and the Khuza Study on brand communication and media consumption, provide deep and robust insights that drive client youth strategies.

Turning Insight into Action

Young hearts and brave minds have driven HDI Youth Marketeers" efforts in the youth market since the company formed in 1996 as HotDogz Inc.

In 2008, HDI Youth Marketeers structured the business around two core business units: Insight and Action. The Insight Unit is run by an in-house research team that provides clients with the latest in youth trends that relate specifically to their brand, spearheaded by the two annual flagship studies. The Insight Unit also facilitates dialogue between clients and their young consumers to get to the heart of what makes them both tick.

The Insight unit works alongside the Action Unit, which leverages the platforms built over, in some cases, nine years and activates campaigns that do more than entertain the youth, but add meaning to their lives: be it through a schools programme, a roadshow or a mall activation. Most of these programmes have a long-term lifespan to achieve high levels of reach and make the kind of deep impact that plays a real role in adding value to the lives of young consumers.

Retainer-based and project clients include: Pick n Pay; Cartoon Network; Nestlé; Procter & Gamble; Dettol; Veet; MTV; Proudly South African; JSE; Eskom; and Coca-Cola.

“Our recipe is simple: We are for youth. We believe in marketing. We love South Africa and we love life!” - Liesl Loubser, CEO.

For more information, visit www.hdiyouth.co.za.