WATCH | Pre- and post-pandemic truths: how to do business with SA’s youth
Join the Sunday Times Gen Next online discussion on August 13 at 10am
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For SA to be best equipped for managing an uncertain future, we need to look towards our youth and do what we can to upskill them, help build their resilience and drive our economy forward. They are the most able to adapt to change. Unlike the older generations, younger people still have plastic neural pathways free from hard-wired beliefs about what life should look like. They will be the ones building, shaping and sculpting our new normal.
If brands want to stay on track, they need to be informed about how young people perceived the world in a pre-Covid era, and how they’ll influence the direction we take in a post-pandemic future.
The Sunday Times Gen Next survey has been running for the past 16 years. It’s a barometer of what our youth find aspirational and on-trend. The survey continues to provide insights on how the youth perceive brands. Events in SA since 2004 are going to be a reminder of how young people approached consumerism in a pre-pandemic era. The 2020 research concluded before the lockdown is the most recent snapshot of a burgeoning consumer segment.
Brands that are expecting everything to stay the same might be in for a rude awakening, unless they start engaging the youth. Knowing how to do business with them is what’s going to see brands succeed and maintain longevity.
Join the Sunday Times Gen Next digital series to hear from previous Sunday Times Gen Next coolest brand winners on how they’ve remained relevant to the youth and plan to create brand longevity in a post-pandemic world.
Date: August 13
Time: 10am
Speakers include:
- Arye Kellman, Tilt COO and co-founder
- Tony Soglo, Metro FM acting station manager
- Neo Dikamotse, KOO senior brand manager
- Precilla Kalogeropoulos, Avon head of beauty categories
Image: Pexels.com/ Canva Studio
The 16th annual Sunday Times Gen Next Awards will take place online on August 21 2020 at 10.30am.
The Sunday Times Gen Next survey is considered the leading barometer of what SA’s youth find on-trend and aspirational, and delivers insights that are valued by brand management, advertising and marketing professionals. Sunday Times Gen Next is presented in association with HDI Youth Consultancy/Yellowwood, and Shell.