Join marketing and brand experts at the 2019 Sunday Times Gen Next Youth Marketing Conference

Following the success of the inaugural Sunday Times Gen Next Youth Marketing Conference hosted in 2015, the fifth conference takes place on June 13 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Marketing experts will gather to provide delegates with insight into marketing trends within the youth space and culture and how to crack the youth market.

The day will kick off with the conference, followed by an interactive showcase where brands represented at Sunday Times Gen Next will interact with young people through various displays, activations and competitions. If your brand is serious about capturing the youth's hearts and minds, this is not to be missed.

Last but not least, the day will culminate in the much-anticipated awards. The 15th Sunday Times Gen Next Awards is the leading annual youth brand preference and consumer behaviour survey.

The results of the survey, conducted by HDI Youth Marketeers, are particularly relevant to brands and advertisers, with the Sunday Times Gen Next Youth Marketing Conference, interactive showcase and awards attracting SA's leading brand and marketing minds.

The details

• Date: June 13 2019
• Venue: Sandton Convention Centre
• Conference ticket price: R1,300 excluding VAT
• Awards ticket price: R299 excluding VAT

To book your tickets, become a partner or view the conference agenda, visit the website.

About the awards

South African youth will have their voices heard when the winners of the 2019 Sunday Times Gen Next Youth survey are announced on June 13 – ahead of Youth Day celebrations – at the vibrant event in Sandton.

The top five finalists in the brands, celebrity, entertainment and sports personality categories of the highly anticipated awards have already been announced.

Now in its 15th year, the Sunday Times Gen Next youth survey is presented in association with HDI Youth Consultancy. The survey polls more than 7,000 youths from around the country across more than 70 categories, and is considered the leading barometer of what SA’s kids, teens and young adults find on-trend and aspirational.

Reardon Sanderson, general manager: group sales and marketing at Tiso Blackstar Group, says: “The Sunday Times Gen Next survey gives SA’s young people an opportunity to share their thoughts and preferences as consumers across numerous categories. Celebrities play an incredibly formative role in guiding the opinions of today’s youth and being able to acknowledge their impact at the awards is essential. Similarly, the importance of personal branding also needs to be celebrated.”

New categories for 2019 include:

• coolest online influencers;
• coolest online fashion store/app;
• coolest entertainment channel;
• coolest campaign targeted at the youth;
• coolest advertising medium;
• coolest gaming console;
• coolest politician; and
• coolest food delivery app.

“With 63% of marketers said to increase their influencer budget in 2019, we at HDI thought it was right to include this category in this year’s survey. Influencer marketing as a channel is here to stay. However, the form is changing – youths want more authentic engagements, hence the growth in micro- and nano-influencers,” says Bongani Chinkanda, CEO of HDI Youth Consultancy.

"With 60% of internet users in Africa whose digital purchases are said to have been influenced by social media, this a category to watch in the future,” he adds.

Research partner: HDI Youth Consultancy

Partners: Brand SA, Gautrain, Dark & Lovely, Carnival City, McDonald's, CNA, M-Net, Cliff Central, Hands on Tech, Drum Café, Gallo Music, NBA, Inspire Furniture, Mercedes-Benz, Vega

To book tickets, become a partner or view the conference agenda, visit the website.

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