Media & Marketing Clive Simpkins
A DEBATE is on about whether Occidental, Eurocentric, dominantly Caucasian lifestyle and attitudinal trends have marketing relevance in Africa. The emerging answer would appear to be “sometimes” or “partially” but largely “not much”, other than at the top end of the socio-economic scale. In this country this is a miniscule percentage.
Obvious whipping-girl for the South African anti-trends lobby, is icon Faith Popcorn, American wunderkind marketing guru and trend spotter. Ad agency Ogilvy & Mather’s John Montgomery says most of Popcorn’s thinking ain’t for our dark continent.
An O&M study examined the less sophisticated end of the black market in South Africa to see just which trends are emerging in our climate of change. Montgomery says they set out to avoid “just another segmentation study”.
Seven core trends were identified and dubbed “isms”. Here are the first two:
Africanism: Thami Mazwai, editor in chief of Enterprise is quoted as saying: “Africans all over the world are now returning to their heritage, even if it means re-creating Africa in the countries in which they live.”
Africanism culturally, rather than politically, is going to be a force majeure. Traditional dress and food are the “in” thing. Whites are increasingly perceiving themselves as African and showing interest in the cultural renaissance. Fascinatingly, the old and the new are holding hands. About 60 percent of metropolitan blacks practise traditional rituals and beliefs, including slaughtering for the ancestors.
Traditions are being integrated into modern African lifestyles. A good example given is that of traditional healers being brought into the mainstream healthcare system, with medical aid affiliation proposed.
A quaint conflict is that of black people now living in traditionally “white” areas, who go back to the townships to hold weddings and funerals because the associated slaughtering of animals, crowds and noise are a no-no in their new residential areas.
O&M believes there may well be marketing opportunities for products that can bridge this dualism, or for services which entrepreneurs will see as a logical bonding or catalyst between the traditional and the modern.
Home-ism: despite economic and other adversity, people are claiming land and putting down roots. The motivations underpinning home ownership differ little, if at all. There is the same pride in a shack dwelling as in a Sandton home.
The study revealed a consistent pattern of scrupulously clean houses, however simple. This pride is manifest in a focus on products associated with the home.
Premium price brands are used because the home is the all- important fulcrum for the lifestyle, however spartan or disadvantaged. Where products other than brand leaders are used, the brand leader name is still used as a generic reference. For example, any household cleaner is still called Handy Andy. Jik is the moniker for general sanitisers and germ killers, shades of Du Pont’s “nylon” and Kleenex and Hoover becoming generics.