Burson-Marsteller’s A-Generation Study sheds light on Africa’s youth

Burson-Marsteller Africa, a strategic communications and PR firm, has today unveiled an interesting list of what it believes are the six key trends that “reflect the mind set and changing priorities of African youth in 2016.”

The company explains that the study is “result of intensive workshops facilitated by Burson-Marsteller Africa’s partners in north, west, central, east and southern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands,” with participants mostly featuring in the Millennials age category.

Namely, the countries included in this study are South Africa, Angola, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Morocco and Mauritius.

Robyn de Villiers, the company’s CEO and chairman, explains that these trends are fueled by a generation thriving on technology and renewed social structures:

Empowered by a new, technology-enabled world order and the loosening of previously restrictive social hierarchies, young, cosmopolitan Africans are taking a bold approach to creating their own futures. While the traditional narrative of hardship and struggle still contains some elements of truth, African youth are renouncing these stereotypes and bringing their A-Generation game to the party – providing brands with opportunities for more creative and daring ways of engagement.

The trends include “Afrinewal”, which is a newfound hope that “outweigh[s] the realities of hardship and struggle of the past; “Talent Tappers, which notes a generation adopting an “I Want” attitude fueling entrepreneurship; and “Participlayers,” as youths believe that they are “engaged players in a process, looking for highly interactive brand experiences” rather than bystanders.

Have a look at all six trends as described by Burson-Marsteller below:

AFRINEWAL: Youthful desire to throw off the past and proudly celebrate African achievement

There is a spirit of renewal in Africa where the possibilities and potential of this new ‘frontier’ outweigh the realities of hardship and struggle.  The younger generations are proudly African, showcasing the best their continent has to offer.  They are self-motivated, self-reliant and bold in wanting to make this happen.  And they see it as a collaborative effort where people work together and combine efforts to achieve new recognition for Africa both at home and on the world stage.

A-TEAMERS: Rising young stars strive to get ahead, but without leaving others behind

In a world of ‘more’ in Africa (more consumerism; more education; more access and connection through technology; more voices able to be heard) there is a hunger to have and own more. But alongside this aspiration for wealth creation, and the dream of improved well-being and quality of life, there are also social concerns and deep-rooted human connections – above all, a feeling that if you are a high-achieving A-Teamer you should also be raising the rest of your team up behind you.

TALENT TAPPERS: Aspirational youth thrive by tapping into new entrepreneurial ecosystem

Against a canvas of aspirations, an ‘I want’ attitude, a need to prosper and a need for independence, young Africans are relying less on conventional employment opportunities and adopting a more entrepreneurial mind- set to securing their own futures. They are turning away from traditional support systems (families and governments) to rely more on their own abilities. By tapping into the talent and expertise of others in inspiring innovation, providing funding and mentorship they are projecting their own stamp on how they want to succeed.

DATASIZEME: Expectation that personal data will be used to enhance brand interactions

A spin-off of greater consumerism across Africa is the growing spirit of ownership that the younger generations are adopting as participants in improving their brand experiences.  ‘I matter’ is the message youth are communicating to brands. In the newly-connected Africa, sharing real time information, opinions and insights has become easy for them.  This has fuelled expectations that they will be listened to as individuals and that targeted, tailored offerings will personalise and enhance their brand experiences.

PARTICIPLAYERS: Enthusiastic participants in fun, interactive and rewarding activities

Young Africans see themselves not as passive bystanders, but as engaged players in a process, looking for highly interactive brand experiences.   In common with youth worldwide, they have limited attention spans and look to engage emotionally in unique and unusual ways.   They are looking to build relationships with brands that surprise and delight them but also create talk-ability, giving them a shared platform to get together and have fun.  And they want to be thanked for their participation – placing high value on recognition and reward.

MOVEMENT MAKERS: Young Africans demonstrate an emerging spirit of activism

During difficult social and economic times, new questions are being asked about what it means to be African and what is relevant to African youth.  The status quo is being challenged with heightened social and economic debate. Even if not overtly activist, young consumers are certainly more actively interrogating and debating a wide variety of issues. They are demanding authenticity, transparency and accountability from their chosen brands and role models.