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Johannesburg - A research report has found that township communities prefer simple social experiences to possessions.
The study, conducted by research company GFK Consumer Life, which polled a representative sample of 1 000 people across all nine provinces, shows that at least 44% of township consumers in the country prefer experiences such as time at church, the radio or television, holidays or restaurant meals to possessions.
According to Rachel Thompson, insights director at GFK South Africa, these activities present an opportunity for brands to impact people’s lives by offering relevant and exciting experiential benefits.
The top personal value that motivates consumer behaviour in South Africa’s townships is a strong sense of social duty rather than the search for personal opportunity that drives consumers in other segments of the market.
“For example, we found that when a township consumer makes a purchasing decision about personal care, he or she is motivated by a desire to be a good role model for younger members of the community rather than by personal vanity,” said Thompson.
The research indicates that consumers attach a high value to social responsibility and they aim to help themselves in a way that will help their neighbours and peers at the same time.
The older generation of the township community pride themselves on their heritage and cultural values and hold those more dear to their hearts than other segments of the markets, implying that brand marketers should endear themselves to that code of ethics in their bid to penetrate that market.
It also reveals the high level of trust in media, such as television and radio programmes, and although internet penetration is lower than the rest of country, township consumers who access the internet spend more time online and do not believe it to be a waste of time or that people share too much private info online because they share information more readily than other South African market segments.
Internet penetration in townships is lower than in the suburbs, but township consumers who access it spend a longer time online than the median in other segments.
They do not feel that this is a waste of time or that people share too much private information online as they share information more readily than other South African market segments.
“Most people in the township have built communities where information is readily shared, so they don’t perceive a risk in sharing data online,” said Thompson.
The report also noted that communities in townships have been doing social networking offline for the better part of their existence and digital platforms are seen as a mere extension of that conduct.
“In a sense, they’ve been doing social networking offline for their entire lives and see digital platforms as a natural extension of their usual behaviour.” Thompson said.
However, like most segments, township communities are bombarded with information and are most often loyal to brands they already know because of the clutter, pushing marketers to come up with more innovative ways of making it easier for consumers to decide to pursue brands and products.
The research also confirmed that the township community in the country like to keep it real. Authenticity is high on their list of values and is becoming increasingly important, particularly for millennials.
The implication for marketers targeting that segment is that marketing activations for township consumers need to be authentic and community-based.
Brands can succeed by creating a buzz and supporting it through local radio because that community loves sharing their experiences with their neighbours.
Thompson said the top personal value that motivated consumer behaviour in South Africa’s townships was a strong sense of social duty rather than the search for personal opportunity as is the case with consumers in other segments of the market.
