This year the Sunday Times Gen Next conference – now in its 16th year – focuses on three themes pivotal to the youth of SA: tensions, tribes and trends. No longer can SA’s youth be neatly boxed into LSM income groups. It’s not uncommon, for example, to find a young man in Alexandra spending a few thousand rand on a pair of speakers, despite the fact that he would have historically been classified as belonging in a low LSM band. It’s time for marketers to find new ways to talk to this crucial group.

This year new category will be launched: Young Professionals, targeting youth between 25 and 30. “The Sunday Times Gen Next Survey is looking to gain insight into what this group spends its money on as well as who they are, what motivates them and how much they contribute to brands,” says Bongani Chinkanda, CEO of HDI Youth Marketeers, the company responsible for conducting the research that informs the Gen Next Survey. ..

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