Who do we turn to when looking for a social trend? Who do we turn to when thinking about the future? Who do we turn to when we need to “sound check” an idea?
The youth, of course - and by ‘youth’ we mean the under-34s who form 64% of South Africa’s population and account for R303 billion of spend.
They’re society’s trailblazers, the peeps who know if an influencer or brand collab is genuine or in your face “paid for.” The youth are the ones we all want to impress because they inspire us the most. Gone are the days of turning to elders for wisdom, for some things - when it comes to influencer marketing, the youth hold all the tricks, insights and knowledge on building authentic connections.
As Youth Month is here, we thought this blog was a nice way to remind us all of the importance of our youth and how the youth are the reason we continue to exist and expand…
The youth have got personal influence down to a T (not to be confused with spilling the T - which they do very well too).
As we’ve shared before, there’s immense power in personal influence, and while we use the word “personal influence,” we realize that this has the power to bring about collective change and thoughts - something that the youth of 1976 proved on 16 June.
37 years ago the youth came together during the Soweto Uprising. This changed the trajectory of our history, and it also proved that we as humans are profoundly influenced by the behavior of the people closest to us. Friends and families mobilized together to bring about change, creating something that had a bigger impact than we could ever have imagined.
At People Have Influence, we create campaigns using youth as our ‘soundboard’. Old brands who traditionally worked with and for an older market are now changing their structures (heck, many CEOs are under 35, sometimes in their late 20s!).
To stay relevant brands are using influencer marketing to no longer just sell products, but rather, to create talking points and awareness around various topics. The best way to amplify their message is through influencers who can represent different cultures, beliefs and identities - to name but a few.
One of our proudest pieces has been a recent campaign we did with Totalsports, which you can check out here.
A real standout was what content creator and radio host @carissacupido had to say about the campaign:
“The thing I liked most about this campaign was…I loved that inclusivity and personal expression were at the forefront of the messaging. I also am so behind encouraging women to find THEIR fit, as the fitness world can be daunting.”
Here’s a summary of how we see the youth affecting influencer marketing, and how we work alongside the youth to help them share their thoughts and flex their creativity.
Firstly, depending on the brand and brief, we work with influencers who are either part of the youth, or who inspire the youth through their content.
When we conceptualize campaigns, we work closely with both the brands and our influencers to create content that is authentic and relatable.
One example is how we created a campaign which aligned with the idea of “living inspired”. We brought this to life by working with people who never dreamed that their craft would have inspired enough people around them to get them an all-inclusive trip to Tomorrowland Winter.
Well, we did it, and it’s all thanks to Vuse ZA (the client) and our influencers who were so good at creating authentic content that they were able to attend Tomorrowland Winter. Find out more about this campaign here.
“Storytelling is about connecting to other people and helping people to see what you see.” - Michael Margolis
Anyone can tell a story. But not everyone can tell a great story. That’s where the magic of influence happens. If brands want to tell their story right, they’ve got to know the art of great storytelling.
And you know who has perfected the art of storytelling? Influencers - especially the ones who attract the youth - as they’re all about storytelling, especially if it heroes individuality (read more about this here).
That’s why when Woolworths Beauty and Eclipse approached us to celebrate beauty through an influencer campaign that focuses on storytelling to redefine what beauty means to every South African - check out the campaign here, or join the conversation on @wooliesbeauty’s account.
When we say “trendsetting,” we mean it in the way that the youth are the ones who help form the narratives and who help shape the minds of others. We’re not simply talking about hashtags and algorithms. We’re talking about real conversations.
Take our Totalsports campaign with @fufuh_k (check it out here) - where we jumped onto the trending topic of achieving goals through work, dedication and foresight. These topics and adopting a perseverance mindset have all been spoken about a lot in youth culture, where aspirations are high.
Storytelling, trendsetting, target audience profiling, authenticity and relatability all speak to the youth’s need for individuality, connection, uniqueness and self-reliance. These key markers have been identified as the focus for brand campaigns if they want to make a success out of their efforts according to Youth Dynamix and Student Village’s recent study.
Yes, it’s Youth Day in June, but the youth's role in influencer marketing and using their voices to bring about change is something that deserves far more than a month’s celebration.
We’ve showcased how working with the right people (i.e. the youth) can make an impact - after all, we managed to raise R35 000 in 30 days for the civil unrest that occurred in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces from 9 to 18 July 2021 (read the blog here). And this is just the beginning.
If you want to work with a specialized team of influencer marketers who believe in the power of ideas and working actively with influencers and brands from the concept phase through to execution to reach the right audience… then you have come to the right place.
Who do we turn to when looking for a social trend? Who do we turn to when thinking about the future? Who do we turn to when we need to “sound check” an idea?
The youth, of course - and by ‘youth’ we mean the under-34s who form 64% of South Africa’s population and account for R303 billion of spend.
They’re society’s trailblazers, the peeps who know if an influencer or brand collab is genuine or in your face “paid for.” The youth are the ones we all want to impress because they inspire us the most. Gone are the days of turning to elders for wisdom, for some things - when it comes to influencer marketing, the youth hold all the tricks, insights and knowledge on building authentic connections.
As Youth Month is here, we thought this blog was a nice way to remind us all of the importance of our youth and how the youth are the reason we continue to exist and expand…
The youth have got personal influence down to a T (not to be confused with spilling the T - which they do very well too).
As we’ve shared before, there’s immense power in personal influence, and while we use the word “personal influence,” we realize that this has the power to bring about collective change and thoughts - something that the youth of 1976 proved on 16 June.
37 years ago the youth came together during the Soweto Uprising. This changed the trajectory of our history, and it also proved that we as humans are profoundly influenced by the behavior of the people closest to us. Friends and families mobilized together to bring about change, creating something that had a bigger impact than we could ever have imagined.
At People Have Influence, we create campaigns using youth as our ‘soundboard’. Old brands who traditionally worked with and for an older market are now changing their structures (heck, many CEOs are under 35, sometimes in their late 20s!).
To stay relevant brands are using influencer marketing to no longer just sell products, but rather, to create talking points and awareness around various topics. The best way to amplify their message is through influencers who can represent different cultures, beliefs and identities - to name but a few.
One of our proudest pieces has been a recent campaign we did with Totalsports, which you can check out here.
A real standout was what content creator and radio host @carissacupido had to say about the campaign:
“The thing I liked most about this campaign was…I loved that inclusivity and personal expression were at the forefront of the messaging. I also am so behind encouraging women to find THEIR fit, as the fitness world can be daunting.”
Here’s a summary of how we see the youth affecting influencer marketing, and how we work alongside the youth to help them share their thoughts and flex their creativity.
Firstly, depending on the brand and brief, we work with influencers who are either part of the youth, or who inspire the youth through their content.
When we conceptualize campaigns, we work closely with both the brands and our influencers to create content that is authentic and relatable.
One example is how we created a campaign which aligned with the idea of “living inspired”. We brought this to life by working with people who never dreamed that their craft would have inspired enough people around them to get them an all-inclusive trip to Tomorrowland Winter.
Well, we did it, and it’s all thanks to Vuse ZA (the client) and our influencers who were so good at creating authentic content that they were able to attend Tomorrowland Winter. Find out more about this campaign here.
“Storytelling is about connecting to other people and helping people to see what you see.” - Michael Margolis
Anyone can tell a story. But not everyone can tell a great story. That’s where the magic of influence happens. If brands want to tell their story right, they’ve got to know the art of great storytelling.
And you know who has perfected the art of storytelling? Influencers - especially the ones who attract the youth - as they’re all about storytelling, especially if it heroes individuality (read more about this here).
That’s why when Woolworths Beauty and Eclipse approached us to celebrate beauty through an influencer campaign that focuses on storytelling to redefine what beauty means to every South African - check out the campaign here, or join the conversation on @wooliesbeauty’s account.
When we say “trendsetting,” we mean it in the way that the youth are the ones who help form the narratives and who help shape the minds of others. We’re not simply talking about hashtags and algorithms. We’re talking about real conversations.
Take our Totalsports campaign with @fufuh_k (check it out here) - where we jumped onto the trending topic of achieving goals through work, dedication and foresight. These topics and adopting a perseverance mindset have all been spoken about a lot in youth culture, where aspirations are high.
Storytelling, trendsetting, target audience profiling, authenticity and relatability all speak to the youth’s need for individuality, connection, uniqueness and self-reliance. These key markers have been identified as the focus for brand campaigns if they want to make a success out of their efforts according to Youth Dynamix and Student Village’s recent study.
Yes, it’s Youth Day in June, but the youth's role in influencer marketing and using their voices to bring about change is something that deserves far more than a month’s celebration.
We’ve showcased how working with the right people (i.e. the youth) can make an impact - after all, we managed to raise R35 000 in 30 days for the civil unrest that occurred in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces from 9 to 18 July 2021 (read the blog here). And this is just the beginning.
If you want to work with a specialized team of influencer marketers who believe in the power of ideas and working actively with influencers and brands from the concept phase through to execution to reach the right audience… then you have come to the right place.
We’d love to hear from you. For any enquiries, questions or conversations, feel free to contact us.
