The MediaShop has launched a first of its kind initiative entitled ‘Through My Eyes’ – a project that has taken first hand insights from a group of 20 somethings and presented these findings to clients and media owners.
“Marketers are constantly seeking unfiltered and raw opinions of their target markets and we thought that the young black market was a great place to start,” explains Chris Botha, Group MD of The MediaShop. “These findings are not quantified or in some instances even 100% provable, but they are straight from the horse’s mouth so to speak – and that’s invaluable.
The following statements formed the basis of the ‘Through my Eyes’ insights and has guided us in the manner that we approached it: ‘We are a diverse, melting pot of people. As much as we are the same we’re different. Young, old, rich, poor, black, white, tolerant, intolerant. But the one thing we share is ignorance – often knowing nothing about the person behind us in a queue. We don’t know what language another person speaks, what music they listen to, food they eat, beliefs they hold or media they use. But we’re all marketers – and that person behind you is your market. And you know nothing about them’.”
Earlier this year, The MediaShop’s annual intern base was presented with an opportunity to showcase themselves and present their insights in a public forum. The final result was presented by Tumi Mokgadinyane, Masholotlo Sibeko and Aubrey Mdlalose.
“All of our interns are now firmly ensconced in The MediaShop in different areas of the business,” says Botha. “They’re incredible young people with amazing drive and enthusiasm and the insights and quality of their presentation proves this.”
Through My Eyes covered opinions on various segments, namely family, media, social groups, trends, retail, technology and aspirations.
A few insights that emerged from this round include that:
· In the event of a wedding, the uncle plays the most important role in Lobola negotiations
· Success won’t earn you authority over elders
· Instagram is seen as a high end social application – the new and hottest app to have. Twitter and Facebook are also very popular.
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