Nike continued its winning streak with its sixth win in a row as the Overall Coolest Brand at the 16th annual Sunday Times Gen Next Awards. The winners were recognised during an online announcement on 21 August 2020. Winners across 71 categories were celebrated based on the outcome of research conducted by Yellowwood.
Eben Gewers, head of advertising sales and trade marketing at Arena Holdings – which owns Sunday Times Gen Next – believes this year’s results will be a key metric of pre-Covid youth preferences and attitudes towards brands.
“Covid-19 is undoubtedly going to have a dramatic effect on numerous areas of life in the short and long terms. Things are going to change and capturing a ‘before and after’ snapshot of youth brand preferences will provide huge benefit to the South African advertising and marketing industry about how priorities and perspectives may shift in the face of huge socio-economic upheaval,” he said.
The Sunday Times Gen Next survey has established itself as the leading barometer of what South African youths find on-trend and aspirational, and delivers insights that are valued by brand managers, advertising, and marketing professionals. The survey had previously been limited to South African youths between the ages of eight and 23. Youths and young professionals across the country were polled during the 2020 survey period which concluded ahead of the national Covid-19 lockdown.
“What began as a typical year for the annual Gen Next survey, was turned upside down when shortly after our in-field research was conducted, South Africa went into lockdown. Having analysed these results in a whole new context, we found that many of the insights and brand preferences were only deepened by the pandemic,” said Refilwe Maluleke, Managing Director of Yellowwood.
Sunday Times Gen Next winners in 2020 include: Always, Apple (2), Avon, BAR.ONE, Capitec Bank, Cartoon Network (DStv 301) (2), Channel O (DStv 320), Clicks, Coca-Cola, Colgate, College of Cape Town, Dark and Lovely, Doritos, Dove, DStv, Engen, Facebook, FIFA (2), Game, Gold Reef City, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, KFC’s Add Hope, KOO, Lockdown, Magnum, Mall of Africa, McDonald’s, Mercedes-Benz (2), Metro FM, Mr. Bean, Mr D Food, Nando’s, Nestlé Hot Chocolate, Nike (4), NIVEA, NIVEA Men, Nutella, Parmalat, Pin Pop, Playgirl, PlayStation 4 Pro, Protea Hotels, Red Bull Energy Drink, Speak Out, Sportscene, Stimorol, Takealot, Telkom/Telkom Mobile, Toys R Us, University of Cape Town (UCT), Uzalo, WhatsApp, Woolworths Food, WWE Channel (DStv 128), and YouTube.
Apart from evaluating consumer products and brands, the survey also recognises youth perception of the personal brands of sports and entertainment celebrities.
For many years, DJ Black Coffee and comedian Trevor Noah dominated the Coolest Local DJ and Coolest Local Male Celebrity categories respectively. However, 2020 saw new category winners announced: Kabza da Small (Coolest Local DJ) and Nasty C (Coolest Local Male Celebrity). For the second year running, Bonang Matheba took the crown as Coolest Online Influencer. Sho Madjozi was recognised as Coolest Local Female Celebrity. The 2019 Rugby World Cup-winning captain, Siya Kolisi, is this year’s Coolest Local Sportsperson.
Sunday Times Gen Next is presented in association with Arena Events, Yellowwood, and Shell. Other partners of the Sunday Times Gen Next digital series of events include Mall of Africa, Proudly South Africa, CliffCental.com and The Financial Mail Redzone.
Coolest Advertising Medium 2020 | Coolest Local DJ (radio or club) 2020 | |||
1 | 1 | Kabza De Small | ||
2 | YouTube | 2 | Black Coffee | |
3 | 3 | DJ Zinhle | ||
4 | Television | 4 | DJ Maphorisa | |
5 | 5 | DJ Tira | ||
Coolest Banks 2020 | Coolest Local Entertainment Places 2020 | |||
1 | Capitec Bank | 1 | Gold Reef City | |
2 | FNB | 2 | Sun City | |
3 | Standard Bank | 3 | uShaka Marine World | |
4 | Absa | 4 | Nu Metro | |
5 | Nedbank | 5 | The National Zoo | |
Birthday Wishlist 2020 | Coolest Local Female Celebrities 2020 | |||
1 | Smartphone | 1 | Sho Madjozi | |
2 | Money | 2 | DJ Zinhle | |
3 | Car | 3 | Lady Zamar | |
4 | Laptop | 4 | Boity Thulo | |
5 | Cake | 5 | Minnie Dlamini | |
Coolest Brand Overall 2020 | Coolest Local Male Celebrities 2020 | |||
1 | Nike | 1 | Nasty C | |
2 | Apple | 2 | Trevor Noah | |
3 | Samsung | 3 | Kabza De Small | |
4 | BMW | 4 | Cassper Nyovest | |
5 | adidas | 5 | Kwesta | |
Coolest Brand Slogans 2020 | Coolest Local Sportsperson 2020 | |||
1 | Just Do It (Nike) | 1 | Siya Kolisi | |
2 | I’m Lovin’ It (McDonald’s) | 2 | Thembinkosi Lorch | |
3 | So Good (KFC) | 3 | Percy Tau | |
4 | All In (adidas) | 4 | Simphiwe Tshabalala | |
5 | Off the Wall (Vans) | 5 | AB de Villiers | |
Coolest Breakfast Cereals 2020 | Coolest Make-Up Brands 2020 | |||
1 | Kellogg’s Corn Flakes | 1 | Avon | |
2 | Nestlé MILO | 2 | Revlon | |
3 | Jungle Oats | 3 | POND’S | |
4 | Kellogg’s Coco Pops | 4 | L’Oréal | |
5 | FUTURELIFE | 5 | MAC | |
Coolest Campaign Targeted at Youth 2020 | Coolest Male Deodorants 2020 | |||
1 | Speak Out | 1 | NIVEA Men | |
2 | LoveLife | 2 | Playboy | |
3 | Soul Buddyz | 3 | English Blazer | |
4 | Soul City | 4 | AXE | |
5 | Save the Rhino | 5 | adidas | |
Coolest Cartoon Shows 2020 | Coolest Mobile Game 2020 | |||
1 | Mr. Bean | 1 | FIFA Mobile | |
2 | The Regular Show | 2 | Subway Surfers | |
3 | Tom and Jerry | 3 | Candy Crush Saga | |
4 | Family Guy | 4 | Minecraft | |
5 | Teen Titans | 5 | Fortnite | |
Coolest Cellphones 2020 | Coolest Motor Vehicles 2020 | |||
1 | Apple iPhone | 1 | Mercedes-Benz | |
2 | Samsung | 2 | Lamborghini | |
3 | Huawei | 3 | BMW | |
4 | Hisense | 4 | Range Rover | |
5 | Sony | 5 | Ferrari | |
Coolest Chewing Gum 2020 | Coolest Music Store/website/ streaming 2020 | |||
1 | Stimorol | 1 | YouTube | |
2 | Orbit | 2 | iTunes/Apple Music | |
3 | Mentos | 3 | Google Play Store | |
4 | Chappies | 4 | JOOX | |
5 | Infinity (Stimorol) | 5 | MP3 Juices | |
Coolest Chocolates 2020 | Coolest Online Fashion store/app 2020 | |||
1 | BAR.ONE | 1 | Takealot | |
2 | Cadbury Dairy Milk | 2 | Mr Price | |
3 | Ferrero Rocher | 3 | Zara | |
4 | KitKat | 4 | H & M | |
5 | Lunch Bar | 5 | Superbalist | |
Coolest Clothing Brands 2020 | Coolest Online Influencer 2020 | |||
1 | Nike | 1 | Bonang Matheba | |
2 | adidas | 2 | Somizi | |
3 | Redbat | 3 | Kim Kardashian | |
4 | Gucci | 4 | Lasizwe | |
5 | FILA | 5 | Mihlali Ndamase | |
Coolest Clothing Stores 2020 | Coolest Petrol Stations 2020 | |||
1 | Sportscene | 1 | Engen | |
2 | Mr Price | 2 | Total | |
3 | TotalSPORTS | 3 | Caltex | |
4 | Woolworths | 4 | Shell | |
5 | Markham | 5 | Sasol | |
Coolest Cold Drinks 2020 | Coolest Radio Stations 2020 | |||
1 | Coca-Cola | 1 | Metro FM | |
2 | Fanta | 2 | Ukhozi FM | |
3 | Appletiser | 3 | Jozi FM | |
4 | Sprite | 4 | Lesedi FM | |
5 | Sparletta Creme Soda | 5 | 947 (Highveld) | |
Coolest Colleges 2020 | Coolest Shoe/Footwear Brands 2020 | |||
1 | College of Cape Town | 1 | Nike | |
2 | Rosebank College | 2 | adidas | |
3 | Varsity College | 3 | FILA | |
4 | Damelin College | 4 | Jordan | |
5 | South West Gauteng College | 5 | Vans | |
Coolest Community Programmes 2020 | Coolest Shopping Malls 2020 | |||
1 | Add Hope (KFC) | 1 | Mall of Africa | |
2 | Khumbul’ekhaya | 2 | Gateway Theatre of Shopping | |
3 | Childline | 3 | Sandton City | |
4 | Save the Rhino | 4 | Canal Walk | |
5 | Speak Out | 5 | Mall of the South | |
Coolest Company to work for 2020 | Coolest Skincare Products 2020 | |||
1 | Mercedez-Benz | 1 | NIVEA | |
2 | BMW | 2 | Dove | |
3 | Apple | 3 | Vaseline | |
4 | Samsung | 4 | Avon | |
5 | Nike | 5 | POND’S | |
Coolest Computer Brands 2020 | Coolest Snacks 2020 | |||
1 | Apple Mac | 1 | Doritos | |
2 | Samsung | 2 | Lay’s | |
3 | Hisense | 3 | Simba Chips | |
4 | Microsoft | 4 | Oreo | |
5 | LG | 5 | Pringles | |
Coolest Console/ Computer Games 2020 | Soap Bars 2020 | |||
1 | FIFA | 1 | Dove | |
2 | Grand Theft Auto (GTA) | 2 | Protex | |
3 | Need for Speed | 3 | Dettol | |
4 | Subway Surfers | 4 | NIVEA | |
5 | Candy Crush Saga | 5 | Lux | |
Coolest Dairy Drinks 2020 | Coolest Social Media Platforms 2020 | |||
1 | Nestlé Hot Chocolate | 1 | ||
2 | Tropika | 2 | ||
3 | UltraMel Custard | 3 | ||
4 | MILO | 4 | Tik Tok | |
5 | Yogi Sip | 5 | YouTube | |
Coolest Eat Out Places 2020 | Coolest Specialist Health, Beauty, & Accessory Stores 2020 | |||
1 | Nando’s | 1 | Clicks | |
2 | Spur | 2 | Dis-Chem | |
3 | Wimpy | 3 | Woolworths | |
4 | Mugg & Bean | 4 | Edgars | |
5 | RocoMamas | 5 | Avon | |
Coolest Energy Products 2020 | Coolest Spread/Sauce 2020 | |||
1 | Red Bull Energy Drink | 1 | Nutella | |
2 | Powerade | 2 | Rama | |
3 | Monster Energy Drink | 3 | Nando’s Sauces | |
4 | Dragon Energy Drink | 4 | ALL GOLD Tomato Sauce | |
5 | Energade | 5 | Melrose Cheese Spread | |
Entertainment Channel 2020 | Coolest Stationery Store 2020 | |||
1 | WWE Channel (DStv 128) | 1 | Game | |
2 | Cartoon Network (DStv 301) | 2 | CNA | |
3 | Disney Channel (Dstv 303) | 3 | Checkers | |
4 | MTV Base (DStv 322) | 4 | Shoprite | |
5 | Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) | 5 | Pick n Pay | |
Coolest Fast Food Places 2020 | Coolest Sweets 2020 | |||
1 | McDonald’s | 1 | Pin Pop | |
2 | KFC | 2 | Jelly Tots | |
3 | Burger King | 3 | Smarties | |
4 | Nando’s | 4 | Mentos | |
5 | Debonairs | 5 | Smoothies | |
Coolest Female Deodorants 2020 | Coolest Telecomms Providers 2020 | |||
1 | Playgirl | 1 | Telkom/Telkom Mobile | |
2 | NIVEA | 2 | Vodacom | |
3 | adidas | 3 | MTN | |
4 | Dove | 4 | Cell C | |
5 | Avon | 5 | Rain | |
Feminine Hygiene Products 2020 | Coolest Tinned Food 2020 | |||
1 | Always | 1 | KOO | |
2 | Kotex | 2 | Lucky Star | |
3 | Stayfree | 3 | ALL GOLD | |
4 | Lil-Lets | 4 | Rhodes | |
5 | GynaGuard | 5 | Bull Brand | |
Coolest Food Delivery App 2020 | Coolest Toothpaste 2020 | |||
1 | Mr D Food | 1 | Colgate | |
2 | Uber Eats | 2 | Aquafresh | |
3 | Eat 24 | 3 | Sensodyne | |
4 | OrderIn | 4 | Oral-B | |
5 | Close-Up | |||
Coolest Gaming Console 2020 | ||||
1 | PlayStation 4 Pro | Coolest TV Channels 2020 | ||
2 | Xbox One X | 1 | Cartoon Network (DStv 301) | |
3 | Xbox 360 E | 2 | Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) | |
4 | PSP | 3 | TRACE Urban (DStv 325) | |
5 | Nintendo 3DS XL | 4 | M-Net Movies All Stars (DStv 111) | |
5 | Disney Channel (DStv 303) | |||
Coolest Grocery Stores 2020 | ||||
1 | Woolworths Food | Coolest TV Music Channels 2020 | ||
2 | Pick n Pay | 1 | Channel O (DStv 320) | |
3 | Checkers | 2 | TRACE Urban (DStv 325) | |
4 | Food Lovers Market | 3 | MTV Base (DStv 322) | |
5 | Spar | 4 | TRACE Africa (DStv 326) | |
5 | MTV (DStv 130) | |||
Coolest Haircare Products 2020 | ||||
1 | Dark and Lovely | Coolest TV Programmes/Series 2020 | ||
2 | Dove | 1 | Lockdown | |
3 | Avon | 2 | Black-ish | |
4 | Sofn’free | 3 | The Big Bang Theory | |
5 | Easy Waves | 4 | Kulfi The Singing Star | |
5 | Ridiculousness | |||
Coolest Hotel Groups 2020 | ||||
1 | Protea Hotels | Coolest TV Soaps 2020 | ||
2 | Sun International | 1 | Uzalo | |
3 | Hilton Hotels & Resorts | 2 | The Queen | |
4 | City Lodge / Town Lodge / Road Lodge | 3 | Empire | |
5 | Tsogo Sun | 4 | 7de Laan | |
5 | IsiBaya | |||
Coolest Ice Cream 2020 | ||||
1 | Magnum | Coolest TV/streaming/content channels/platforms 2020 | ||
2 | Oreo | 1 | DStv | |
3 | Woolworths Tin Roof | 2 | YouTube | |
4 | Nestlé BAR.ONE | 3 | Netflix | |
5 | Polar Ice Cream | 4 | Showmax | |
5 | GooglePlay | |||
I can’t live without… 2020 | ||||
1 | Family | Coolest Toy Store 2020 | ||
2 | God | 1 | Toys R Us | |
3 | Parents | 2 | Game | |
4 | Music | 3 | The Crazy Store | |
5 | Money | 4 | ToyZone | |
5 | Toy Kingdom | |||
Coolest Job 2020 | ||||
1 | Doctor | Coolest Universities 2020 | ||
2 | Engineer | 1 | University of Cape Town (UCT) | |
3 | Lawyer | 2 | University of Johannesburg (UJ) | |
4 | Actor/Actress | 3 | UNISA | |
5 | Soccer Player | 4 | University of Witwatersrand (WITS) | |
5 | University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) | |||
Coolest Kids TV Channels 2020 | ||||
1 | Cartoon Network (DStv 301) | Coolest Yoghurt 2020 | ||
2 | Disney Channel (DStv 303) | 1 | Parmalat | |
3 | Nickelodeon (DStv 305) | 2 | Danone NutriDay | |
4 | Boomerang (DStv 302) | 3 | Clover Classic | |
5 | Disney XD (DStv 304) | 4 | Woolworths Brand | |
5 | Yogi Sip |