While many of the Mondeléz International brands have been in the market for decades and have gained a loyal following, we know that we constantly need to introduce new consumers to them to sustain them and maintain their relevance.
About one-third of the South African population falls into the ‘youth’ category – people aged 18-34 – so it’s important to speak to them to help build affinity with brands. They have grown up in the social media age, they are agile, adaptable and create culture…
So how can we connect with them on their terms, while preserving the hard-won integrity of our brands?
What is culture?
Brands don’t create culture – and they also shouldn’t attempt to set the cultural agenda. Young people create culture through their own connections and within their own ecosystems. They play with it, explore it, examine it and then define it, all on their own – and it starts with conversations.
When trying to play in the cultural space, marketers need to set their brands up with personas that build meaningful, authentic connections that contribute something meaningful to young people’s cultural conversations.
This also requires social awareness and listening to consumers about how a brand can meet their needs.
Stimorol has done a good job of this – the brand has never been the ‘face’ of a movement – but rather it has acted as a catalyst within the culture for things that interest young people – like music. By doing that, the brand joined the conversation and helped enable it – acting as a trusted friend or partner, not an intruder.
Speedy evolution
Life is incredibly fast-paced – particularly among young people – which raises the question of how brands can keep up? It comes down to listening again, rather than pushing an agenda. When trends start feeling like fads, marketers and brands need to change tack and move with the times.
Social media accelerates this shift – but it’s not solely about using social media, because the ‘digital world’ and ‘real life’ are not two different spaces in this market – everything is integrated. Being perpetually connected affords them opportunities and access to experiences with a tap or a click that are enjoyed equally, on- or offline.
Conversation is key
Despite what appears to be passive consumption by virtue of seemingly being perpetually physically connected to their phones, young people are not simply passively consuming information, they’re engaging in conversations and interrogating what they see.
Getting a brand in front of someone in the digital space is easy because it’s simple to pay for placement, but the secret sauce is in the quality and authenticity of engagement once the brand has that reach, so that trust and relationships can be built.
That requires an investment in community managers who understand the cultural conversation both on and offline, with those conversations taking place 24/7 and requiring someone to be there to be the brand voice, all the time.
Stimorol also was able to be a part of the ecosystem through platforms like Stimorol Flow.Lab, which offered music lovers the opportunity to discover the freshest new music makers. Giving undiscovered talent the opportunity to access the tools, knowledge and opportunities to monetise their passion delivered an amazing scope and volume of artistic magic – and spoke to their need for expression.
The conversation has shifted, so we are following that by moving the brand into a new space, which speaks to the everyday ‘pain points’ experienced and expressed in-person and online.
Find the balance
Despite all the information a brand has access to about behaviours, wants, likes, needs and dislikes because of the insights offered by playing in the digital space, the challenge in differentiating between active and passive users of the brand remains.
It can be hard to strike a balance between speaking to someone who currently loves the brand because of the way they engage with it and attracting someone who could develop an affinity for the brand in future.
That requires two different types of interaction which need to be balanced to draw in the new without alienating the existing. No brand can be all things to all people, but it can be ‘something’ to a lot of individuals.
And as marketers use more insights to start to develop more personal conversations, it’s important to remember that those individual conversations still need to contribute to the fluid and dynamic needs of the community.
Agility over perfection
This dynamic – but loyal – market requires authenticity, but also agility. To create a lasting impact, brands need to be more agile, which means that brand managers need to relinquish a bit of control over their brands and see where the conversation takes them – within broad limits.
A brand’s acceptance into youth culture is built on actively making and maintaining connections and staying a part of the conversation – relevance breeds longevity.
Masego Letsebe is brand manager: candy and meals, Sub-Saharan Africa at Mondeléz South Africa. Mondelēz International, Inc. empowers people to snack right in over 150 countries around the world. With 2023 net revenues of approximately $36 billion, MDLZ is leading the future of snacking with iconic global and local brands such as Oreo, Ritz, LU, Clif Bar and Tate’s Bake Shop biscuits and baked snacks, as well as Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milka and Toblerone chocolate. Mondelēz International is a proud member of the Standard and Poor’s 500, Nasdaq 100 and Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
