Study showcasing youth trends introduced

Burson-Marsteller Africa, a leading strategic communications and public relations firm recognised by The Holmes Report as ‘African Consultancy of the Year’ in 2015, recently introduced The A-Generation Study showcasing six trends that reflect the mind set and changing priorities of African youth in 2016.
Burston-Marsteller is represented in Namibia by its associate, Parrot Communications under the leadership of Gys Reitz.
The A-Generation Study is the result of intensive workshops facilitated by Burson-Marsteller Africa’s partners in north, west, central, east and southern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, and attended by a cross- section of participants from predominantly Millennial age groups across diverse industry sectors.
Robyn de Villiers, CEO and Chairman, Burson-Marsteller Africa said, “Africa has the youngest and fastest- growing population in the world, and it continues to get younger as populations around the world get older. There are almost 200 million youth in Africa and that number will double by 2045. According to African Economic Outlook’s 2015 report, 40% of the continent’s working age population is between the ages of 15 and 24. How they think and what they see as important are critical insights for marketers that want to build brands in Africa.”
Elaine Cameron, Head of Burson-Marsteller’s Future Perspective Trend Analysis Group, said, “The robust A-Generation Study is a cross-border collaboration reflecting a truly pan-African perspective on the continent’s youth. With guidance from Lola Pedro, African Regional Director at trendwatching.com, we adapted their trendwatching.com Consumer Trends Canvas to provide the team across Africa with an evidence-based framework for the trends.”
“There were notable similarities with what we found in the Indian youth study in 2015, in that both African and Indian youth are keen to be the ones to create change and both are intensely proud of their roots,” she added.
Providing an overview of the trends, de Villiers said, “Empowered by a new, technology-enabled world order and the loosening of previously restrictive social hierarchies, young, cosmopolitan Africans are taking a bold approach to creating their own futures”.