We know appealing to the youth is the “in thing” for not all, but a lot of giant Nigerian brands. With an immensely large population of millennials in Nigeria, the market possibilities are woah! What the millennials have in population, the old folks have in cash and authority, not for long tho and it depends on the angle you are looking from. What I’m basically trying to say is; old folks own a lot of the brands with the really big bucks, old folks need young pennies to keep stacking up those big bucks to even bigger bucks. It is therefore no surprise that millions of Naira go into pathetic attempts at achieving a youthful demeanor. No judgement intended to these guys and their paper chase, the facade of consumerism has become an integrate part of capitalism. It will be silly of me to condemn them for going after the bigger market and trying to relate.
My problem is with loyalty. Yes, “loyalty”. The old folks don’t seem to want to accept that their friends in advertising and branding are just as old as they are…. It seems kind of rational to trust the familiar… Okay, I get it. Maybe, my problem is not so much with loyalty, maybe its with the lack of introspection on the part of these advertising and branding agencies. I respect the old Gs, they’ve paved a path for us to dare to dream. They’ve been good, bad, ugly, fine and best, so much to learn from. So what exactly is this post about? Lets say I’m tired of the character assassination propagated in the media.
How foolish is young and foolish? It’s really not as foolish as they make it seem. Stop making caricature of young Nigerians. Our minds may be young, but we have had to become wise really quickly, to survive the mess laid on our tables by older generations. Throwing slang, hashtags, bright colours and graffiti is not enough. Excessive bling, and awkward gestures are not only inadequate they are damn right insulting. We know there are gray hairs sitting on the skulls that hold the brains and wisdom behind these giant brands; we are no fools, it’s clear you aren’t as young at heart as you claim you are and we don’t really care. However, if you want our pennies, the least you can do is show some respect.
Respect. I’m talking; Stop making assumptions. Partner with young studios and agencies that know exactly what to do to speak to your intended market. Do the actual research. knee-low sagging stopped being cool in 2009, It’s 2017 get over it. Sometimes visual communication aimed at the youth feels like gossip between a group of old people. Rumor filled type of gossip. The “youth” as they call it respond only because we know they are talking to us. It’s kind of like being the only person named Tayo in a group where no one else bares a name remotely close to Tayo. If someone in the group calls out Toyo. You respond just because….not because…. Someone who knows you wouldn't call you Toyo. These brands aren’t fooling anyone.
It’s a steamy mess, the brands manage to look foolish and pretentious, the market ends up looking foolish as well, but somehow “young” still gets lost in translation. How foolish is young and foolish? let the young answer that question.
