Background
The Sunday Times GenNext campaign, in collaboration with Yellowwood, is South Africa’s leading youth-focused market research initiative and awards event. This annual campaign provides insights into the preferences and aspirations of the youth, offering invaluable data to institutional marketing clients. While Yellowwood compiles the report, the campaign and awards are brought to life by the Sunday Times and Arena Events.
For the third consecutive year, WOOSH proudly partnered with these industry leaders to deliver a cohesive branding, marketing, and digital strategy for GenNext 2024. Our goal was to amplify the campaign’s reach, engagement, and impact.
The Challenge
- Maintaining Consistency Across Channels: Ensuring a unified brand presence for Yellowwood, Sunday Times, and Arena Events across all platforms.
- Engaging a Youth-Centric Audience: Capturing the attention of South Africa’s dynamic and diverse youth demographic while aligning with the professional tone of institutional clients.
- Driving Awareness and Participation: Maximizing visibility and engagement for the report, campaign, and awards ceremony through digital platforms and social media.
Our Approach
1. Strategic Branding and Visual Identity
We developed a refreshed, vibrant branding strategy for GenNext 2024, maintaining continuity with past campaigns while incorporating contemporary design elements to resonate with the youth audience. This included:
- A distinctive visual language for digital and print materials.
- Event branding for the awards ceremony, ensuring a seamless experience for both in-person and online attendees.
2. Digital Rollout and Social Media Management
WOOSH executed a comprehensive digital strategy to amplify the campaign’s online presence:
- Content Creation: Eye-catching graphics, interactive social media posts, and video teasers that generated buzz.
- Social Media Engagement: Managing Yellowwood and Sunday Times’ social media platforms to foster conversations and engagement with the target audience.
- Email Marketing: Personalized email campaigns to institutional clients, influencers, and attendees, driving interest in the report and event.
3. Campaign and Awards Support
We ensured every aspect of the campaign and awards ceremony was flawlessly executed:
- Collaborated with Arena Events to manage event logistics, ensuring consistency in branding and messaging.
- Delivered real-time social media coverage during the awards ceremony, enhancing online visibility and engagement.
Results
- Increased Engagement: Social media impressions grew by 60% compared to the previous year, with a 25% increase in user interactions.
- High Attendance: The awards ceremony saw a good showing in attendance, with over 500 participants across physical and virtual platforms.
- Client Success: Yellowwood reported an uptick in inquiries and downloads of the GenNext report, demonstrating the campaign’s effectiveness in reaching institutional clients.
- Brand Recognition: The GenNext 2024 campaign solidified its position as the main platform for understanding South Africa’s youth market, further enhancing the reputation of all involved brands.
Why It Worked
WOOSH’s ability to blend creativity with strategy ensured that GenNext 2024 achieved its goals. By prioritizing alignment between Yellowwood, Sunday Times, and Arena Events, we delivered a unified, impactful campaign that resonated with the target audience while meeting institutional expectations.
