A large portion of the South African population lives in a township. These Kasi dwellers have significant spending power and as a marketer, it is important to understand their attitudes to brands in-depth. To this end, market research company Ask Afrika conducts their annual benchmark, Kasi Star Brands, which is a powerful tool for measuring return on investment (ROI) and loyal usage of brands amongst township consumers.
Brand usage is compared across 144 product categories and 2 996 brands are ranked. This year 36 Ask Afrika Kasi Star Brands and 59 potential Kasi Star Brands emerged from the study. The results and winners will be announced in a supplement in the Daily Sun on 16 May 2017.
“Ask Afrika Kasi Star Brands are brands that are used most loyally by South African township consumers. These are brands that define a common experience, often on a daily basis, which South African consumers are committed to in a real sense. The majority of these consumers put their money where their mouths are, to demonstrate this commitment. Kasi Star Brands are woven into the fabric of our vibrant South African Townships,” say Dr Amelia Richards, Account Director at Ask Afrika.
Improvements in the methodology
The profile of a Kasi consumer differs in the Ask Afrika Kasi Star Brands 2017/2018 from 2015/16 when the only criteria for a Kasi consumer was that he or she resides in a township. In 2017 the Kasi consumer has been aligned to Sandeep Mahajan’s definition of a “regular township resident” as defined in his paper, “Economics of a South African Township” which was part of the World Bank Studies. What this means it that the Kasi consumer has to not only live in a South African township, but has to fall into the socio-economic level (SEL) 3-5 and not have a post-graduate qualification. This excludes the more affluent consumers that make townships their homes. All nine provinces were included in the sample of 4,403 Kasi consumers interview that represents the view of 9.3 million kasi consumers across South Africa.
What will be revealed when the winners are announced?
Not only will the most loved and used brands by Kasi consumers be revealed on 16 May 2017, but the top-line trends emerging from the research will also be shared. These insights will provide brand owners and marketers, across product categories, with an understanding of the mind-set and behaviour of the Kasi consumer. These findings will give a taste of what can be unpacked in-depth in Kasi Star Brand research reports.
When looking at what drives loyalty in the township market it is important to get the complete picture of the Kasi consumer lifestyle. Demographic and psychographic profiling can help to identify loyalty drivers that are an important consideration when developing a marketing strategy. The research can look at a brand within its product category and compare it to competitors, and also place it within the context of the entire Kasi market. Specific products are rarely purchased in isolation and it is important to consider the Kasi consumer and their lifestyle holistically.
When developing a marketing strategy it is vital to not only understand the Kasi market, but to gain insight into the media consumption patterns of township communities, to understand their favourite newspaper sections, music, films and TV programmes.
“Market research can assist tremendously in ensuring the relevance of communications to create effective engagement. It helps align the use of language and content to resonate with a target audience. This in turn helps you engage through creating unique experiences and increases the sharability of your brand,” says Richards.
To find out more or order Ask Afrika Kasi Star Brands research reports contact: (012) 428 7400 and speak to Dr Amelia Richards (amelia.richards@askafrika.co.za ) or Mariëtte Croukamp (Mariette.Croukamp@askafrika.co.za ).
About the Ask Afrika Group:
Ask Afrika Group is the largest independent South African market research company. The company focuses on local relevance, benchmarked against the global context, and is also a member of European, Market Research Organisation (ESOMAR). Apart from its South African footprint, Ask Afrika Group also operates in a dozen other African countries.
Ask Afrika Group is well known for delivering strategic and large-scale field projects and for creating benchmarks for industry.
Target Group Index (TGI) research, for which Ask Afrika Group owns the South African copyright, has an annual single source sample of 15 000 locally and 800 000 globally. It has a global geographic coverage of 70 markets, and measures services, products, media, and brands. Ask Afrika’s knowledge of brands is extensive and TGI is already used by the majority of Top 50 advertisers and media owners in South Africa. TGI complements local and global currencies. It has various integrated software modules and offers the most comprehensive insights into demographics, behaviour, product and brand use and attitudes.
The Ask Afrika Groups’ exclusive product suite includes the Ask Afrika Orange Index®, the Trust Barometer™, TGI, Ask Afrika ICON Brands™ and Ask Afrika Kasi Star Brands, the Digital Barometer and Gateway. Ask Afrika is known for its exceptional service delivery and innovation.
Website: www.askafrika.co.za
