10 Brands and Reasons Y Students Love Them

In Trends

Student Village recently completed the first Res Room Research study, which looked at the brands that students are using in their res rooms and the gender gap that exists between male and female students and how they make their brand choices. The exciting insights from this study will be revealed at Y!CON 2016 on the 17^th of March. As the countdown to the youth marketing event of the year continues, we take a look at some of the brands that came out top in the res room study and why they appeal to students so much!

Converse All Stars

No surprises here, Converse emerged as the top shoe brand for girls. This timeless shoe continues to stay on trend, it’s affordable and durable. Girls love the fact that they can wear a converse shoe with different outfits. The price makes the shoe obtainable, and it’s also a brand that is available at all the hotspots. Their new designs have broadened their range which gives the students more choices depending on their style.

Nike

The research room study found that guys are extremely brand conscious compared to girls. And one of the brands they absolutely love? Definitely Nike. Owning a pair of Nikes is more of lifestyle than just a pair of sneakers and is associated with everything cool. Nike has a strong celebrity culture that students aspire to, from rappers busting a rhyme about the latest Jays, to the biggest sports stars in the world endorsing the brand, like Basketball Star LeBron James. Which “cool kid” wouldn’t want to own a pair of Nikes?

Samsung

Samsung is by far the crème of the crop when it comes to electronic brands that students stay loyal to. You’ll find that when a student has a Samsung phone, chances are their entire room will be kitted out with other Samsung brands. It’s an aspirational brand that’s obtainable because of its affordability, wide range and also rates high on usability. Samsung smartphones are far easier to use and offer more options for customisation – first prize for students.

Mr Price

According to the Res Room research, female students care more about where they shop than the brands they buy. Mr Price came out on top as the preferred shop where female students buy their clothes. It’s affordable and you can buy an entire outfit at Mr Price without breaking the bank. Aside from being easily accessible from campuses, they continue to stay on trend by not bogging students down with branding on their clothing and keep their peers guessing where they got their great outfits.

Revlon, Mac and Avon

These three brands came very close to each other as the top beauty brands. Even though students might have different brands in their make-up bags, these brands all offer a wide range of products which gives the consumer more options. Other cosmetic brands should have a broader product range and maybe, they might just catch student’s attention.

Coca Cola and Oros

Apart from Coca-Cola, Oros came out as the second favourite cold drink brand amongst students.  Students prefer consumables that last them longer because they want value for money. Non-perishable items like Tastic Rice and Maggie 2-Minute Noodles are also popular picks because they give students more bang for their buck.

Capitec Bank, Standard Bank and FNB

An interesting find in the study was that most students have more than one bank account for various reasons. Creating experiences has proven most effective for banking brands in luring the youth and convincing them to be brand loyalists. Capitec Bank came out as one of the top banks for female students because they feel like it’s the one bank that really gets them and their needs. The bank charges are affordable, essentially, it is the “people’s bank”. Standard Bank (first choice for guys at 34%) and FNB are also popular amongst varsity students because the brands are associated with cool things that interest students. One good example is FNB’s partnership with the Varsity Cup which goes to show that students buy into brands through the experiences they have with them.

How Do Brands And Students Connect?

Students are complex, and there isn’t just one set formula that will make your brand appealing to them. Y!CON 2016 is set to reveal the full research report and offer unique marketing insights into SA’s youth through various youth marketing experts. Make sure to book your seat for the youth marketing event of the year here and learn how to captivate the youth market in Africa.