5 Youth Marketing Insights From Chad Le Clos

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After starting off with some healthy banter between Chad Le Clos and Michael Phelps ahead of the Rio Olympic Games, the two ended up causing quite a media stir which ended in embarrassment for Le Clos. When he lost to Phelps after a series of public spats between the two, the online world lit up as SA’s youth were taking the conversation to their social media platforms, debating all of the reasons for Le Clos’ shortfall. In the midst of the uproar we found some tips for navigating your brand’s way to the podium, the roads to avoid and of course, the way to winning Afrillennials’ (African Millennials) support.

1. Don’t Give Competitors The Side Eye

Reports came flying in of how Le Clos was perceived to have peered over to Phelps while they were swimming toward the finish line. Spectators argued that this tactic slowed him down and that this lead to his loss. As brands we can learn that constantly focussing on how we can be better than our competitors is not a winning tactic when it comes to the perception of SA’s youth.

Ingram’s Camphor Cream brand, which recently rebranded and joined the social media realm, thought they were doing great by doing what other brands do. Turns out what’s good for the goose isn’t good for the gander because when the brand started posting lifestyle focussed posts, students were less than impressed.

They also posted a #ManCrushMonday of Siya Beyile, known as The Threaded Man, using his image without permission and he responded with a less than flattered request for them to take it down.

It seemed like they were following the pack and leaving their product behind – don’t be that brand.

At the end of the day your race is judged by your performance and not how well you win it or even how you compared to your competitor. Students gravitate to brands they can relate to best and when they commit to your brand they’ll be a loyalist for life, unbothered by what the others have to bring to the table.

2. Mind Your Enthusiasm

Chad Le Clos has been recorded confidently saying, “Michael Phelps has been talking about how slow the butterfly events have been recently, I just did a time he hasn’t done in four years. So he can keep quiet now.” There’s a big difference between believing in your product and bashing another to make yourself look great. The latter is not the ideal starting point for creating likability with SA’s youth.

Another example of over enthused brand battles include the price comparison race between Pick n Pay, Spar and Checkers in South Africa. This followed a recent slip up by the Sunday Times, calling Pick n Pay the most cost effective amongst its competitors, soon withdrawn with a retraction highlighting Checkers as taking the lead. Now that these brands are actively pursuing lower prices, what happens to the rest of the business? Are they being true to their brands? This leads us to the next point…

3. Be True To Yourself

Creative fluency is so important to SA’s youth and should not be stifled by your distraction with competitors. It’s part of creating a unique brand and coming up with new ways of evolving and improving it with time. SA’s youth do love the odd controversy and hype, but they cast their trust upon reliable, authentic and focussed brands that keep their sights set on improving the lives of their consumers. By staying focussed on what makes your brand special to Afrillennials, it won’t have to compete, but rather play in a league of its own.

This is a lesson Chad Le Clos did not take from his previous wins. Instead of focusing on his brand and own capabilities, he focussed energy on discounting his competitors’ and ended up falling short on his strengths in the process.

4. No Brand Is An Island

Like Chad Le Clos’ father’s support, students tend to back up the brands they feel most connected to. These connections aren’t formed based on preference or perceptions of your brand, but the interactions that cement a great relationship with Afrillennials. Students want brands to be part of their lives, like a friend or family member, helping them do great things, as they return the favour through their support.

If there is one good take home from the Le Clos and Phelps battle, it’s that the youth will stand up for the brands they believe in. It’s important to emulate confidence in order to attract it from the youth.

5. Take Your Position

It can be said that Le Clos stance was less than admirable in comparison to Phelps. The two swimming champions’ attitudes were carefully observed by the youth who were quick to voice their disappointment after Le Clos loss. Though Le Clos hasn’t been a great front runner for bringing home the medals this time, perhaps he will learn from his mistake.

To the brands in the shadows with their #Phelpsface, take a lesson from Phelps who said, “There are a lot of things I could say, but I won’t. I’m going to let what I do in the pool do my talking.”