How Absa Scores With SA’s Youth

In Trends

Sport has always had the power to connect the Afrillennial market, whether they are on the same side or have different teams and individuals they support, the fact that they are united for a fixture, event or the love of the game, creates a powerful connection. What happens when brands try to fit in with this connection? This week we look at how Absa has used sport as a channel to engage and communicate with their youth audience and how they’ve used this association to score in all other areas with students.

The Engagement Balancing Act

Absa’s Ready-to-Work skills initiative is well underway and offers graduates an impressive mix of skills development, coupled with workplace exposure to help them increase their employment prospects. Corporates are often challenged in their ability to attract the right talent, however thanks to Absa’s association with the Premier Soccer League (PSL), they were able to engage directly with students on the ground at campuses across several major metros in South Africa to promote the Ready-To-Work programme. How did they make the connection relevant you may ask?

Who doesn’t want a photo with a PSL legend? Or access to a top local derby football match? That was part of the mix that Absa used to engage with students on the ground. They took the Ready-to-Work programme to campus with a strong balance of serious and play, making students aware of the initiative, signing up and registering them for its benefits before rewarding them.

Pairing Up Experience and Reward

The reward? Access to the Absa Fan Zone at targeted derby fixtures.

That’s correct, Absa awarded more than 5,500 students tickets, across 4 major derby fixtures. Students were treated to the likes of the renowned Soweto Derby (Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates) and further derbies in Pretoria, Durban and Bloemfontein.

Not only did Absa provide transport to and from the game including match-day tickets, but also priority seating, snack-packs and branded T-shirts, making the brand stand out in the stadium and make their presence known.

 

Playing The The Game

From our research, Afrillennials (African Millennials) are big on experiences, and Absa tapped into this from the moment they set foot on campus. Absa ticked off caring for the student’s development and employment needs, whilst still ensuring they didn’t go home empty handed in the form of a memory with a PSL legend. This was then capped off with priority treatment at South Africa’s top local footballing derbies.

Absa has been a long-standing and proud supporter of sport in South Africa. The Premier Soccer League (PSL), Springbok Rugby, the Currie Cup are but a few of the sporting channels that Absa has long been associated with and had at their disposal.

Where ABSA has won with grabbing the youth market’s attention at these events is through branding. Branding has played a key part of the sporting channel, it looks great on TV and drives overall association and awareness with the sport and even the category. Another key channel is that of activations and one-on-one engagement prior to or even at the fixture – this is where Absa got it right with Afrillennials (African millennials) earlier this year.

Making their association to these sporting channels work for the brand is a challenge facing all involved and ensuring there is that return on the considerable investment is critical. These associations have become a crucial extension of the brands’ marketing and activation plans in the youth market.

The Final Score

Sport is a great connector of people the world over. And for a brand to be a part of or play a role in that connection can be tricky. The ingredient lies in the personal connection that the brand can establish before, during or event after match, event or occasion. Living beyond the hype is also fundamental to any brand’s relationship with the youth.

Absa tapped into the need for students to further develop themselves, while acknowledging their need for personalised treatment and instant gratification. Students made the most of their PSL experience by sharing it through their social platforms, automatically taking an added interest in their futures through Absa’s Ready-To-Work programme and while sport was the channel, Absa walked away as the champion.

 

 

The Final Score

Sport is a great connector of people the world over. And for a brand to be a part of or play a role in that connection can be tricky. The ingredient lies in the personal connection that the brand can establish before, during or event after match, event or occasion. Living beyond the hype is also fundamental to any brand’s relationship with the youth.

Absa tapped into the need for students to further develop themselves, while acknowledging their need for personalised treatment and instant gratification. Students made the most of their PSL experience by sharing it through their social platforms, automatically taking an added interest in their futures through Absa’s Ready-To-Work programme and while sport was the channel, Absa walked away as the champion.