Beeld manager breaks down young reader myths
By Leah McBride Mensching, Wednesday 5 September 2007 at 22:12 :: Young Reader :: #521 :: rss
The marketing communications manager of Afrikaans daily newspaper Beeld Wednesday listed myths about media consumption habits of young readers in South Africa that can be applied to better serving young readers around the world.
Gavin Rheeder's conclusions are based on his work with JIP, the KwaZulu-Natal-based newspaper's weekly youth insert. JIP caters to Afrikaans readers between ages 13 and 25. It is inserted into Beeld, Volksblad and Die Burger, and has a readership of 316,000.
The South African JIP contains a mix of local and international music, movies, games, fashion, topical issues, technology and gossip, according to Beeld. It can also be accessed as a television insert on MK89 on DSTV, at www.jip.co.za and as a sponsor of events that usually support South African music, Beeld stated.
Rheeder's list of myths is:
1. Youth is homogeneous. Youth is not a universal, homogeneous group, Rheeder states, but a diverse market with varied interests.
2. Youth don't read. Although South Africa struggles with illiteracy and a lack of young readers, the Afrikaans youth market doesn't conform to that definition. Young Afrikaans readers graze several print and online publications. Rheeder found these readers are uncomfortable trusting a single source, and prefer a variety to help them make up their minds. To meet this demand, JIP's editorial style leans more toward strong opinions, and away from authoritative statements.
3. Youth don't like newspapers. “With the bulk of South Africa's population under the age of 25, any newspaper that doesn't have some initiative to reach the youth is missing the point,” Rheeder states. The JIP team aims to move readers from JIP while they are in school, to Kampus-Beeld while at university, and from there to become loyal Beeld, Volksblad and Die Burger readers when they graduate.
4. Youth want soft issues. Many believe youth only want fluff, and while most enjoy tidbits of celebrity gossip, they also want to know and better understand issues affecting their lives and shaping their world. “They take their role as socially responsible citizens seriously and eschew the reckless behaviour of previous generations,” Rheeder states. “They don't want to take the environment for granted, they are AIDS aware and they care about global climate change.”
5. Youth want slang. Young people can “sniff an adult talking down to them a mile away,” Rheeder's article states. “While they like easy-to-read language, they don't appreciate slangy or 'ghettosized' language.” To better serve young readers, JIP toned down use of exclamation marks and stopped mixing Afrikaans and English.
To read Rheeder's original list, click here.
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