Press Release Inspire Engage Create

For immediate release 18 May 2007

Editorial contact: TNS Research Surveys

Neil Higgs – Director: Innovation and Development
Telephone: 011-778-7500 or 082-376-6312
e-mail: neil@jhb.rsurveys.co.za

Black Diamonds and the role of culture or worldview

Human beings are all the same – or are they?

Whilst human beings share a huge number of common characteristics in terms of who we “are” (human
emotions, for example, are universal, so that Jungian archetypes are much the same for everyone), how we
run our lives depends on how we see ourselves. Whilst this obviously varies from person to person, it varies
much more across cultures. Understanding people from within our own “home” culture is quite difficult –
but, at least, we are all using the same colour glasses, so to speak. Once we look across the boundary into
another culture, what we more often than not forget is that they have differently coloured glasses. So we try
to interpret what “they” do - using our own cultural glasses. Good examples of this are how different
cultures handle time (hence the unnecessarily pejorative term “African time”) and interpersonal space.

For much of the past 200 years, there has been a strong tendency for a western/European worldview to be
the one by which all peoples have been judged. But globalisation and the Internet have led to the realisation
that different cultures have wildly different worldviews and that, to be successful, today’s communicator and
manager has to have “cultural competence”.

The importance of understanding societies and cultures better has never been greater – it is an extension of
the general need to understand people. There are two themes here: as the world becomes “flatter”, people
find niche “tribes” with which to identify – micro-cultures; moving up a level is the whole issue of values and
one’s overarching cultural worldview. In fact, one can identify a hierarchy of worldviews from macro-cultures
to sub-cultures to mini-cultures to micro-cultures.

This is critically important when we come to look at South Africa’s new and growing Black middle and upper
class -the Black Diamonds.

There is no magic connection formula – this is a very heterogenous group

There is no “one size fits all” solution to reaching Black Diamonds. This not a homogenous market and it is a
myth that any one solution will provide the ultimate connection formula. As with any market, one needs to
consider what subset to target and then to bear in mind that segment’s specific sensitivities. Multiple
factors, from identity issues to one’s personal journey into the Black Diamond class (which ties in with life
stage, a key part of the Black Diamond segmentation), political sensitivities, interests and lifestyle choices all
influence people’s view of themselves, with whom they identify and how they view their roots (their
worldview), affecting the relevancy of different touch-points and media. Their accelerated pace of change
and the state of transition that defines their context means that over-arching contact points are not there.

Black Diamond Values

The majority of Black Diamonds are still on a journey of self-discovery, many having come from a time when
their self-identity was defined for them by the regime of the day – a definition against which they fought or to
which they succumbed. Now, they are free to choose their own sense of self identity.

The commonly held values of the majority of Black Diamonds are –

• Success ((extremely) wealthy with a social conscience);
• Togetherness (gathering, reconciliation, (racial) harmony;
• Community (contributing back to society, hospitality);
Press Release Inspire Engage Create
For immediate release 18 May 2007

• Proud to be black (culture and heritage);

• Nationalism (“proudly South African”/African); and
• Spirituality. MORE…
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Many Black Diamonds feel they are straddling two worlds – their western self vs their black/African self. This
indeed is a key component of the Black Diamond segmentation: a western/future focus vs a
local/township/status quo focus. Different segments fall at different points on this spectrum. Linked to this
is the feeling that they are also partly defined by others. This raises regional issues: in Cape Town, there are
far fewer Black Diamonds; lacking a critical mass, they feel less confident and more threatened. They find
“hang-outs” where they can re-connect and re-group. In Gauteng, there is a critical mass and a momentum
so they are more dispersed and less concentrated. There is a new class consciousness emerging within the
group “to differentiate ourselves from our fellow community members”.

Dreams and pressures

All Black Diamonds share similar experiences regarding the opportunities and pressures in their world: they
feel they are moving too fast to slow down and they are anxious to get where they want to go quickly
(rocketing) – a result of their pressure-cooker world. These pressures are both positive and challenging. They
have big dreams that lead to these pressures: pressures to –
• Catch the BEE wave (running out of time – it’s now or never);
• Prove themselves (not be seen as the affirmative action appointment);
• Look the part (exciting to buy);
• Be a pioneer (new doors/markets/industries have opened up); and
• Find enough time (to do it all).

Life stage affects their worldview

Life stage is a prime segmenter of the Black Diamond group, as found in Black Diamond 1. The Black Diamond
group must not be seen as homogenous. They range from the Mzansi Youth segment to the Start Me Ups to
Young Families to the Established, the last three also being divided into the Future Focused vs the Status Quo
sub-groups (see above). Specifically:

1. For Mzansi Youth (MY), youth culture dominates – interests are beer, social activities,
sport, music and sex. They are cash strapped and relative ly time-poor. They have big aspirations to
be “BEE guys” and to be “filthy rich.” They are savvy customers. They have a “me” focus but also a
community focus. They are more defined by freedom than the struggle.
2. The Start Me Ups (SMU) have many attitudes and behaviours that are similar to the Mzansi
Youth – but they have more money. Ambition begins to become a reality with the consequent
pressures and complications. BEE is a driving force and access to credit begins to play a key role.
They are still more defined by freedom and opportunities than by the struggle.
3. Young Families (YF) are into intense multi-tasking and juggling of priorities so they are very
time-poor. They are highly ambitious both for themselves and for their children. Wealth is the dream
and credit is the enabler – but they are most anxious about the debt trap.
4. The Establisheds (E) have had rich, varied and dramatic personal journeys – and many have
very humble beginnings. This segment has a strong education focus and are defined by their
experiences in the struggle. They have a strong desire to make the most of their new-found freedom.
They are community orientated, highly responsible, self-assured and thoughtful – they intellectualise
their world. They are driven to make use of every minute and have financial freedom.

Their sensitivities
People in the Black Diamond group have differing sensitivities to marketing communications and, given that
they are in a state of (often dramatic) transition, this can change. Marketers need to consider where people
might be on a hypothetical “sensitivity scale”. This position is very much an individual response and, whilst
influenced by segment membership (life stage and future focus vs status quo), need not be segment-specific
because of other factors: it is a function of personal history and attitudes – worldview again. There is also
another fascinating dynamic: there is a difference in sensitivity for one’s self and sensitivity for how others
might feel. What affects this sensitivity? There are eight key factors to consider:
• Attitude to change
• Distance from poverty
• Length of time in the Black Diamond group
• Globalisation/exposure (recall the status quo/future focus issue)
• Education
• Gender
• Age (recall the four major segments)
• Politicization and black pride
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Some examples of how different people view ads differently are –

• Joko ad with a dancing black female worker washing the floor
o “We should be proud we can dance – a white woman could not do that.”(YF
female)
o “I like it – it reminds me of my mother.” (MY female)
o “My problem is why is a black woman doing the floor – it’s a stereotype that we
are destined to do such jobs.”( SMU male)
o “I don’t want to be patronised like that.” (SMU male)
o “I don’t want to feel like an idiot. My mother is black and was a domestic
worker but don’t make me feel she has to drink Joko.” YF male
o “It’s offensive, our mamas look like that.” (MY)
o “In our culture, an old woman is respectable so you don’t want to see them
playing with their buttocks.” (MY)
• Telkom ad (description?)
o “It goes back to how things were..a very good ad…it is us, our culture.” (YF
female)
o “To me, it’s cute and I have a picture of my grandmother doing that.” (SMU
female)
• Med Lemon ad where a traditional healer gives a person suffering from a cold Med Lemon
o “The look down on the black thing…it’s so undermining.” (SMU female)
o “I don’t like the traditional thing…They are saying the traditional healers don’t
actually use their skills.” (SMU female)
o “So instead of going to the traditional healer, you might as well go to the
chemist.” (SMU female)
o In a recent brainstorm, younger blacks with a more western viewpoint loved this
ad – but their distance from their roots and the struggle is great; an older black male
whose memory of the old days is strong and whose distance from the struggle is much less
was deeply offended – he still uses a sangome.
• Eno where a tea lady in the background is very briefly seen eating all the snacks for an
upcoming meeting
o “I have an issue with this one.” (SMU female)
o It’s very degrading for me.”( SMU female)
• Domestos where the black version of the ad has germs speaking Zulu and then being killed
by Domestos with an English strap line
o “Does that mean all germs are black?” (YF male)
o “They are saying only black people have germs.” (SMU female)
• Cup a soup (description?)
o “So, black people will always be servants – it’s offensive (E female)
• Coke where a black female is handing out free cokes
o “She is only handing out to white people…are we not good enough?(YF female)

Of course, such negative views can be found in any target market for any ad. The issue here is that it is all
about perceptions of human dignity and, in particular, sensitivity to the fact that this was institutionalized in
South Africa. Consider the recent iTalk ad where the cameraman repeatedly returns to focus on a model’s
cleavage in apparent contravention of the script: this degrades females and has received a similar response
from many people. Our quality of life research has found that a key contributor to a (any) person’s feeling of
well-being lies in –

• Dignity and self esteem – avoidance of disparagement and denigration, recognition of

people’s “human-being-ness” (TNS Research Surveys discussion paper: Well-being – the marketing
imperatives).

Examples from overseas (Kwintessential.co.uk)

1. Linguistics
• Brazil: Ford introduced the Pint. Sales failed – Pinto means “tiny male genitals” in Spanish.
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• Computer games manufacturer EA had a slogan “Challenge everything” which caused disapproval
amongst religious or hierarchical societies where harmonious relationships are maintained through
the values of respect and non-confrontation.
• Western language styles are more explicit and direct, assuming no background information;
implicit communicators (eg the Japanese) assume the audience is well-informed and minimises
extraneous information.
• Honda “Fitta” failed as “Fitta” means women’s genitals in vulgar parlance.

2. Symbols
• Red is lucky in China, black is unlucky in Japan, green is a special colour for some Moslems, and
other colours can have tribal connotations.
• 13 is unlucky in the West, for Japanese, 4 and 9 are unlucky; the Airbus 380 nomenclature is
sensitive to its likely markets.
• Clothing: bikinis are fine in the West, not so in the Middle East.
• Watch out for religious symbology.

3. Values
• Is the target market collectivist or individualistic; hierarchical or not; family orientated or not.
• Animals in some cultures (eg Thailand) are seen as low life forms: using them in advertising is
fraught with hazard (Thai ads using cute animals to promote eyeglasses failed)

4. Blunders
• Most are those that end up with sexual connotations:
• Matsushita Electric used Woody Woodpecker in the slogan “Touch Woody – the Internet
Pecker”.
• Locum, a Swedish company, sent out a Christmas card with the “o” replaced by a heart.
• Wang used the slogan “Wang Cares” (say it quickly).
• Irish Mist and Rolls-Royce Silver Mist don’t work in Germany as ‘mist” means dung
• “Tabling a motion” means “do not discuss” in the US; in Britain, it means “let’s discuss”.

Summary
For Black Diamonds, their worldview is heavily influenced mainly by –

• Life-stage and age (distance from the struggle);

• Time in the Black Diamond class (distance from poverty);
• Their western vs township mindset;
• Education;
• Gender; and
• Black pride.

These heavily affect how they view advertising and marketing.

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ENDS