Marike Venter, senior lecturer at LISOF, presented a paper at the Global Marketing Conference 2010: Marketing in a Turbulent Environment, held from the 9th to the 12th of September 2010, Tokyo, Japan.

The conference, hosted by the Korean Academy of Marketing Science addressed how a dynamic globalised world comprising different cultures and cross-cultural business practices affects both domestic, and international marketing strategies.

The conference provided a platform for business leaders, entrepreneurs and educators to recognize, appreciate, and understand the significance of marketing in the global world of dynamic multiculturalism. Multiculturalism continues to be a vital aspect of global marketing affecting consumers and businesses in the 21st Century.

Venter presented a paper titled How Globalisation is Influencing Style among Youth Culture in South Africa: The Smarteez and Globalisation. ‘My paper investigates how marketplace structures such as popular culture, social networks and consumer ideology influence style among South African youth.

The Smarteez subculture is presented as an example of an emerging market segment arising from Soweto recognised by their brightly coloured glasses, “old school” bowties, checked shirts and primary coloured skinny jeans’ says Venter.

While the youth represents an opportunity for business growth they are also being seen as an anti-establishment to society. These tensions are of great interest to marketers and researchers, and have received substantial attention within the Consumer Culture Theory (CCT) paradigm.