THE GROWTH OF SHENG AND ITS EFFECT ON MEDIA STRATEGIES FOR TARGETING THE YOUTH MARKET

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the paper was to review the growth of sheng language and its effect on media strategies of market targeting in Kenya.

Methodology: The paper looks at how sheng is being used by corporate companies to air their advertisements hence change of strategy in order to fit in the youth market. The paper attempted to look how politicians use sheng to reach the public youths during campaigns. The paper also looks at how the sheng can influence the public either positively or negatively by the way they convey the messages or issues especially the messages uttered by the politicians. The paper identified documentary evidence in the form of already completed studies that focused on the growth of sheng language and its effect on media strategies of market targeting in Kenya.

Results: The findings indicate that sheng has greatly spread in the urban centers in the country like a bush fire and therefore the company's need to change their marketing strategies especially if the products they make are used by the youths. Findings also indicate that slang in developed economies is mostly used by peers or people of the same age group because it's stylish and secretive.

Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: Due to its widespread use, "˜Sheng' has been in the centre of discourse among scholars and researchers in Kenya. The code has also caught the attention of the print and electronic media especially in advertisements, official health warnings on HIV/AIDS, and other commercials. It is also gaining prominence in music and popular youth culture where popular musicians like GidiGidiMajiMaji and those who specialize in hip hop music like Kalamashaka, Nameless, Mr. Nice and Darling P. often blend the various ethnic languages, Kiswahili and English words in their compositions. The paper recommends that further studies should be done to evaluate if growth of sheng language and its effect on media strategies of market targeting in Kenya has helped in achieving positive results as targeted by different organizations. For example, it may be important to evaluate the effects of using sheng in Safaricom advertisements before the adverts and after the adverts were aired. The case study also recommends that further studies be carried out to determine whether use of sheng has brought unity among the youths and if this language can be useful in fostering national cohesion.