Calling it quits after 18 years empowering youth

During an emotional farewell party held at the company’s Fourways offices, Loubster said it was now safe for her to hand over the reins of the company to someone else.

During her time at the agency, Loubster made an incredible impact on so many people’s lives. She expanded the company beyond the borders of South Africa, and nurtured and empowered millions of youth across South Africa and Africa.

HDI Youth Marketeers, her brainchild, started life as Hot Dogz in 1996 before being re-branded in 2006 into a youth marketing agency. She built an agency which now services over 25 blue chip marketing and social entities’ youth marketing needs. It now has offices in Nigeria and Kenya, servicing large parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Some of its longest standing clients’ tenure exceeds 15 years and include Pick n Pay, Procter & Gamble, Cartoon Network, Nedbank and Lucky Star.

“When you leave the corporate world, you need an entrepreneurial spirit, which is one of the key things that leads to success for your business,” said Loubster.

“Taking risks is one of the most crucial steps in the world of business, and I was willing to take that risk because I was, and am, so passionate about young people.”

Loubster believes in creating change and opportunities for young people. “I really wanted to make magic, but I also always wanted to create change in the economy and youth’s place in it,” she said.

HDI was the first marketing company which focused solely on under 25-year-old consumers.

“People didn’t then, and some still don’t understand the impact and spending power that youth have on brands – they are influencers but also have their own spend, which in 2015 adds up to R120.3 billion a year,” she said.

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