MXit: Cooler than Facebook and Google?

MXit, the global mobile social network and instant messaging giant, just upped its street cred by topping both Google and Facebook as the social network and website that South African teens use most frequently.

The Sunday Times Generation Next Survey research, conducted by HDI Youth Marketeers, polled 5,300 young urban South Africans between the ages of 8 and 22. For the third year in the history of the awards, MXit has topped the poll in the Coolest Website and Social Network category.

MXit’s edgy slogan “Join the evolution” came second place in the Coolest Brand Slogan category, after Nike’s “Just do it”.

“We are so pleased with these accolades and would really like to thank our users. Our philosophy has always been squarely centred on making the mobile social networking experience a really valuable and fun one for our users, and these awards show us that this is working,” says Herman Heunis, CEO and founder of MXit.

“We have also just been shortlisted for the 2009 Meffy Awards (Mobile Entertainment Forum awards) in the Mobile First Innovation category for launching our first IM Book. ‘Emily and the battle of the veil’ was recently added to our already vast entertainment portfolio. MXit users can read the full book while on the go for a mere R13.50, which is a fraction of the cost of a title purchased in a traditional book store. We are hoping that this will make reading a lot more accessible to people from all backgrounds and cultures,” continues Heunis.