Speakers

8 September
12h30 – 13h30

Topic: The African Consumer Decoded

Anisa Fielding, Head of Marketing, IMM Graduate School

There is no single ‘African consumer’, and treating more than a billion people as one market is one of the fastest ways for a brand to get Africa wrong. The African Consumer Decoded uses compelling data, surprising marketing facts and real brand examples to unpack the cultural, economic, digital and generational forces shaping consumer behaviour across the continent. From mobile-first commerce and informal retail to language, identity and community influence, the session reveals why consumers may use the same products very differently across markets. Entertaining, practical and evidence-based, the talk will examine campaigns that connected, campaigns that missed the mark and the lessons marketers can use to build more relevant, credible and effective African marketing strategies.

8 September
14h00 – 15h00

Topic: More Than Marketing: Turning Brands, Customers and Ideas into Business Value

Dirk Swanepoel, Team Leader: Commercial Law at Barnard and Aletia Oberholster, Team Leader: Intellectual Property Law at Barnard.

Successful businesses understand that marketing is about more than attracting customers, it is about creating assets that generate long-term value. This session explores how strong brands, customer relationships, commercial strategy and intellectual property work together to drive growth, profitability and business sustainability. Attendees will gain practical insights into protecting business value, managing risk, leveraging AI responsibly and positioning their businesses for future growth and opportunity.

9 September
10h00 – 11h00

Topic: Beyond the Prompt: The AI-Powered Business

Gerald Yapp, Creative Director,
In-Detail Advertising

AI is moving far beyond writing copy and generating images. It is becoming a powerful marketing engine capable of researching markets, uncovering customer insights, developing strategy, creating campaigns, producing images and video, personalising content and automating marketing workflows.

In this practical session, Gerald Yapp demonstrates how marketers and businesses can move beyond basic prompting and put AI to work across the entire marketing process. Through real-world examples, discover how AI can turn one idea into an integrated campaign, create personalised marketing at scale, uncover opportunities in customer data and dramatically expand what businesses can produce with existing resources.

The future isn’t about better prompts. *It’s about building smarter, AI-powered businesses.*

9 September
12h30 – 13h30

Topic: Rethinking Retail Spaces and Retail Marketing

Camagu Sam, Senior Sales Manager, Mall Ads

As foot traffic patterns shift and e-commerce continues to place pressure on physical retail, malls are having to reinvent their value proposition. This talk explores how treating physical retail space as a structured media network, rather than simply a leasing asset, is reshaping the economics of shopping centres, with implications for retail marketing, and shopper engagement.

10 September
12h30 – 13h30

Topic: Responsible AI in Marketing: The Governance Framework Every Brand and Agency Needs

Tendai Rukwava, Founder and CEO, Coral Communications

While AI is a powerful tool, PR and marketing should still be human-led. Building a human-led, AI-supported business requires an AI usage policy to set up clear rules and terms of engagement up front. Learn about the frameworks your company should have in place to protect client data, prevent plagiarism, ensure responsible use, and more.

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