Forget campaigns, marketers told to design growth.

MSK Chairperson Zuhura Odhiambo speaking during 2026 Annual Conference for the Marketing Society of Kenya. [Courtesy]

Marketing professionals have been challenged to take a bigger role in driving Kenya’s economic growth by using data, technology and customer insight to deliver measurable business results.

The call came at the Marketing Society of Kenya (MSK) Marketers Conference 2026, held at PrideInn Paradise Beach Resort in Mombasa on September 10 and 11 under the theme “Growth by Design: Marketing for a Changing Economy.”

MSK Chairperson Zuhura Odhiambo said marketers must move beyond communication and take part in shaping customer experience, innovation, trust, business strategy and long-term value.

“Growth cannot be assumed. It has to be designed around a deeper understanding of the customer, a clear value proposition and the ability to connect creativity, technology and commercial outcomes,” she said.

Technopolis Development Authority CEO John Paul Okwiri noted that growing competition and changing consumer behaviour require organisations to use data to make deliberate decisions about where to invest resources.

He said technology is also changing how consumers access information and assess brands, making trust harder to earn and easier to lose.

Kenya Tourism Board CEO June Chepkemei challenged marketers to consider the entire customer journey rather than focus on campaigns.

“Growth by design is the opposite of growth by luck. The society needs marketers who think like designers of growth, not just communicators of products,” Chepkemei said.

She observed that businesses must ensure promises made through advertising match the experience customers receive.

“Trust is no longer simply a brand metric; it is increasingly a growth asset. And if an advertisement promises ease and the customer encounters friction, the brand loses trust,” she explained.

The conference also examined how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing marketing, including the cost and speed of research, writing, analysis, visual development and product prototyping.

Nendo founder Mark Kaigwa urged marketers to move beyond treating AI as a “chatbox” and experiment with its use in research, writing, visual exploration, analysis and internal business tools.

Kaigwa cautioned that greater access to AI does not remove the need for human judgement, cultural understanding and local knowledge.

He explained that marketers must consider factors such as affordability, language, culture and lived experience when using technology to understand consumers.

JaaSify Technology PLC founder and Principal Adviser Joe Kanyua challenged marketers to rethink traditional audience segmentation and use technology to create more personalised customer experiences.

His presentation explored the shift from broad audience targeting towards a “segment of one”, supported by better customer identity, value exchange, continuous learning and technology that can respond to individual needs.

Speakers also urged marketers to measure their contribution through business outcomes rather than visibility alone.

The Micro and Small Enterprises Authority said marketing performance should be assessed through outcomes such as enquiries, orders, customer retention and repeat purchases rather than followers or visibility alone.

Okwiri urged marketers to take greater ownership of the growth agenda.

“Don’t just design campaigns. Design growth. Design with evidence but leave room for imagination. Design for attention but build for trust. Design for today’s results but never lose sight of tomorrow’s value,” he told delegates.

The conference brought together marketing professionals, business leaders, entrepreneurs, technology leaders and industry experts to examine how the profession can respond to changing consumer expectations and technological disruption.