The 2026 Annual Conference for the Marketing Society of Kenya (MSK) has called on the marketers to take a bigger role in designing the next chapter of Kenya’s economic growth.

Under the Tee: Growth by Design, the two-day conference which was held at the at PrideInn Paradise Beach Resort Mombasa on 10th-11th September 2026 challenged the professional in the marketing sector to move beyond campaigns and put customer value, trust, technology and measurable business impact at the heart of growth.

They also called on marketers to take a more deliberate role in shaping business and economic growth as organisations navigate changing consumer expectations, rapid technological disruption and increasing pressure to demonstrate tangible business value.

In her opening address the MSK Chairperson Zuhura Odhiambo said the conference was deliberately structured to move the conversation beyond marketing communications and explore the wider role marketers must play in shaping customer experience, innovation, trust, business strategy and sustainable value creation.

And that this year’s theme, “Growth by Design: Marketing for a Changing Economy,” reflects what marketing fundamentally exists to do: understand people, identify opportunities for value creation and deliberately influence the choices and behaviours that ultimately drive growth. According to her marketing has always been about growth.

“But in the environment, we are operating in today, 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.

Talking on how growth can no longer be left to chance s one of the topical areas which was discussed during the conference, John Paul Okwiri, the CEO of the Technopolis Development Authority, noted that today’s economy is characterised by greater competition. However, there is need for consumers to be better informed by using the rapidly evolving technology and gain trust that is increasingly difficult to earn.

According to him these calls for organisations to start thinking about how they can design growth deliberately by data. And also spearhead the discipline to focus resources on what genuinely serves the strategy.

The Kenya Tourism Board CEO June Chepkemei challenged the participants that growth cannot be designed around campaigns alone, but must consider the entire customer system – from discovery and consideration through to the actual experience and ultimately advocacy.

She called on the marketers to start seeing themselves not simply as communicators, but also as designers of demand, conveners of stakeholders and stewards of long-term value.

“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.”

During session focusing on the customer and how trust must remain at the centre many observed that there is changing relationship between brands and increasingly informed, discerning consumers.

And in her session on Consumer Confidence in Uncertain Times, Beatrice Njiraini, Regional Director East Africa at Eskimi, explored how economic pressure, information overload and a changing media environment are making consumers more deliberate about the brands they choose.

She highlighted that 80% of people trust the brands they use, with trust are increasingly considered decision-making and quality in consumer’s decision depends on that trust. And for marketers, the implication is significant.

Chepkemei reinforced this point through the customer experience lens, noting that a promise made in advertising must ultimately be delivered through the experience.

“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.”

And at a time when technology and digital era are shaping the future of economic growth, the conference highlighted the importance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it is changing the economics of marketing in the world. But most importantly is how AI is shaping human judgement.

Mark Kaigwa, Founder of Nendo, called on the marketers to move beyond treating AI simply as a “chatbox” and begin experimenting with its ability to support research, writing, visual exploration, analysis, video and the creation of practical internal tools.

Showing how AI has significantly lowered the cost and time required to move an idea from concept to an initial prototype – fundamentally changing the economics of experimentation. Mr. Kaigwa cautioned that greater access to technology does not remove the need for human judgement, cultural understanding and local relevance.

According to him, while AI can help in accelerating and prototyping, marketers still need to understand the real conditions surrounding consumer choices – from affordability and language to culture and lived experience.

He therefore urged the marketers to not simply adopt AI faster, but to use it deliberately while retaining the human judgement and local intelligence required to create work that genuinely connects. Critically exploring the importance of mass marketing to a more meaningful personalisation of reaching consumers, participants discussed how technology can be explored to make this possible.

Giving insights on the session on Intelligent Path to Hyper-Personalisation, Joe Kanyua, Founder and Principal Advisor at JaaSify Technology PLC, challenged marketers to rethink traditional segmentation. His presentation explored the journey from broad audience targeting towards a “segment of one”, which is supported by better customer identity, value exchange, continuous learning and technology capable of enabling more individualised customer experiences.

And the wider implication for marketers is a move away from simply reaching audiences at scale towards using data and technology to make that reach increasingly relevant.

Marketing must prove its contribution to growth. Speakers during this session challenge the marketing professionals to move beyond just reporting activities and move towards demonstrating outcomes that are inclusive.

The Micro and Small Enterprises Authority highlighted the importance of measuring marketing through tangible outcomes by creating applications that address enquiries, orders, customer retention and repeat purchase, rather than relying solely on followers or visibility.

A profession designing growth Focusing on Growth by Design and how it can help in accelerating economic growth, MSK acknowledged that it requires marketers who can combine customer understanding with commercial thinking; creativity with data; technology with human judgement; attention with trust; and short-term performance with long-term value. This is because Growth by Design is already a challenge to the profession, but they must take greater ownership of the growth agenda.

Okwiri reminded the delegates that; “Don’t just design campaigns. Design growth. Design with evidence but leaves room for imagination. Design for attention but build for trust. Design for today’s results but never lose sight of tomorrow’s value.”

For MSK, this is the opportunity and responsibility facing the profession as Kenya enters its next chapter of economic and technological change.