During the recently organized Dentsu Aegis Network’s (DAN) annual Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) Leadership Summit in Accra, Ghana, the agenda was set on Africa’s digital future; leveraging data, insight and strategy in Africa with the best generation of innovative minds in the industry. We got the opportunity to engage some of the speakers from the three day Summit in a press conference below are their thoughts on how Dentsu sets the agenda and highlights of their presentations. Mr Thomas Le Thierry, the Global President of the Vizeum, and keynote speaker at the summit this year shared insights and expertise on African Cities and Global Growth in Dentsu Aegis Network’s business. He said that there’s been changes- we have moved from a world of editorial lines into a world organized by platforms (new media) - aggregation of same content but re-aggregated by individuals, this is the new challenge for brands because they need to plan for the people and not media. He indicated that another trend is voice activated devices which will soon be in many homes also change the face of brand-user engagements and influence purchasing decisions, and lastly demography – Africa will become the continent of transformation and growth, with this will come emergence of major cities. Andre Andrade, CEO Iberia & SSA also talked about planning for people and what it means for businesses and their growth. He shared insights into three marketing principles worth following in these times: All media must become addressable- the ability to engage target audiences on a personal and tailored level. Adapting to technology and capability to appropriately engage and build consistent sustainable long-term relationships with target audiences and finally the need to engage over time and be able to offer value and retain target markets. He said that with the growth of mobile and data-driven interventions, brands will win in this digital ecosystem. Andrew Ackah, CEO Dentsu Aegis Network Ghana expressed his delight about being able to host the team in Ghana to share insights and global trends which could help the African markets deliver solutions. Andrew re-echoed; the need for data-driven solutions, understanding the consumer- behaviours and lifeclasss. He added that there’s a need for creative ideas to give target audience real experience which is tech-enabled in an age of booming mobile technology e.g. Ghana has over eighteen (18) million unique mobile phones. Mr. Ackah emphasized the need for data to inform decision making with regards to interacting with consumers and making the needed investment. He added that Collaboration and agility are the key factors that enabled Dentsu to achieve phenomenal growth in such a short space of time. Emeka Okeke, CEO Media Fuse Dentsu Aegis Network spoke about Africa being the next frontier how Dentsu Aegis takes the continent serious. In Nigeria, Dentsu has changed the narrative and in Ghana, Dentsu is a market leader. Dentsu is bringing in stakeholders, technology and investment to provide new special skill-sets and knowledge development for talents identified. Dentsu is innovating and excelling both globally and locally. Dentsu has also invested in research for quarterly consumer-centered data to inform planning and gaining insights into how brands engage their target audiences. With the presence of Global brands on African soil Dentsu is well positioned to meet their needs with the same consistency served abroad. João dos Santos, CEO Dentsu Aegis Network Mozambique shared insights on Africa as a continent blossoming with rich culture and creativity. He mentioned Accra is ranked as one of the world’s most creative cities- just like in Mozambique with amazing music and art. Dentsu is presently working on marketing communication campaigns with stories from Africa- there’s beauty and value in Africa’s stories- “it’s not all about wars and poverty, the narrative must change”. João dos Santos was excited about African music and culture crossing borders and emphasized the need to properly package and sell to the world and Dentsu is leading the process through the production of quality creatives with the African story! The summit ended with celebrating people who made the event possible. The awards evening saw Dentsu Aegis Network applauding their teams and individuals who have achieved greatness over the last twelve months.