Kenyan brands urged to shift focus from social media reach to marketing returns

Industry players say businesses need to rethink how they engage content creators and assess the effectiveness of influencer partnerships as the creator economy continues to reshape the media and marketing landscape.

The call was made during The Media Shift: Kenya – Live, an invite-only summit hosted by Expressions Agency at Tusker Microbrewery along Thika Road in Nairobi on Thursday, October 29, 2026.

Held under the theme “Winning with Influence,” the summit brought together brand leaders, content creators and industry partners to explore how creativity, culture, community, data and technology can deliver greater value for businesses.

The discussions centred on the need for brands to adopt more strategic approaches to influencer marketing by connecting creative campaigns to business objectives rather than relying primarily on conventional performance indicators such as reach and engagement.

The summit featured sessions examining how businesses can maximise influencer marketing expenditure, design campaigns that outperform industry benchmarks and develop creators into performance partners.

Participants also explored how modern digital platforms, data and technology can improve campaign planning, performance measurement and decision-making.

The event also marked the launch of Expressions Influencer Agency, a new business focused on connecting brands and creators through partnerships that combine creativity and cultural relevance with measurable marketing performance.

Expressions Agency Chief Executive Officer David Boon, who has 26 years of experience in consumer engagement, was among the speakers alongside Webfluential Co-Founder Murray Legg and Nfinity Influencer CEO Albert Makoeng.

The organisers also announced plans to introduce a new technology tool designed for Kenyan marketers to support campaign planning and performance evaluation, although further details were not immediately disclosed.

Beyond social media personalities, discussions highlighted the wider creator economy, which supports professionals including videographers, photographers, editors, talent managers, strategists and digital marketers.

The summit sought to encourage stronger collaboration between brands and creators, with industry players emphasising the importance of building partnerships that deliver value to businesses while producing relevant content for audiences.

Through the initiative, Expressions Agency seeks to bring together the marketing and creative industries to explore how influence can become a more effective driver of business growth.