This is Africa and distinctiveness is our superpower

Doing business in Africa might not be for the faint-hearted, but there is plenty of opportunity for those willing to navigate its unique challenges with creativity and resourcefulness, even in the midst of adversity.

When you look beyond Africa’s challenges and view it as a source of inspiration, you’ll see a fast-growing consumer base, rich resources, a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem and an abundance of innovation.

The challenge, not only for the creative industry but for business generally, is to unleash that potential: in our products and services, and in the way we think about them, the work we do and how we command the resources at our disposal.

As Africans, we tend to diminish our own culture, instead of leveraging our differences and our most prized assets in a way that is special. As Djimon Hounsou said: “We owe it to ourselves to look to where we come from and know that the continent of Africa will feed the rest of the world.”

African literature and art are already “feeding” the rest of the world by shaping global culture. In music, genres like amapiano and Afrobeats have become hugely influential internationally, as seen in this year’s knockout performance by Nigerian singer Burna Boy at the Grammys — the first African artist to perform live — and South African star Tyla’s success with a golden gramophone for Best African Music Performance — an all-new category — for Water.

Major museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate Modern in London, have expanded their collections to include more African art, while African artists are increasingly represented at prestigious international art fairs, such as the Venice Biennale and Art Basel.

And in fashion, African designers are burning up the catwalk. This year, three award-winning South African fashion designers, Laduma Ngxokolo of MaXhosa Africa, Thebe Magugu and David Tlale presented their spring/summer 2025 collections at Paris Fashion Week. Lagos-based Kenneth Ize, who was born in Nigeria and raised in Austria, is said to be a favourite designer of Naomi Campbell. Celebrated for his reimagining of traditional Nigerian aso oke fabrics, a handwoven cloth used in Yoruba culture, Ize’s collections blend African craftsmanship with a contemporary high-fashion sensibility, attracting collaborations with brands like Karl Lagerfeld. And Selly Raby Kane, a leading name in Afrofuturism, is creating bold, imaginative pieces that blend fantasy with African culture. Her unique designs are helping to redefine African fashion on a global scale. Kane creates transdisciplinary projects, including Elsewhen, an immersive sci-fi exhibition about future urban life in an African city, shown at the 2016 Dakar Biennale. In 2017, she directed The Other Dakar, a virtual reality (VR) film exploring Dakar’s mysticism, which was named best VR film at Tribeca by The Verge.

As the art world continues to evolve, it is clear that African art will play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of contemporary artistic expression.

The new toolbox

When we find our voice in brand communication to connect to audiences and draw inspiration from local strengths to create compelling global advertising, we will be creatively unstoppable — especially if we leverage African culture and new technologies like AI for competitive advantage.

We are yet to scratch the surface of the potential that AI presents — not only to enhance African content production and agency capabilities, but also to help agencies leapfrog development and innovation.

PwC’s Global Artificial Intelligence Study report says it is set to be the key source of transformation, disruption and competitive advantage. AI is already shaping up to be a game-changer, with the potential to boost the global economy by $15.7-trillion by 2030 — more than the output of China and India combined — with $6.6-trillion likely to come from increased productivity and $9.1-trillion from consumption-side effects.

The economies of Africa, Asia and Oceania are projected to see $1.2-trillion of that contribution, with emerging markets able to leapfrog more developed counterparts.

Three areas with the biggest AI potential, the report says, are media archiving and search, customised content creation (marketing, film, music and so on), and personalised marketing and advertising.

AI does pose a significant challenge to businesses, requiring them to offer new services, vertical integration with production, new revenue streams, investment in innovations, apps, operational technologies, insight, products and more. It also offers opportunities: for African agencies, it could supercharge them by providing tools to drive innovation. Critically, it can also unlock enhanced production capability and craft by making these infinitely more accessible to everyone.

Standing out from the crowd

African creatives must be bold about amplifying traditional and modern culture, and using it as a point of difference in developing excellent work in their local markets. If we are able to create “flawlessly African” iconic work, we are sure to be locally successful and internationally recognised.

International award shows have become an increasingly important benchmark for many creatives in Africa to gauge their success.

While representation at international awards may be controversial in the African context, they are important benchmarks for the quality of creative work globally. It’s not good enough to be a “big fish” in your own pond: agencies should aim to be the best, and not only in Africa. And have a voice at the table when the work is being judged.

This year’s Cannes Festival of Creativity saw the highest number of African jury members yet and increased participation by African agencies. However, 2024 was not a good year for the continents’ agencies at Cannes. Though TBWA was Africa’s most awarded agency at the festival, it only won two awards, claiming Regional Network of the Year for Sub-Saharan Africa, and a silver Social & Influencer Lion for the “Stronger” campaign on behalf of the Riky Rick Foundation.

South Africa generally has a good showing at Cannes, but traditionally this has not been so for agencies from other Sub-Saharan countries. The attitude, however, is changing, with far more interest from African agencies at global award shows. The question is: how can African agencies be even more creatively competitive?

The answer to unlocking big creative statements and harnessing the distinctiveness of African culture in our work needs to come from an increased conviction within our organisations. We need the right people and processes within our businesses to identify and nurture strong cultural insights, build big campaignable ideas and craft the work to be distinctively and beautifully African. We must ensure that we have the right voices in our agencies, and that those voices are heard loudly enough to develop and fight for this kind of work.

The African advertising industry continues to transform dramatically. From Nigeria to South Africa, Kenya to Ghana and Botswana to Ethiopia, the continent’s advertising scene is becoming more dynamic, more diverse and increasingly capable of competing on a global stage.

Africa is one of the fastest-growing digital markets in the world, with phones being the primary access point for internet use. This has encouraged agencies across the continent to become highly focused on digital marketing, mobile-based advertising and social media campaigns, particularly for younger audiences. This is also seen through the significant increase in the use of digital and social channels, with agencies leveraging platforms like TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram and X.

However, like we are seeing globally, the tactical measurability of digital can create a focus on short-termism. This can lead to the deprioritisation of equity-building communication for a more tactical approach. As African agencies focus on elevating the cultural richness in our work, we need to be wary that we don’t overindex on work that is too transactional in nature. This is not to say that the return on investment of digital should be ignored, but if African creatives are to produce communication which is both personal and universal, we need more insight-led, culturally based work, if our stories are to beat the best on a global stage. African agencies must harness our unique perspective and create work that is strong and culturally relevant to connect with local audiences.

Distinctive African communications are both iconic and impactful. Like our counterparts in African fashion, music and art are setting trends boldly and pushing creative boundaries, African ad agencies need to be approaching work with the same distinctly African mindset.

We need to be pushing ourselves and our clients, challenging each other to rise above the immediacy of digital demands and short-term functionality and driving ideas that break new ground.

It’s time for us to build iconic brands out of Africa — not merely to earn accolades but to resonate deeply with consumers and propel businesses forward. To do this we need advertising talent that can sit side by side with African creative innovators from other sectors, who understand how to leverage the power of their provenance. Telling our own brand stories our way will allow us to build brands that are beloved — not merely for their function but for what they stand for — brands that are woven into the fabric of African culture through the advertising that connects them to people. When we achieve this, recognition will follow, but more importantly, we will have created something distinctive, something beautiful and something impossible to ignore for African and international audiences alike. 

Graham Cruikshanks is Africa operations director at TBWA.

The big take-out: It’s time for us to tell our brand stories our way and build iconic brands out of Africa — not merely to earn accolades, but to resonate deeply with consumers and propel businesses forward.