MMA South Africa Next! Conference 2026: Driving growth in modern marketing
The Marketing + Media Alliance (MMA) South Africa’s Next! Conference 2026 will focus on what is working in practice, bringing together the broader marketing industry to explore what drives growth in today’s fragmented and fast-evolving landscape.
The MMA South Africa Next! Conference 2026 will look at where marketers should focus their efforts to drive real growth and deliver measurable impact (Image supplied)
The conference takes place on 21 May 2026 at The Polo Room, Inanda, Sandton and will showcase how leading organisations are aligning data, technology, and creativity to deliver real business outcomes.
Following the invitation-only CMO AI Transformation Summit, Next! opens the conversation to the wider ecosystem — connecting brands, agencies, platforms, and partners through a programme focused on practical application and real-world outcomes.
“As the industry faces increasing complexity, the focus has shifted from theory to what actually delivers measurable impact,” says Sarah Utermark, regional director, SSA & South Africa.
“Next! is designed to bring the ecosystem together to share what is working in practice — across data, media, and creativity — and where marketers should be focusing their efforts to drive real growth.”
The conference is structured around three key growth pillars, which reflect the areas where marketers are facing the greatest pressure and opportunity to deliver measurable business impact.
They are:
- Commerce & Retail Growth
- Measurement & Attribution
- Creative Effectiveness
Topics
The programme opens with a scene-setting address from Luisa Mazinter, followed by a CMO-led discussion anchored by Heidi Brauer, who will set the context for a conversation featuring senior leaders, including Fionna Ronnie (Clicks) and Aidan Johnson (Massmart), on what is actually driving growth across brand, retail, data, and creativity.
Throughout the day, sessions will explore topics including The rise of retail media, with contributions by Tanja De Korte of Rainmaker Media, on Evolving approaches to attribution in a privacy-first environment, led by Lex Nakad of AppsFlyer, and How organisations are building measurement systems that move beyond traditional performance metrics including a keynote from Jeffrey Bustos of Merkle.
MMA Global’s Movable Middle framework
The agenda also introduces MMA Global’s Movable Middle framework, focusing on identifying and influencing high-value, persuadable customers to drive growth, alongside practical discussions on how brands are applying these principles in-market.
The Creative Effectiveness pillar will close the programme with a focus on how brands are delivering impact in an AI-driven landscape, including The Creative Multiplier: Making Every Rand Work Harder led by TikTok’s Federico Dedeu alongside leading creative voices, including Fran Luckin, Chris Botha, Marketa Havlik-Liebenberg, and Ashish Williams.
The conference is presented with special thanks to partners AppsFlyer, Rainmaker Media, and TikTok.
The Next! The conference forms part of MMA South Africa’s ongoing commitment to advancing marketing effectiveness and leads into the 2026 MMA Smarties Awards, which recognise the work, brands, and organisations driving measurable business impact across the industry.This event is fully sponsored, and seating is limited.
Register here.