The Business of Influence

Hosted by Style ID Africa

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Oct 2026

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Welcome to the ultimate podcast for all things influencer marketing. Join our hosts, Style ID Africa Director Tami Ruschin and award winning influencer Leroy Marc, as they delve into the dynamic influencer landscape. Every week, we bring you engaging conversations with a diverse range of guests, including brand managers, influencers, content creators, PR and media experts, and entrepreneurs. With a finger on the pulse of the industry, we explore topics that matter, from social and digital media to online trends, monetisation strategies, new technologies, and the ever changing landscape.

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October 27, 202610 min

IMC EP 09 | Greg Maloka: If Marketers Find Their Voice, Society Shifts #BusinessOfInfluence

MARKETERS HAVE MORE POWER TO SHIFT SOCIETY THAN MOST OF THEM REALISE. GREG MALOKA IS HERE TO REMIND THEM.In this episode of the Business of Influence IMC Series, hosted by Leroy Marc, Greg Maloka, Executive Commercial Partner at Kaya FM, sits down for one of the most expansive and genuinely thought-provoking conversations this series has hosted. This is not a conversation about radio alone. It is a conversation about what marketing is actually for, who it serves and what becomes possible when the people practising it decide to use their voice for something larger than a campaign objective.The marketing philosophy that opens this episode is one worth sitting with. Greg’s position is clear and it is one the industry rarely articulates with this level of conviction. Marketing has a profound impact on society and the marketers who find their voice, who understand the weight of what they are actually doing when they shape perception and influence behaviour at scale, are the ones with the power to move things in a direction that matters. That is not a motivational statement. It is a strategic one.The radio conversation will challenge every assumption that digital-first marketers have made about traditional media. In an era where content creation has been democratised to the point of saturation, radio remains a sacred and deeply relevant platform in South Africa, not because of the music or the programming but because of its ability to maintain something that no algorithm has successfully manufactured. Authentic human connection. Greg’s argument is that what drives people to a platform is never just the content. It is the humanity underneath it, and radio has preserved that humanity in a way that most digital platforms have actively eroded.The YFM chapter of this conversation is where the strategic power of marketing becomes most tangible. Greg reflects on how deliberate, well-crafted messaging was used to challenge and ultimately shift negative perceptions about an audience, proving that marketing is not just a commercial tool but a social one, capable of opening up possibilities and pushing through barriers that other disciplines cannot touch.The collective impact idea that follows is one of the most forward-thinking proposals this show has heard. Greg suggests that marketers from competing brands could align their messaging around shared positive themes, hope being the example he offers, to address common societal challenges in a way that no single brand campaign ever could. It is a conversation the industry has not yet had seriously enough and one that this episode puts firmly on the table.The episode closes with the advice that every professional in a results-driven industry needs to hear. Look beyond the quarterly challenge. Maintain a long-term gaze. Greg has watched careers and businesses play out over decades, and the pattern he has observed is consistent. The people who kept their eyes on where they were going rather than where they were are the ones who arrived somewhere worth being.If you work in marketing, media, brand strategy or the creator economy, this episode will expand how you think about the role your work plays in the world beyond the brief.Business of Influence is brought to you by Style ID Africa.---Enjoyed the podcast? Join the conversation using #BusinessOfInfluence #IMCSeries Listen and Follow UsApple: https://tr.ee/7S9Qw2RYaB Spotify: https://tr.ee/8yFVYi Instagram: https://tr.ee/9MFBqI TikTok: https://tr.ee/F5wHS1 LinkedIn: https://tr.ee/72U7z0 Follow Our Host and GuestLeroy: / leroymarcn Greg Maloka: / gregmaloka Kaya FM: / kayaon959 Email: info@styleid.africaMusic Produced by Emcee: / emceeiii #RadioMarketing #TraditionalMedia #humanconnection

October 26, 202611 min

IMC EP 08 | Sheldon Tatchell: From Eldorado Park to 88 Locations #BusinessOfInfluence

THE HAIRCUT IS TEMPORARY. THE WAY IT MAKES YOU FEEL IS NOT.In this episode of the Business of Influence Podcast, hosted by Leroy Marc, Sheldon Tatchell, founder and CEO of the Legends Corporation, sits down for a conversation about what it actually takes to build a barbershop brand from a cousin’s internet cafe in Eldorado Park into an 88-location operation spanning five countries. This is not a story about hair. It is a story about human connection, the discipline of knowing your customer and the audacity to build something legendary from exactly where you are.The origin story that opens this episode is one of the most grounded and compelling founder journeys this show has hosted. Sheldon started cutting hair at fourteen. He built his first business in a borrowed space with no formal infrastructure and no external funding. What he did have was a manual record of every customer’s preferences, their names, their styles, their stories, and that record became the foundation of a relationship model that has scaled across an entire continent.The philosophy that runs through every chapter of this story is deceptively simple. A haircut lasts a few weeks. The feeling of being seen, remembered and genuinely cared for lasts far longer. That distinction is not just a values statement. It is a business model, and Sheldon has proved that it scales.The growth conversation is where this episode gets most instructive. Legends did not expand by replicating a formula. It expanded by studying the failures and successes of others in the industry with enough humility to learn from both and enough confidence to do things differently. From standalone locations to strategic partnerships that place barbershops inside petrol stations, the expansion strategy has always been driven by accessibility and convenience without ever compromising the quality of the experience inside.The technology conversation is one of the most thoughtful in this episode. Legends has digitised its customer relationship management through a mobile app that gives any barber at any branch access to a customer’s full history and preferences, ensuring that the personal connection Sheldon built manually at fourteen is now available at scale across every location in every market. AI and technology handle the repetitive and the administrative. The human connection remains non-negotiable.This is what it looks like to build a brand on feeling rather than function and to scale that feeling without losing what made it matter in the first place.If you are an entrepreneur, a brand builder, a marketer or anyone trying to understand how human connection becomes a competitive advantage, this episode is essential viewing.Business of Influence is brought to you by Style ID Africa.—-Enjoyed the podcast? Join the conversation using #BusinessOfInfluence #IMCSeries Listen and Follow UsApple: https://tr.ee/7S9Qw2RYaB Spotify: https://tr.ee/8yFVYi Instagram: https://tr.ee/9MFBqI TikTok: https://tr.ee/F5wHS1 LinkedIn: https://tr.ee/72U7z0 Follow Our Host and GuestLeroy: / leroymarcn Sheldon Tatchell: / legend_sheldon Legends Corporation: / legends_barber Email: info@styleid.africaMusic Produced by Emcee: / emceeiii #LegendsCorporation #CustomerExperience #HumanConnection #AfricanEntrepreneurs

October 21, 20269 min

IMC EP 07 | Amogelang & Duduetsang: Banking on Authenticity #BusinessOfInfluence

BANKING IS NOT THE MOST EXCITING CATEGORY. MAKING PEOPLE TRUST YOU WITH THEIR MONEY IS.In this episode of the Business of Influence Podcast, hosted by Leroy Marc, Duduetsang Chappelle-Molloy and Amogelang Lenosi-Matenga from Access Bank Gaborone, Botswana, sit down for a conversation about one of the most underexplored and genuinely complex challenges in marketing. How do you build authentic, engaging, culturally resonant brand content in an industry that is fundamentally about one of the most sensitive things in a person’s life? Their money.The conversation opens with an honest acknowledgement that most banking marketers avoid. This is a regulated, serious industry and the rules of engagement are different. The humour that works for a fast food brand, the irreverence that earns a clothing label cultural credibility, the rawness that makes a lifestyle brand feel real- none of those tools translates directly into banking without significant risk. Amogelang and Duduetsang do not treat that as a limitation. They treat it as the creative challenge that makes the work interesting.The digital shift conversation is where this episode gets most practically useful. The transition to digital marketing has not just changed the channels banks operate in. It has fundamentally changed the consumer on the other side of those channels. Today’s banking customer is better informed, has higher expectations and can compare brands, products and experiences with a speed and ease that previous generations could not. The marketers who understand that are the ones building content that earns attention rather than demanding it.The two-way dialogue insight reframes what modern banking marketing actually looks like in practice. This is no longer an industry that speaks at its customers. It has to listen to them, respond to them and in the best cases co-create with them, which means handling direct feedback in real time, including the uncomfortable kind, and using it to build content and experiences that actually reflect the lives of the people the brand is trying to serve.The personalisation and AI conversation closes the episode with a framework that every financial services marketer needs to hear. Serving a customer base that spans youth to pensioners with relevance and precision requires technology, and Amogelang and Duduetsang make the case that AI is not an optional upgrade for modern banking. It is the infrastructure that makes personalised, timely and meaningful customer experiences possible at scale.This is the banking marketing conversation the industry has been needing to have honestly and openly.If you work in financial services marketing, brand strategy, digital marketing or the creator economy, this episode will challenge how you think about trust, authenticity and the business of making people feel safe with their money.Business of Influence is brought to you by Style ID Africa.—Enjoyed the podcast? Join the conversation using #BusinessOfInfluence #IMCSeries Listen and Follow UsApple: https://tr.ee/7S9Qw2RYaB Spotify: https://tr.ee/8yFVYi Instagram: https://tr.ee/9MFBqI TikTok: https://tr.ee/F5wHS1 LinkedIn: https://tr.ee/72U7z0 Follow Our Host and GuestsLeroy: / leroymarcn Amogelang: / amogelang-fiona-l-matenga-024068180 Duduetsang: / duduetsang-colleen-chappelle-molloy-a35a5247 Access Bank Botswana: / accessbankbotswana Email: info@styleid.africaMusic Produced by Emcee: / emceeiii #AccessBank #CustomerExperience #Personalisation #FinTech

October 16, 202610 min

IMC EP 06 | Suhayl Limbada: Why Brands Must Go Left When the World Goes Right

THE BRANDS THAT WIN IN CULTURE ARE NOT THE ONES THAT PLAY IT SAFE. THEY ARE THE ONES WILLING TO GO LEFT WHEN THE WORLD GOES RIGHT.In this episode of the Business of Influence IMC Series, hosted by Leroy Marc, Suhayl Limbada, Chief Marketing Officer of KFC India, sits down for a conversation about what it actually takes to market a global brand in a way that feels genuinely local, why fear is the single biggest barrier between a brand and its audience, and why the future of marketing in an AI-saturated world is not more technology but more humanity.The localisation conversation that opens this episode is one of the most practically useful things this show has put on record. Suhayl has worked across multiple international markets and the insight he has carried from every one of them is the same. The brands that earn genuine cultural belonging are the ones curious enough to learn the local rituals, to understand the humour, to sit inside the culture rather than observing it from a distance and translating it through a global lens that was never designed to fit.The fear conversation is where this episode gets most honest. Marketers know that culture is edgy. They know that the content that creates the deepest connections is rarely the content that clears every approval layer without a single note. And yet the fear of getting it wrong keeps most brands producing work that is safe enough to publish and forgettable enough to scroll past. Suhayl’s argument is direct. That fear is the thing standing between a brand and the audience it is trying to reach, and the marketers who learn to move through it rather than around it are the ones producing work that actually matters.The core essence versus flexibility framework in this episode is the most useful strategic tool for any brand team navigating this tension. Going left when the world goes right does not mean abandoning brand identity. It means maintaining the foundational brand-building layer that stays true to positioning while creating space for culture-driven, viral campaigns on a quarterly cadence that keep the brand feeling alive, relevant and worth paying attention to.The listening philosophy that runs through Suhayl’s entire approach to marketing is deceptively simple and almost universally ignored. The best consumer insights are not sitting in research reports. They are sitting in social media feeds, in the language people use to describe their own experiences, in the problems they articulate to no one in particular and the moments of joy they share with everyone. A marketer who reads those feeds as carefully as they read a brief is a marketer who seldom runs out of ideas worth executing.The episode closes with the shift that defines this moment in the industry. As AI floods every channel with generated content, the thing that becomes most scarce and therefore most powerful is genuine human presence. Suhayl’s position is clear. Brands that show up as one hundred per cent human in an increasingly artificial landscape are the ones that will retain the consumer trust that everything else in marketing depends on.If you work in brand strategy, marketing leadership, content creation or the creator economy, this episode will challenge how you think about culture, risk and what it means to build a brand that people actually feel something about.Business of Influence is brought to you by Style ID Africa.—Enjoyed the podcast? Join the conversation using #BusinessOfInfluence #IMCSeriesListen and Follow UsApple: https://tr.ee/7S9Qw2RYaBSpotify: https://tr.ee/8yFVYiInstagram: https://tr.ee/9MFBqITikTok: https://tr.ee/F5wHS1LinkedIn: https://tr.ee/72U7z0Follow Our Host and GuestLeroy: https://www.instagram.com/leroymarcn/ Suhayl Limbada: https://www.instagram.com/kfcindia_official/ Email: info@styleid.africaMusic produced by Emcee: https://www.instagram.com/emceeiii/#KFCIndia #CulturalMarketing #MarketingLeadership #LocalMarketing

October 13, 202611 min

IMC EP 05 | Tarryn Knight: How Ford Builds a Nation #businessofinfluence

FORD HAS BEEN IN SOUTH AFRICA FOR OVER A CENTURY. THE SECRET IS NOT THE CARS. IT IS THE COMMUNITY.In this episode of the Business of Influence IMC Series, hosted by Leroy Marc, Tarryn Knight, Head of Marketing at Ford Motor Company South Africa, sits down for a conversation about what it means to lead the marketing of a brand that has spent more than a century embedded in the fabric of South African life, and why the strategy that has kept Ford relevant is not the one most people would expect from a global automotive giant.The industry context that opens this episode is one every marketer and business leader needs to understand. The automotive sector contributes five per cent to South Africa’s national GDP, and the pressures it is navigating right now- consumer affordability, the shift to new energy vehicles, advances in drivetrain technology and the geopolitical conversation around maintaining a level playing field between local manufacturing and importing- are not just automotive challenges. They are national ones. Tarryn speaks to all of this with the clarity of someone who understands that marketing a car brand in South Africa is inseparable from understanding the country itself.The Ready Set Ford positioning that anchors the brand’s strategy is a masterclass in moving away from self-promotion toward genuine consumer centricity. Ford is not in the business of telling people how great its vehicles are. It is in the business of showing people what those vehicles make possible: the freedom to move, the ability to pursue a dream, the feeling of capability that comes from sitting behind the wheel of something built for the life you are actually living. That shift from product to possibility is the difference between a brand people buy and a brand people belong to.The user-generated content conversation in this episode is one of the most honest takes on brand co-creation this show has hosted. Ford’s customers, not its marketing team, are often the ones defining why the brand is loved, and rather than trying to control that narrative, the brand has leaned into it. AI and content creation tools have democratised the ability for passionate owners to share their experiences at scale, and Ford has recognised that as a strategic asset rather than a communications risk.The co-creation philosophy extends far beyond content. Ford’s commitment to South Africa is expressed through education, wildlife conservation and community partnerships that have nothing to do with selling vehicles and everything to do with earning the kind of long-term loyalty that no media budget can manufacture. This is a brand that has spent a century helping build a nation, and Tarryn makes the case that the next century will be built the same way.The episode closes with a look at what is coming next, including the launch of the Super Duty, a vehicle targeting a new segment in South Africa with enhanced towing and carrying capabilities, and a continued commitment to co-creating with the country rather than simply operating within it.If you work in automotive marketing, brand strategy, consumer intelligence or the creator economy, this episode will challenge how you think about the relationship between a brand and the community it serves.Business of Influence is brought to you by Style ID Africa.---Enjoyed the podcast? Join the conversation using #BusinessOfInfluence #IMCSeries Listen and Follow UsApple: https://tr.ee/7S9Qw2RYaB Spotify: https://tr.ee/8yFVYi Instagram: https://tr.ee/9MFBqI TikTok: https://tr.ee/F5wHS1 LinkedIn: https://tr.ee/72U7z0 Follow Our Host and GuestLeroy: / leroymarcn Tarryn Knight: / fordsouthafrica Email: info@styleid.africaMusic Produced by Emcee: / emceeiii #FordSA #AutomotiveMarketing #UserGeneratedContent #ReadySetFord

October 9, 202610 min

IMC EP 04| Thato Lekgetha: Why VW Chose Stories Over Scripts #businessofinfluence

PUTTING A BRAND IN FRONT OF PEOPLE IS NOT MARKETING. MAKING THEM CARE IS.In this episode of the Business of Influence IMC Series, hosted by Leroy Marc, Thato Lekgetha, Brand Consultant at VW Group, sits down for a conversation about what it actually takes to market one of the world’s most recognisable automotive brands in a South African market that is more complex, more competitive and more culturally specific than any global playbook can fully account for.The shift that anchors this episode is one every brand needs to internalise. The era of simply placing a brand in front of consumers and expecting attention is over. With influencers, content creators and journalists now sharing the narrative that brands once controlled entirely, the job of marketing has fundamentally changed. It is no longer about visibility. It is about demonstrating real value and genuine utility in a consumer’s daily life, and the brands that have not made that transition are already losing ground to the ones that have.The automotive sector conversation is particularly sharp. VW is navigating intense pressure from Asian competition, rapid technological advancement and a rising cost of living that makes every purchase decision more considered than it has ever been. Thato is honest about what that pressure requires: not control of the conversation but an embrace of its decentralisation, working with the influencers and journalists who are already shaping consumer perception rather than trying to override them.The localisation story is one of the most compelling parts of this episode. VW is a German brand. It is also a South African one, with local manufacturing rooted in the Eastern Cape and marketing campaigns built around real human stories rather than paid actors. The documentary-style approach behind the Golf 8.5 campaign is a case study in what happens when a global brand trusts local authenticity over global formula, and the results speak for themselves.The Night School initiative reframes what purpose-driven marketing can look like at its best. Rather than anchoring an initiative to a product launch, VW built a road safety programme specifically addressing night driving education, a genuine community need with no direct sales agenda attached. That is the kind of brand behaviour that earns long-term loyalty in a way that no campaign ever could.The episode closes with the tensions the industry still needs to resolve. Balancing technical innovation with affordability. Ensuring that the technology built into vehicles is actually useful rather than impressive. And managing online discourse around pricing and stereotypes in a market where the conversation moves faster than most brand teams can respond to.If you work in automotive marketing, brand strategy, content creation or consumer intelligence, this episode will change how you think about what it means to build a brand that people actually choose.Business of Influence is brought to you by Style ID Africa.---Enjoyed the podcast? Join the conversation using #BusinessOfInfluence #IMCSeriesListen and Follow UsApple: https://tr.ee/7S9Qw2RYaBSpotify: https://tr.ee/8yFVYiInstagram: https://tr.ee/9MFBqITikTok: https://tr.ee/F5wHS1LinkedIn: https://tr.ee/72U7z0Follow Our Host and GuestLeroy:https://www.instagram.com/leroymarcn/ Thato Lekgetha: https://www.instagram.com/thatoallday/ Email: info@styleid.africa Music Produced by Emcee: https://www.instagram.com/emceeiii/#AutomotiveMarketing #VWGroup #IMCSeries #ConsumerIntelligence #PurposeDrivenMarketing #Localisation

October 7, 202615 min

IMC EP 03| Gugu Mthembu: Why Marketers Must Be Translators #businessofinfluence

THE JOB OF A MODERN MARKETER IS NOT TO SELL. IT IS TO TRANSLATE.In this episode of the Business of Influence IMC Series, hosted by Leroy Marc, Gugu Mthembu, Chief Marketing Officer of Telkom, sits down at IMC 2026 for a conversation about what it actually means to lead marketing at one of South Africa's most recognisable telecommunications brands in an era where technology, content and human connection are converging faster than most organisations can keep up with.The career story that opens this episode is one worth paying attention to. A background in IT that found its purpose in marketing, not because the two are unrelated but because the intersection is exactly where the most important work happens. Technology humanises connections. It breaks down geographical and socioeconomic barriers. And the marketers who understand that are the ones building campaigns that actually mean something to the people on the other side of the screen.The meaning conversation is the intellectual core of this episode. Relevance is not a creative choice. It is a strategic imperative, and the organisations that stay relevant are the ones using behavioural data, customer feedback and a rigorous analysis of the experience gap, the distance between what a brand promises and what it actually delivers, to close the disconnect before it becomes a crisis. Gugu's definition of a modern marketer as a translator, someone who bridges business drivers like financial goals and customer perceptions of value, is one of the clearest and most useful reframes of the marketing role this show has ever heard.The content creator conversation closes the episode with an argument that every brand still treating creators as a bolt-on channel needs to hear. Creators are not entertainment. They are not influencers in the traditional sense. They are essential commercial partners who distil complex information for their communities, carry lived experiences that traditional research consistently misses and have evolved into one of the most powerful sales and commerce channels available to brands trying to reach younger demographics sustainably.If you work in marketing, brand strategy, telecommunications or the creator economy, this episode will sharpen how you think about the space between what a brand says and what a consumer actually feels.Business of Influence is brought to you by Style ID Africa.—Enjoyed the podcast? Join the conversation using #BusinessOfInfluence #IMCSeries Listen and Follow UsApple: https://tr.ee/7S9Qw2RYaB Spotify: https://tr.ee/8yFVYi Instagram: https://tr.ee/9MFBqI TikTok: https://tr.ee/F5wHS1 LinkedIn: https://tr.ee/72U7z0 Follow Our Host and GuestLeroy: / leroymarcn Gugu Mthembu: / geeu_lindy Email: info@styleid.africa Music Produced by Emcee: / emceeiii #TelkomSA #IMCSeries #MarketingLeadership #HumanConnection #ConsumerIntelligence

October 6, 202611 min

IMC EP 02 | Pat Mahlangu: Why the Future of Marketing Is Deeply Human #businessofinfluence

THE NEXT BIG SHIFT IN MARKETING IS NOT DIGITAL. IT IS HUMAN.In this episode of the Business of Influence IMC Series, hosted by Leroy Marc, two industry colleagues sit down at one of South Africa's most important marketing conferences for a conversation that captures exactly where the industry is headed and what it needs to leave behind to get there.The conversation opens with a story of entrepreneurial perseverance that reframes what success in this industry actually looks like. The Youth Owned Brand Awards, the YOBAs, represent over 10 million rand invested and five years of significant financial strain, and the person behind them will tell you without hesitation that every cent was worth it. Not because of the returns but because of the impact. Young entrepreneurs finding legitimacy, gaining business growth and receiving validation from high-calibre judges who authenticate their work in a way that no cash prize ever could. That is the kind of platform the industry needs more of and invests in far too rarely.The agency model conversation is where this episode gets most provocative. The traditional pitch process is broken, costly, time-consuming, and increasingly designed to favour the agencies that can absorb the losses rather than the ones with the best ideas. The speakers make the case that emerging and independent agencies need to stop competing on that playing field entirely and start building their own, creating platforms, properties and relationships that attract clients organically rather than chasing briefs in a system that was never built for them to win.The future of marketing insight that closes this episode is the one that will stay with you longest. As digital content becomes commoditised and AI-generated work floods every channel, the thing that becomes most scarce and therefore most valuable is human connection. The next big shift is not a new platform or a new format. It is analogue. It is in person. It is the kind of genuine encounter that no algorithm can replicate and no brief can manufacture.The fact that this conversation happened at a live industry event is not incidental. That is the point.Business of Influence is brought to you by Style ID Africa.—Enjoyed the podcast? Join the conversation using #BusinessOfInfluence #IMCSeries Listen and Follow UsApple: https://tr.ee/7S9Qw2RYaB Spotify: https://tr.ee/8yFVYi Instagram: https://tr.ee/9MFBqI TikTok: https://tr.ee/F5wHS1 LinkedIn: https://tr.ee/72U7z0 Follow Our Host and GuestsLeroy: / leroymarcn Pat Mahlangu: / pat_mahlangu Pat On Brands: / patonbrands Email: info@styleid.africaMusic Produced by Emcee: / emceeiii #YOBAs #FutureOfMarketing #HumanConnection #YouthBrands #CreatorEconomy

September 30, 202614 min

IMC EP 01 | Thebe Ikalafeng: Who Gets to Tell Africa's Story? #businessofinfluence

In this landmark first episode of the Business of Influence IMC Series, hosted by Leroy Marc, we welcome one of the most important voices in African branding to open a conversation that the continent has needed to have at the highest level for a very long time. Thebe Ikalafeng, brand strategist, author and founder of Brand Leadership, does not arrive with comfortable answers. He arrives with the questions that matter most.The conversation starts with a moment of reckoning that shaped everything that followed in Thebe's career. During the preparations for the World Cup, he looked at what Africa was consuming and realised that the continent was largely buying foreign goods, telling foreign stories and measuring itself against foreign standards, while its own brands, its own narratives and its own creative economy remained underinvested and underrepresented on the global stage. That observation did not just change his career. It changed the lens through which he sees the entire discipline of marketing.The responsibility conversation in this episode is directed squarely at the marketing industry itself. Marketers have not been passive bystanders in the reinforcement of negative African narratives. They have been active participants, and Thebe is honest about the role the discipline has played in shaping how the continent sees itself. The shift he calls for is not cosmetic. It is structural, a commitment to telling African stories through an African lens rather than packaging the continent for external consumption.The concept of double consciousness that anchors the middle of this episode is one of the most intellectually rich frameworks this show has explored. The tension between Western influences and indigenous heritage is not a problem to be solved. It is a duality to be navigated with intention, and the brands, the marketers and the leaders who find that balance are the ones building something that will last beyond the current moment.The economic argument is equally compelling. Authentic African branding is not just a cultural imperative. It is an economic one. Manufacturing locally, designing from local roots and circulating value within the continent rather than exporting it are not idealistic positions. They are the foundations of a self-sufficient creative and commercial economy that the continent is more than capable of building.The episode closes with something quietly profound. A reflection on the power of African names. Names that carry meaning, expectation and identity across generations, and the simple but radical act of learning to honour them as part of reclaiming a narrative that was never lost, only suppressed.This is Episode 1 of the IMC Series and it sets the standard for every conversation that follows.Business of Influence is brought to you by Style ID Africa.—Enjoyed the podcast? Join the conversation using #BusinessOfInfluence #IMCSeries Listen and Follow UsApple: https://tr.ee/7S9Qw2RYaB Spotify: https://tr.ee/8yFVYi Instagram: https://tr.ee/9MFBqI TikTok: https://tr.ee/F5wHS1 LinkedIn: https://tr.ee/72U7z0 Follow Our Host and GuestLeroy: / leroymarcn Thebe Ikalafeng: / thebeikalafeng Email: info@styleid.africaMusic Produced by Emcee: / emceeiii #AfricanBranding #BrandLeadership #ThebeIkalafeng #IMCSeries #BusinessOfInfluence #AfricanIdentity

September 23, 202632 min

Ep.19 The Partnership Economy | Melenial Media #businessofinfluence

THE BRANDS THAT WIN IN CULTURE ARE NOT THE ONES BORROWING FROM IT. THEY ARE THE ONES LIVING IN IT.In this episode of the Business of Influence Podcast, hosted by Leroy Marc, Richmond Sajini and Zintle Tolom from Melenial Media sit down for a conversation about what independent agencies are getting right that the legacy players are still struggling to figure out, and why the future of influencer marketing belongs to the agencies that are already inside the culture they are being paid to reach.The conversation opens with a shift that every brand strategist needs to reckon with. Traditional advertising is losing its grip because consumers have walked away from appointment media, and the brands still pouring budget into channels that nobody is watching are funding their own irrelevance. Influencer content is not a trend. It is the channel, and the agencies that understand how to navigate it authentically are the ones delivering results that legacy structures cannot replicate.The small versus large agency conversation is where this episode gets most honest. Large legacy agencies have a habit of treating creators as billboards, human placements for brand messages rather than custodians of communities that took years to build. Richmond and Zintle argue that independent agencies aren't just a smaller version of the same thing. They are a fundamentally different operating model, one that sits inside culture rather than observing it from the outside, and that distinction produces a quality of collaboration that no amount of process or scale can manufacture.The trust conversation is one of the most important in this episode. Brands hire influencers for their authenticity and then hand them briefs so restrictive that the authenticity they paid for has no room to breathe. Richmond and Zintle are direct about what that costs and how the agencies willing to advocate for creative freedom on behalf of their creators are the ones producing content that audiences actually believe.The culture conversation anchors everything. Culture is not a mood board or a demographic. It is the context in which something exists, and the agencies that immerse themselves in that context across multiple avenues rather than executing one-off activations are the ones that add value that lasts beyond the campaign window.The episode closes with a forward-looking initiative worth paying attention to. Melenial Media is moving toward partnering with creators to build standalone media properties, podcasts and beyond, that bridge the gap between brands and content creators in a way that transactional influencer marketing never could.This is what the next era of influencer marketing looks like.If you work in brand strategy, influencer marketing, content creation or the creator economy, this episode will challenge how you think about the agencies building the future of this industry.Business of Influence is brought to you by Style ID Africa.—Enjoyed the podcast? Join the conversation using #BusinessOfInfluenceListen and Follow UsApple: https://tr.ee/7S9Qw2RYaBSpotify: https://tr.ee/8yFVYiInstagram: https://tr.ee/9MFBqITikTok: https://tr.ee/F5wHS1LinkedIn: https://tr.ee/72U7z0Follow Our Host and GuestsLeroy: [Insert Leroy's handle or link here]Richmond Sajini: https://www.instagram.com/richmondsajini/Zintle Tolom: https://www.instagram.com/zintle_tolom/Melenial Media: https://www.instagram.com/melenialmedia/Email: info@styleid.africaMusic Produced by Emcee: https://www.instagram.com/emceeiii/#IndependentAgency #MelenialMedia #CulturalMarketing #AgencyLife