South Africa, May 26 -- These debates happening across boardrooms and agency briefing rooms in South Africa right now are not new and not unique to our market and I understand why the conversation exists.

The pressure is real. Marketers are being asked to prove return on investment (ROI) in ways that were unimaginable a decade ago.

Technology is accelerating faster than most organisations can absorb, while consumers, South African consumers in particular, are navigating economic complexity that would humble any marketer who thought they had the playbook figured out.

But here is what I know after years of working at the intersection of brand strategy, consumer insight, and business performance. The choice is false. It has always been fa...