South Africa, July 13 -- For years, the marketing industry has argued over where budgets should go: brand building for the long game, or performance marketing for the immediate return.

But now a new study among senior South African marketing leaders suggests both sides of that argument are missing the point.

The research, called The Growth Equation: How South Africa's Leading Marketers are Balancing Brand Building and Performance Marketing, is based on in-depth interviews conducted between March and May 2026 with 40 senior marketers representing many of South Africa's largest organisations.

It was created and commissioned by the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company (IAS) and forms part of the company's 20th anniversary commitm...