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CONSUMER REPORT CARD

Decoding 2025 to win in 2026

Presented on 19th Feb 2026 by:

OnePulse Africa

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What you'll see and hear...

      • Marketing Trends and Consumer Shifts that defined 2025

      • What is likely to continue into 2026

      • Potential Trends and how to prepare

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Local Voices

2025 was a year defined by...

AI Acceleration

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Some consumer observations

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Sheng as cultural currency

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F & B

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KFC relatable fun moments

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AI everywhere...

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Indiscriminate use of AI

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OOH reimagined

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Brand Sorrys

What consumers picked up on in 2025

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Soko style of marketing online and Live shopping

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Kadogo Economy still rules

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Relatable life experiences

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Comment sections taking over - brands + consumers

The real conversations happen in the comment section

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New beverage consumption habits - Jaba juice, energy drinks, traditional brews

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Some emerging opportunities for Brands

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The fitness movement

Brand opportunities?

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Experience redefined - The rise of micro-communities and mini-cultures

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Tree planting

Sports sponsorship: Kenyan tennis star Angella Okutoyi

More opportunities for brands:

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2026 and beyond...

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AI will continue disrupting the marketing space, especially now that GPT has introduced ads

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The age of co-creation is here. Consumers want to be involved.

Dr Pepper... original video, and the resulting ad

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    • The rise of streaming and IRL creators
    • Value of authentic, raw content
    • Telling the untold African story

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Some take-aways

1. Rise of Algorithmic consumer

We’re now consulting AI to make decisions on our product choices.

Are Brands ready for “non-human customers” ?

2. Value Vs. Volume.

Shoppers now more driven by value not cutting back on purchases.

They’re buying cheaper, looking for promo’s, cheaper outlets etc.

    • Fight for market share

Increased competition will yield to shifty brand loyalty..

    • Real-Time Consumer Feedback

Use tools like OnePulse to get instant consumer insights. Listen, adapt, iterate.

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Brand advocacy

Push UGC Organically

Create products and experiences worth sharing. Let customers do the talking (and the selling).

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UGC keeps winning -

Kenyans became brand evangelists

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HAVE A HEALTHY DISREGARD

FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE

Going into 2026...

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abby @onepulseafrica.com

info@onepulseafrica.com

BUILDING FUTURE-READY BRANDS THROUGH INSIGHT-POWERED SOLUTIONS

ONEPULSE AFRICA

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