- AB InBev presents culture shifting panel masterclass
- Specificity Over Sameness
- When Culture Leads, ROI Follows
- Export Without Dilution
- The New Creative Economy
At the Loeries 2025, the “Culture as Currency” panel set the record straight, culture isn’t decoration, it’s capital. Presented by AB InBEV and moderated by Davin Phillips (CSA.Global), the conversation brought together leading voices shaping Africa’s creative economy: Fabiana Pereira (AB InBev), Joel Rao (Dentsu Kenya), Russell “Yay Abe” Abrahams (Design), Focalistic (Music), Shaun Duwe (Anything Goes Promoter/Events), and Star Kachisa (Spotify).
Across advertising, fashion, music, and design, one truth echoed through every story shared: African creativity is not niche, it’s a premium, exportable asset.
Specificity Over Sameness
The first chapter unpacked what makes African creativity different. Rather than chasing mass appeal, the panelists championed specificity as signal.
From Focalistic’s globally charting vernac hits, to Yay Abe’s visual language rooted in township vibrancy, each speaker revealed how local nuance can outperform generic Western templates, not just artistically, but commercially. “Specificity doesn’t shrink the audience,” Phillips reminded the crowd, “it sharpens the signal.”
When Culture Leads, ROI Follows
In an analytical turn, how do you measure the business impact when culture drives campaigns?
Pereira shared AB InBev’s approach to linking community-first activations with penetration and repeat purchase metrics. Rao discussed how Dentsu Kenya uses data to prove that culturally anchored campaigns build stronger retention curves. Meanwhile, Duwe and Kachisa broke down how cultural heat, not just media spend, fuels festival attendance, streaming growth, and sponsor demand.
The takeaway: when culture leads, KPIs follow.
“Culture as Currency is about recognising creativity not as decoration, but as a driver of real impact; social, cultural, and commercial.“
Davin Phillips Executive Partner at CSA.Global
Export Without Dilution
The group tackled a vital question: How do we scale African stories without softening them?
The consensus: teach it, don’t translate it.
Focalistic credited diaspora audiences, not Western remixes, for carrying Amapiano to the world. Yay Abe urged brands to learn the codes instead of stripping them. And Spotify’s Kachisa pointed to playlists and data signals proving African scenes are travelling on their own terms.
The New Creative Economy
“Culture as Currency” wasn’t just a discussion; it was a call to action for brands, agencies, and artists alike. Africa’s stories are no longer waiting for validation; they’re setting the global standard. The question isn’t if culture converts, but whether your brand knows how to bank it.