Ethiopia’s marketers discuss the changing world of digital advertising

Smarter advertising and stronger marketing performance recently brought together marketing, media and communications professionals in Ethiopia for a practical conversation on how AI, contextual targeting and precision display are changing digital advertising. 

Hosted by the Ethiopian Marketing Professionals Association (EMPA) and its President, Fana Abay, the evening featured Beatrice Njiraini, Regional Director for East Africa at Eskimi, and Newton Muthomi, Senior Business Development Manager at Eskimi. Eskimi is a global creative and media tech platform. 

Together, they unpacked the topic of ‘The Invisible Leap & Open Web’, exploring how consumers move beyond social platforms and how brands can use premium digital inventory, stronger creative, and AI-powered attention tools to reach them more effectively. 

Moving beyond cookies and keyword-matching 

The gathering also explored ‘Contextual AI Targeting’, showing how advertising is moving beyond cookies and keyword-matching toward technology that understands meaning, improves relevance and strengthens brand safety. 

The session brought the subject back to the Ethiopian market, with thoughtful questions around audience behaviour, media investment and what smarter advertising can mean for local brands. 

Collaborators with EMPA for the Friday evening event at the weVentureHub in Addis Ababa were Eskimi, Velocity Marketing ET, weVentureHub, Heioneken Ethiopia, Moha Soft Drinks Industry SC, Hawassa Agri Manufacturing PLC and Homie Sweets. 

Established in 2007, the Ethiopian Marketing Professionals Association has over 300 members and aims to serve as a catalyst for the development of the marketing profession in Ethiopia. EMPA is a member of the African Marketing Confederation.