
Lay’s World Cup marketing strategy focuses on fan fun and togetherness
Epic watch party-themed campaign for the upcoming FIFA World Cup features major international soccer stars and a touch of Hollywood.
INDUSTRY BODIES
By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2025
Ronnie becomes Chair at a time the MMA is rebranding and showing a stronger commitment to the sub-Saharan Africa region.
Fionna Ronnie, Executive Head of Customer and Loyalty at The Foschini Group, has been named as the new Chairperson of the Marketing and Media Alliance South Africa – commonly known as MMA SA.
With more than 18 years of experience in digital transformation, customer strategy and brand innovation, the MMA says Ronnie’s appointment reflects its “bold intent to shape the region’s marketing agenda through collaboration, creativity and purpose”.
With growth across sub-Saharan Africa in view, MMA South Africa will establish a Regional Executive Committee to guide expansion into key markets across the region, maintaining a strong local focus within global frameworks.
Fionna Ronnie. Photo: LinkedIn
Sarah Utermark, Regional Director for MMA SSA and South Africa, says this is an exciting next step for MMA in South Africa, one that reflects the ambition, collaboration and innovation already happening across our region.
More than just a name change
“Our renaming to the Marketing and Media Alliance isn’t just a name change, it signals a stronger commitment to empower CMOs and senior marketers in Africa to lead with purpose and proof,” she states.
“Our local industry has the ambition, the talent and the market relevance to shape global marketing’s future, and through this alliance, we are bringing that potential to life.”
MMA claims to be the only association that encompasses all parts of the marketing ecosystem at the governance level – including brand marketers, media, adtech, martech, agencies and consultants, all working together, in support of CMOs.
Comments Ronnie: “Our industry is evolving at unprecedented speed, and this moment demands leaders who can bridge creativity with commerce, and technology with humanity. The goal is to shape a marketing landscape that is dynamic, data-driven and deeply human, empowering South Africa to lead on the global stage,”

Epic watch party-themed campaign for the upcoming FIFA World Cup features major international soccer stars and a touch of Hollywood.

Despite income gains, financial pressure remains visible in consumer behaviour, latest data from the Marketing Research Foundation reveals.

Media Council of Kenya’s latest survey highlights significant change that has implications for regulation, ethics and misinformation.

Three new facilities in Harare significantly expand domestic production capacity in cereals, pasta and biscuits.

What makes brands successful in Africa? A summary of the award-winning paper presented at Esomar’s first conference in Africa.

For African brands navigating today’s complex export markets, traceability can be turned into a competitive edge.

Study finds that transparent windows or cut-outs in packaging create greater psychological affinity with shoppers.

Marketing associations from across Europe nominated national champions, with 10 finalists competing for the Marketer of the Year title.

With South Africa’s ports beset by challenges, Namibia wants to entrench Walvis Bay as a better logistics corridor for landlocked neighbours.

For African marketers, Chat GPT ads will be a new intent-based frontier, arguably of higher quality than passive social feeds.

WARC outlines the consumer trends that will shape the remainder of 2026, with ‘comfort’ a key driver of spending.