Marketers urged to prove commercial value as UMS sets agenda for 2026

Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | The Uganda Marketers Society (UMS) has set a demanding agenda for 2026, urging marketing, sales and brand professionals to reposition themselves as commercial leaders capable of delivering measurable business value in a tightening economic environment.
The call was made during the first Ignite Session of the year, hosted at the Saladin Media Uganda offices in Kampala, where senior executives from corporate and entrepreneurial sectors convened to assess the evolving role of marketing within organisations. Discussions moved beyond creative trends and campaign performance to focus on accountability, financial contribution and sustainable brand growth.
From the outset, panelists agreed that the marketing function must mature beyond short-term execution cycles and siloed reporting structures.
Rommel Jasi, General Manager at Saladin Media Uganda, argued that future-ready marketers must adopt a commercial leadership mindset, engaging confidently with chief executives and finance directors on revenue growth, margin protection and capital allocation. He said marketing can no longer operate as a communications unit detached from financial realities.
The need for stronger internal integration was reinforced by Macklean Kukundakwe the marketing manager at Coca Cola beverages who noted that marketing strategies executed in isolation from sales, finance and operations consistently underperform. She said cross-functional collaboration is essential for delivering measurable business outcomes and challenged agencies to align their work with clients’ commercial KPIs rather than focusing solely on creative output.
John Earnest Ssekisonge, Managing Director at Kasi Insight, cautioned against overemphasizing brand differentiation without solid commercial grounding. He urged organisations to support marketing decisions with disciplined budgeting and credible data, stressing that sustainable brand building requires long-term commitment rather than intermittent visibility drives.
Customer relevance also featured prominently in the discussion.
Racheal Musiima Senyondo, Head of the HNI Business Unit at Prudential Uganda, said that deep and continuously evolving customer understanding remains central to brand competitiveness, particularly in increasingly crowded markets.
A recurring theme throughout the session was the rejection of vanity metrics. Panelists challenged organisations to discard performance indicators that cannot be directly linked to financial outcomes.
Fragmented channel-level reporting, they noted, often inflates activity without demonstrating revenue impact. Instead, unified measurement aligned to profit-and-loss performance was presented as the appropriate benchmark, reinforcing the view that marketing must be treated as an investment rather than a discretionary cost.
The role of data in decision-making also came under scrutiny.
Ssekisonge highlighted the rapid pace of change in consumer behaviour, warning that reliance on outdated or recycled insights risks strategic complacency. He said brands must pursue more responsive consumer intelligence, particularly around purchasing intent and share of wallet, while exercising discipline in interpretation.
Jasi further cautioned that poorly analysed data can distort strategic decisions, arguing that the ability to translate insights into clear commercial narratives is becoming a defining capability of modern marketing leadership. Without strong governance and analytical rigour, he said, organisations risk confusing activity with impact.
Adding a note of practical reflection, David Okayan, Chief Executive of Colorsy Coatings Ltd, shared lessons from his early business experience, acknowledging that heavy investment in brand amplification before strengthening operational foundations proved costly. His remarks underscored the importance of product integrity and operational readiness as prerequisites for effective brand building.
In her closing remarks, Charity Winnie Kamusiime Asiimwe, President of the Uganda Marketers Society, distilled the session’s conclusions into a clear mandate: marketing must move from cost centre to growth engine. She said reporting should influence strategic decision-making rather than merely document activity, and any metric that fails to demonstrate commercial value should be treated as a distraction.

www.independent.co.ug, https://www.independent.co.ug/marketers-urged-to-prove-commercial-value-as-ums-sets-agenda-for-2026/