Digital marketer Dennis Maina feted at Forty Under 40 Africa Awards

Suss Digital Africa founder Dennis Maina. [Brian Ngugi, Sandard]

A Kenyan digital marketer was among those feted at the just concluded Forty Under 40 Africa Awards.

Suss Digital Africa founder Dennis Maina’s success in the digital marketing world was named among the Forty under 40 for the 2024 edition.

Maina was recognised under the Media (Digital and Social) category during the ceremony held at a Nairobi hotel.

The event saw about 119 nominees from 26 countries, including Kenya, vie for recognition of their remarkable contributions to various sectors.

Speaking during the award ceremony,  the founder of the Forty Under 40 Africa Awards, Richard Abbey, said they believe in the value of recognition and the drive for performance. He noted this to be the third edition of the continental award ceremony in Kenya after great success in Ghana over the last seven years.

The rigorous selection process involves public nominations, data collection, and vetting by a competent jury, ensuring that only the most deserving candidates receive recognition.

Maina expressed his gratitude and credited the agency’s success to the dedicated Suss Digital team, clients, and partners.

“In the ever-changing digital world, Suss Digital Africa is driven by innovation and creativity. We are thrilled to be recognized for our significant contributions. It means there is something are doing right. Being listed as one of Africa's top 40 under 40 is a wonderful distinction,” he said.

He added, “This honor demonstrates that the possibilities are limitless when passion meets creativity. As Suss Ads' managing partner, I am committed to pushing boundaries and keeping the digital media sector innovative."

Maina said, “The journey does not end here as we remain committed to continually develop media and marketing technologies from Kenya that set new standards worldwide. Let's continue pushing boundaries and shaping the future of digital and social media in Africa and beyond. Innovation serves as our compass while excellence remains our destination.”

Launched in 2021 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Suss Ads, a 360-degree marketing and communications agency rooted in technology and data, provides more than traditional advertising approaches. The Suss Ads programmatic was ignited by the commitment to revolutionise brand connections in the evolving landscape of information consumption.

The agency’s success can be attributed to the Suss Ads Programmatic Platform, a full-stack demand-side platform that is developed by the agency's in-house team of developers. The platform prioritizes data in marketing, analysing the Suss Ads data library to glean insights into consumer behavior and trends.

Maina saw a gap in the digital advertising landscape while working as a Digital Marketing Professional with some brands across Africa. Marketers have challenges as well as opportunities in the constantly evolving and dynamic world of digital marketing, and his objective was to leverage these.

Suss Ads has adopted Artificial intelligence (AI) that ensures real-time brand safety through robust algorithms and precise distribution based on demographics and interests for maximum effectiveness.

The platform serves over 100+ brands across 54+ markets across diverse sectors globally and has flighted 10,000+ campaigns, served 40+ billion impressions, and delivered 500+ million clicks.

Suss Ads has served some of the top brands including the Government of Kenya (Ecitizen), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), Bio foods, SportPesa, Betika, Nivea, Unilever, Mozilla, LG, and Huawei among others. Suss Ads' innovative ad formats and precise targeting capabilities have set it apart in the competitive digital marketing landscape.

The founder’s inclusion in the Top Forty under 40 aligns with the increasing impact of local innovation on the global digital stage.