In marketing, one of the biggest challenges is balancing creativity with business goals. On one side, there’s the need to deliver imaginative campaigns that capture attention and connect emotionally. On the other, boards and executives want measurable impact that contributes to sales, retention and shareholder value.
Mandisa Theko-Khitsane, Chief Marketing Officer of Sanlam Retail Mass and a judge at this year’s Effie Awards South Africa, is at the centre of this balancing act. She believes creativity must earn its place at the executive table, and that happens by tying it directly to business value. For her, numbers are not the enemy of creativity. In fact, they are part of the story.
She believes marketers too often rely on vanity metrics like impressions and clicks, which fail to show the real value of campaigns. Instead, she advocates for linking marketing efforts to business outcomes such as retention, sales and long-term customer relationships. Creativity, she says, is not just about producing beautiful work; it is about telling stories that reflect the communities brands serve.
As a CMO, she also stresses the importance of trust — both with customers and with the board. Building a relationship with leadership means showing, consistently, how creativity fuels growth. Data becomes the proof point, the bridge between big ideas and tangible outcomes.
Key discussion points from this episode:
- Why data and creativity should work together, not in opposition.
- The danger of relying on vanity metrics in marketing.
- Building trust with boards by linking ideas to shareholder value.
- Customer relationships are built in the everyday in-between, not only at acquisition or retention.
This episode is a must-listen for marketers who want to move beyond the surface of campaign metrics and build work that drives both creativity and business impact.
Listen below:
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Follow The Lead Creative on:
Please share, subscribe and send us recommendations of creative industry thought leaders to feature.
Our podcast audio editing and audio production are done by: Maishe Rakgoale.