Chain Reactions Africa, a dynamic marketing communications firm, is undergoing a significant transformation, aiming to reshape the African brand landscape by seamlessly integrating culture, trends, and cutting-edge technology. This ambitious endeavor is spearheaded by the recent appointment of Franklin Ozekhome as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Innovation, a strategic move designed to propel the company’s digital transformation agenda. Ozekhome, a seasoned strategist with a rich background in cultural and brand strategy, brings a wealth of experience and a distinctive blend of creativity, foresight, and entrepreneurial acumen to the role. His appointment underscores Chain Reactions Africa’s commitment to building an integrated ecosystem that unites strategy, public relations, advertising, design, experiential marketing, digital technologies, data analytics, and AI-driven innovation.
Founder and Chief Strategist Israel Opayemi envisions Chain Reactions Africa not as a traditional marketing firm, but as a pioneering force reimagining the future of creativity and growth in Africa. Ozekhome’s appointment, he believes, is crucial to achieving this vision. Ozekhome’s cultural intelligence, strategic insights, and forward-thinking approach are seen as invaluable assets in navigating the evolving landscape of brand engagement and in designing innovative solutions for the future. Ozekhome’s track record demonstrates his ability to bridge the gap between cultural understanding and strategic brand building.
The appointment of Ozekhome is not the only significant development at Chain Reactions Africa. The company has also unveiled Ara by Prophet, an innovative robotic system touted as Africa’s first intelligent robotic insight system. This cutting-edge technology combines the power of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cultural foresight to provide real-time strategic intelligence to brands, institutions, and governments. Ara serves as the physical interface, while Prophet functions as the cognitive engine, creating a dynamic system capable of analyzing trends and generating actionable insights. This integration of technology further emphasizes Chain Reactions Africa’s dedication to innovation and its commitment to leveraging technology to drive effective brand engagement.
These strategic moves signify Chain Reactions Africa’s evolution into a digital-first creative transformation company. This new direction focuses on blending creativity, cultural understanding, compelling storytelling, diverse platforms, and advanced technology to create meaningful and impactful engagement for clients across the African continent. The company aims to move beyond traditional, siloed marketing disciplines and embrace a more integrated and holistic approach, fostering a creative ecosystem that drives growth and innovation. Ozekhome’s mandate is to work closely with Opayemi to implement this horizontal growth strategy, ensuring all aspects of the company work together seamlessly to deliver comprehensive and impactful solutions.
Franklin Ozekhome’s credentials and accomplishments position him as a prominent figure in the African brand strategy landscape. His diverse experience includes creating HumanOS, a proprietary framework for cultural strategy, co-founding Maskvrade, a pop culture company, and establishing Pop Culture Varsity, Africa’s first strategy school focused on cultural intelligence. He also launched TINK Africa, a pioneering digital platform providing insights into African consumer trends. This extensive background highlights his deep understanding of African culture and his innovative approach to brand strategy.
Ozekhome’s career has also seen him contribute to top global networks such as mediaReach OMD, McCann Erickson, Insight Publicis, Leo Burnett, and Digitas (Publicis Groupe), where he honed his skills in strategy and innovation while working with renowned brands including PepsiCo, MTN, Samsung, Visa, Nestlé, Philip Morris, British Airways, Coca-Cola, Jaguar Land Rover, and Promasidor. His experience across a diverse range of industries and with such prominent brands demonstrates his versatility and his ability to develop effective strategies for a wide range of clients. Furthermore, his role as Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Vendease, a rapidly growing African foodtech company, provided him with valuable experience in scaling a business and navigating the unique challenges of the African market. This wealth of experience makes him ideally suited to lead Chain Reactions Africa’s transformation and drive its growth across the continent.
