Marketers are the observers of humanity

Nedbank IMC speaker group chief strategy officer & film director, Publicis Groupe (UAE) Tahaab Rais says the biggest shift coming is that human depth is about to become more valuable than technological sophistication (Image supplied)

“And yet underneath all of that, human beings are still trying to answer the same ancient questions: Who am I? Where do I belong? What matters? What do I believe in?”

It is these conversations that excite Publicis Groupe (MENAT) group chief strategy officer & film director, Tahaab Rais.

And this is why he is excited to be a speaker at the upcoming Nedbank IMC Conference 2026 that takes place on 17 September at the Mosaiek Teatro in Fairland, Randburg, where his topic is The Real Shift Isn't Technological. It's Psychological.

“I think conferences like IMC become really interesting when they stop being about marketing trends and start becoming conversations about people, culture, and where humanity is heading next.

“That’s the part I’m excited for.”

How would you describe yourself in one word?

Rebellious. Not the destructive kind. The constructive kind.

I’ve always had a slightly allergic reaction to “the way things have always been done”.

Whether in strategy, storytelling, business, or life, I’m drawn toward challenging default thinking and asking uncomfortable questions.
Most meaningful progress begins with someone willing to disagree with the status quo a little.

Hopefully one with a reasonably good reason.

What excites you the most about your industry?

That beneath all the jargon, algorithms, trend reports, and presentations… our industry is still really about people.

We spend our lives trying to understand what human beings fear, love, aspire to, hide from, laugh at, and dream about. That’s endlessly fascinating to me.

I also love that this industry sits in this strange intersection between commerce and culture. One day you’re solving a business problem.
The next you’re influencing language, behaviour, identity, or conversations happening around dinner tables.

At its best, creativity doesn’t just help brands grow. It helps people feel seen.

What upcoming trend is important for the industry and why?

I think the biggest shift coming is that human depth is about to become more valuable than technological sophistication.

AI will make everyone faster. Smarter. More efficient. More optimized. More polished.

But polish has never been the same thing as resonance.

The brands that win in the future won’t necessarily be the ones producing the most content.

They’ll be the ones capable of making people feel something genuine in an increasingly synthetic world.

Ironically, the more technology advances, the more valuable humanity becomes.

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What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?

Creating work that leaves fingerprints on people.

Not just work that performs well for a quarter, but work that stays with someone emotionally. A line they remember years later.

A film that shifts perspective slightly. An idea that makes someone feel understood.

I think we underestimate how much people are quietly looking for meaning, connection, or reflection in the things they consume every day.
The work I’m proudest of usually comes from telling the truth about something human.

What is the most important lesson you have learned in your career?

That intelligence is overrated if it isn’t connected to humanity.

Some of the smartest people I’ve met can explain everything and move nobody. And some of the most powerful ideas I’ve ever seen were incredibly simple, but deeply human.

I think our industry sometimes confuses complexity for depth. But people don’t connect with complexity. They connect with truth.

And usually the truth is simpler, riskier, and more emotional than we’d like it to be.

The best people in this industry are not simply marketers. They are observers of humanity

Given the above, what advice do you have for a young person looking to enter the industry?

Don’t just study advertising, marketing and business.

Study people. Study psychology. Cinema. Music. Philosophy. Fashion. History. Human behaviour. Conversations. Streets. Internet culture. Families. Loneliness. Desire. Fear. Humour. Identity.

The best people in this industry are not simply marketers. They are observers of humanity.

And perhaps, most importantly, protect your curiosity.

The industry will constantly try to make you faster. Don’t let it stop you from becoming deeper.

About the IMC 2026

Get to know the speakers before the event through this exclusive Bizcommunity series of profiles on the Nedbank IMC – the Integrated Marketing Conference speakers in the run-up to the event.

The 2026 Nedbank IMC takes place on Thursday, 17 September at Mosaiek Teatro, Johannesburg, with a virtual attendance option. The theme is Shift Happens.

In-person phase two tickets are R3,500 excluding VAT. Virtual tickets are R950 excluding VAT.

The Nedbank IMC is presented in association with the Marketing Association of South Africa (MASA) and in active support of leading industry bodies, including the ACA, PRISA, DMASA, ARB, The Creative Circle, The Loeries and The Effies.

No other marketing conference on the continent convenes this breadth of industry representation in a single day.

The Nedbank IMC is owned and produced by IMC Academy (Pty) Ltd. The conference is Africa’s biggest marketing conference. Founded by Dale Hefer and launched in 2019 with Nedbank as naming sponsor, the conference is held annually in Johannesburg and attended by marketers, brand leaders, agency executives and business leaders from across Africa and beyond.