For founders, operators, and owner-led brands who want clarity, trust, and real results.
Marketing in Kenya has never been more confusing. From large creative agencies to digital shops, influencer managers, and “AI-driven” firms, everyone claims to help you grow.
But if you’re a founder or serious operator who has been in the space long enough, your needs are different:
- You want revenue, not vanity metrics.
- You want customers, not bots.
- And you want someone who actually understands how your business works.
This list will help you understand your options and see why a smaller studio might be the smarter choice for your stage and reality.
1. Squad Digital
Squad Digital sits within the WPP–Scangroup network (alongside Scanad and Ogilvy mentioned below), operating as the digital-focused arm of the group. Well known for its digital strategy, media buying, and creative execution, this was the place everyone in the budding social media marketing space back in the day wanted to work. I mean, the name is pretty cool. Great for large enterprises with complex campaigns.
Best for: corporates, banks, telcos
Not ideal for: SMEs and owner-led brands needing hands-on clarity and shorter turnarounds.
2. Ogilvy Africa
A global name with strong creative and brand strategy teams. Perfect for companies that need the big-agency touch and large, multilayered campaigns.
Best for: enterprise brands and multinationals
Not ideal for: leaders looking for personal brand clarity or agile content systems.
3. Scanad Kenya
Strong with integrated campaigns, ATL (above the line), and brand experience. Solid for traditional marketing, TVCs (Television Commercials), and brand refreshes.
Best for: legacy enterprises and mass-market brands
Not ideal for: SMEs needing simple weekly systems or LinkedIn leadership support.
4. Belva Digital
A respected, modern performance marketing agency offering growth-focused solutions and strong reporting.
Best for: startups and scale-ups with budgets for performance ads
Not ideal for: brands needing narrative clarity, content systems, or executive visibility.
5. Brand2D
Strong in digital strategy, social media management, and content production for brands with a growth mandate.
Best for: companies ready to outsource social and need a stable, predictable team
Not ideal for: founders who want help crafting their voice or building trust-led content.
6. Dotsavvy
Dotsavvy is one of Kenya’s earliest digital-first agencies, offering strategy, content, social, web, and campaign execution for brands across sectors. They position themselves as a full-service digital business agency.
Best for: brands that want an experienced digital partner with end-to-end capabilities
Not ideal for: very small teams that first need to clarify their story and basics before running big campaigns.
7. Bean Interactive
Known for UX, web, and digital transformation work. Strong delivery for companies needing digital modernization.
Best for: corporate websites, platforms, and digital transformation
Not ideal for: leaders who need storytelling, positioning, or content clarity.
8. Saracen Media
A top-tier media and communications agency specializing in visibility at scale.
Best for: national campaigns and paid media
Not ideal for: small brands that need clarity before scale.
9. Dentsu Kenya
Global, robust, structured. Good for large brands needing rigorous campaign execution across channels.
Best for: enterprise-level integrated campaigns
Not ideal for: SMEs needing strategy-first support and flexible pricing.
10. Digital 4 Africa
Digital 4 Africa focuses on data-driven marketing, web design, UX, analytics, and training. They work a lot with companies that want both a better digital presence and stronger internal capability.
Best for: SMEs and established organisations that want strategy, analytics, and better-performing digital assets.
Not ideal for: leaders looking primarily for executive visibility or personal brand support.
A note from someone who’s seen both sides of the agency world
Before I built Thamani Digital, I started my career inside agencies.
My first ever role was as an intern at Brand2D where I learned the ropes of digital strategy, production, and the pace (and pressure) of agency work.
Shortly after, Belva Digital reached out and brought me into a world where I saw the other side of SEO, performance, reporting, and growth-driven campaigns.
That early exposure gave me something valuable: I learned how agencies think, how they structure work, how they price, how they prioritize, and how they deliver.
Later in my career, when I moved into in-house marketing roles, I experienced agencies from the client side. And the gap became even clearer:
- Great agencies are great.
- But many simply aren’t built for the realities of founder-led and legacy brands.
- Their structures, retainers, timelines, and processes are built for bigger teams and bigger budgets.
- Most SMEs just need clarity, consistency, and help telling their story without 12 people in the room.
This is the lived experience that shaped Thamani Digital.
We’re not hating on agencies. We’re just a different approach.
Not every business needs LinkedIn either. But Thamani is built for the builders who don’t have the time, bandwidth, or budget to navigate the traditional agency machine yet still need the boost that a clear, consistent digital presence creates.
Whether you’re B2B or B2C, your online footprint shapes trust, momentum, and opportunities long before your product or service reaches the market.
And the alternative you shouldn’t ignore: Thamani Digital
If you’re reading this as a founder or operator, your challenge is usually not:
“How do we hire the biggest agency on this list?”
It’s more like:
- “How do we modernize our online presence without losing who we are?”
- “How do I show up consistently on LinkedIn when I have zero time?”
- “How do we get more revenue and trust online without a massive budget?”
- “Who can help us without locking us into long contracts or jargon?”
That’s where Thamani Digital fits.
Thamani Digital is built for builders in Africa, not huge enterprise structures.
We help you:
- Tell your story with clarity
- Modernize your digital presence
- Show up consistently without burnout
- Build trust that translates into opportunities and revenue
- Clean up your scattered pages and outdated content
- Use simple systems that your team can actually maintain
Final thoughts
Kenya has incredible marketing agencies and they each serve their purpose.
But if you’re a founder, operator, or owner-led brand trying to grow with intention, you may not need a big agency.
If you’d like a diagnostic of your digital presence or help simplifying your brand clarity:
👉 Email twende@digipesa.com
👉 Or DM Thamani Digital on LinkedIn
Chat soon!
