By Dr. Daniel Onyango Omondi

On Tuesday 7 November, 2023, Caroline Mutoko, a prominent media personality was invited to our campus as a guest speaker.

Her invitation was to the Media Management class at Room SS 19 in the new School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Her two-hour presentation touched on issues ranging from the business models of the media, the impact of the increasing complexity and competition in the media today, marketing and advertising in the media, challenges media managers/media houses face today and how media managers/media houses are coping with technological advancement and competition today.

In her talk, Caroline reiterated that the rise of independent content creators is becoming a big challenge to the media industry today.

“Today, unlike before, marketing in the media is very tactical because the attention span of the audience we deal with has reduced drastically,” said Caroline who specializes in media marketing, having become the first female Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) in the media sector.

She reminded the audience that an average person is exposed to approximately 1500 adverts per day, and because of this, there is a cut-throat competition by advertisers to grab the attention of their audiences.

The speaker also cited the aspect of oversaturation that keeps media managers awake.

“Today, there are so many platforms that if media managers don’t work around the clock to be innovative, they will very easily close down,” said the Caroline who is recognized as a leading thought leader in the digital media space, bringing innovative thinking to businesses and brands.

According to statistics from the Communication Authority of Kenya, there are 14 television stations and over 300 radio stations.

“Today, the news circle is faster,” she said naming some major news agencies that today closing because the news circle doesn’t favor them.
As far as marketing in the media is concerned, the speaker advised that the shift to digital marketing is the way to go.

During the question and answer session, the students interacted with the guest speaker asking questions ranging from the issue of privacy in the media, the future of the media/media houses and journalistic practice, her career as a journalist, to how she deals with fame.

“If you come to fame without knowing who you are, this will define you and can even destroy you,” she advised.

In attendance were 45 students, Dr. Daniel Omondi, Lecturer, Public Relations, Dr. Geoffrey Serede, the Acting Dean School of Communication Cinematic and Creative Arts and Dr. Caroline Kiarie, Assistant Professor, Journalism in the Department of Media and Communication.