Raul Martyres, the godfather of advertising, remains strong even in his stumble. He is turning 90 this year, so you’d expect him to have a bad knee. Unbowed is the posture of a man who has spent nearly five decades building one of Kenya’s most respected advertising agencies—Access Leo Burnett, which he founded in 1979. A pesky knee isn't going to get in the man’s way.
In the 1950s, he started writing hockey commentaries for The Standard, moved into insurance, then advertising, learning the craft in an era when media meant newspapers and the occasional radio. He watched television arrive and change everything. He lived through independence, through the evolution of brands, through the digital revolution that has upended his industry yet again. And he survived Covid-19. Through it all, he held onto a simple philosophy: Understand people deeply, build brands thoughtfully, and never compromise on integrity. “Success means very little,” he says, “if it isn’t achieved with integrity.”
