Two companies with very different strengths have decided that the African digital advertising opportunity is too large to pursue separately, and they have chosen Cannes to tell the world about it.

Out There Media (OTM), a global leader in mobile advertising technology and telco data monetisation, and Pulse Africa, one of Africa's leading media and culture companies, announced a global strategic partnership at Cannes on June 26, 2026. Under the agreement, Pulse will act as Out There Media's official local commercial representative, jointly establishing a leading digital advertising presence across select global markets, beginning with West Africa, specifically Nigeria and Ghana.

The technology at the centre of the deal is OTM's proprietary Mobucks platform. Working with leading telecommunications operators worldwide, including MTN Group, Vodafone, O2 Telefónica, BT, Orange, Deutsche Telekom, and StarHub, OTM provides advertisers with access to nearly 300 million subscribers across several African markets, including South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, and Cameroon. Brands and agency partners can use Mobucks to run premium mobile ad formats, including RCS, targeted messaging, display, video, audio, and notifications, all powered by privacy-compliant first-party telco data.

Pulse contributes what OTM's global infrastructure cannot easily replicate from abroad. Pulse contributes a local team of more than 100 media professionals across sales, ad operations, account management, and creative strategy. Pulse Africa reaches more than 60 million monthly users and followers through brands including Pulse and Business Insider Africa, and operates across key African markets including Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya, with media brands extending into Uganda, Senegal, and Côte d'Ivoire. Pulse Africa is part of Ringier, a leading European media and technology company with a history spanning more than 190 years.

OTM also brings established relationships with major multinational brands such as Unilever, Coca-Cola, Netflix, Pepsi, L'Oréal, and Nestlé, alongside partnerships with global agency networks including WPP, Omnicom Media, Publicis Groupe, and Dentsu.

Kerstin Trikalitis, CEO and Co-Founder of Out There Media, was direct about the value of the combination: "By bringing together Pulse's exceptional local commercial strength with Out There Media's proprietary technology Mobucks, data monetisation expertise, and long-standing relationships with the world's leading brands and agency groups, we are enabling advertisers to reach African consumers with unprecedented scale, precision, and impact."

Katharina Link, CEO of Pulse Africa, framed the upside for brands already working with the company: "By combining OTM's proprietary technology, global partnerships and award-winning expertise with Pulse's local market knowledge, creativity and execution capabilities, we're adding an entirely new layer of technology-enabled advertising solutions."

MTN Ghana's Chief Digital Officer Ibrahim Misto confirmed the operator dimension of the deal: "This collaboration reinforces MTN's leadership in digital innovation and data monetisation across Africa. By combining our scale and rich customer insights with Out There Media's technology expertise and Pulse's strong market presence, we are creating a powerful ecosystem that will transform how brands engage consumers in Ghana and beyond."

The partnership features a commercial roadmap targeting high-growth sectors including retail, FMCG, e-commerce, fintech, and gaming. Beyond commercial ambitions, both firms said the partnership reflects their shared commitment to driving social impact by supporting entrepreneurship, innovation, and youth employment initiatives across Africa.

For Africa's digital advertising industry, the deal represents a meaningful consolidation of capability. Telco first-party data is among the most precise targeting infrastructure available in markets where cookies are unreliable and social platform data is increasingly restricted. Pairing that data asset with Pulse's editorial reach and on-the-ground execution gives the combined entity a product that neither company could credibly offer alone and a pitch to global brands that Africa's consumer market can be reached at a genuine scale with measurable outcomes.

Stay Informed: Visit our website for Breaking News, Intelligence, and Insight.