PICKING FIGHTS: Six fault lines, one stage: Daily Maverick Marketing Masterclass Season 3 platforms tough debates

‘For two seasons we have informed and equipped. This time, we want to provoke debate,’ says facilitator David Blyth about the new format in Season 3.

After two successful seasons, the Daily Maverick Marketing Masterclass is back with a third season, titled “We’re Picking Fights”, inviting honest debate on six tough questions.

The series is hosted by Daily Maverick in partnership with eatbigfish Africa, the Association for Communication & Advertising (ACA) and the Marketing Association of South Africa (MASA).

Season 1 laid the foundation; Season 2 addressed the discipline’s most pressing challenges, from building brand power and creating value perceptions, to using humour for impact and breaking through clutter. Both seasons drew 400-600 marketers, strategists and business owners per session.

Season 3 adopts a new format whereby each episode is a structured live debate facilitated by David Blyth, founder of Delta Victor Bravo (representing eatbigfish in Africa). Debates will open with a provocation, feature two panellists arguing their positions, and will also invite audience participation through live questions and polling.

“For two seasons we have informed and equipped. This time, we want to provoke debate,” says David Blyth.

The debates are grounded in real evidence, industry reports and also draw on CMO discussions alongside questions arising from Season 2.

Sessions run every second Thursday from 11 June to 20 August 2026, from 12:00 to 13:00. Each 60-minute session opens with a five-minute introduction, followed by a 30-minute debate, 15 minutes of audience Q&A and a 10-minute close. Sessions are hosted online and registration is open now at events.dailymaverick.co.za.

Attendees can earn 6 CPD points at CMSA Level per masterclass session in the Marketing category. AMSA & MPSA designated members are also eligible to attend and claim these points.

Founded in 2009, Daily Maverick is an independent national news and investigative journalism publisher.

Its voluntary membership community programme is designed to keep journalism free for all, and it has a community of civic-minded readers who participate actively through contributions to ensure this access continues for all.

Founders: Branko Brkic, former editor-in-chief, and Styli Charalambous, CEO.

eatbigfish is a global strategic consultancy specialising in the challenger mindset for brands and business.

A successor to the old Society of Marketers (SOM) started in the 1950s, later the Association of South African Marketers (ASOM), and then the Marketing Federation of South Africa (MFSA) up t