Strategic Communications & Narrative Advisor
Hi, I’m Stella. I help institutions clarify their narrative, strengthen their positioning, and design communication systems that build long-term authority.My speciality is building communication systems that outlast algorithms and earn real authority in the AI era.In a world shaped by AI, platforms, and attention volatility, relevance is no longer about visibility. It’s about leverage.
Meet Stella Njogo
Strategy & Narratives for Impact
I work at the intersection of digital influence, culture, and institutional strategy.Over the past 12+ years of my career, I’ve led and shaped communications across youth media, social impact campaigns, ecosystem partnerships, and digital-first brand strategy in Africa and globally.
My work spans narrative development, platform strategy, creator ecosystems, and institutional positioning.But the digital landscape has changed.
Algorithms shift. Platforms rise and fall. AI transforms production. Attention fragments.Most organizations are still optimizing for reach.
I help them build for relevance.My work today focuses on helping leaders and institutions:
- Build durable communication architectures
- Convert attention into long-term authority
- Strengthen narrative positioning
- Develop ecosystem leverage beyond platformsAlongside my advisory work, I’m developing a public thesis called Outgrow the Algorithm, an exploration of how professionals and institutions can stay relevant, protect attention, and build real leverage in the AI era.My approach is strategic, systems-driven, and culturally grounded, shaped by experience working across African youth culture, digital ecosystems, and global partnerships.
Proven Impact- Coached hundreds of business leaders through my Outgrow the Algorithm program on how to reposition themselves and build a future-proof brand.
- Lead consultant on the repositioning, digital strategy, plus design and rollout of a major campaign by Tiko, an innovative regional INGO working to advance healthcare for young girls via tech.
- Led communications and strategic partnerships for Shujaaz Inc., a two-time Emmy Award-winning youth behaviour change media organisation in East Africa.
- Led the inclusion of Youth Voices in African climate storytelling in collaboration with TED Countdown.
- Supported program expansion and digital comms of a pan-African entrepreneurship training program, AWEC, a US-based and Rockefeller Foundation-funded non-profit serving African women entrepreneurs.
- Partnered with coalitions advancing cultural and systems change across the continent, like the Food Culture Alliance.Through my studio, Culture Signals, my team and I are mainstreaming culture intelligence as a key skill in the New Economy.
Art Career
As a storyteller and artist at heart, I have built an art practise as commentary on the power of digital culture.
In 2018, I won a DMA award in Kenya for an experimental podcast on archiving thoughts on modern life that I started as a personal audio diary.
In 2022, I was invited to a month-long residency in Italy to share knowledge and conduct research on art for social change. It was part of the EU-funded ArtXchange program where I collaborated with other African artists to host an open studio session about art for social change.
Services
Strategic Advisory & Consulting
1. Narrative & Positioning ArchitectureStrong institutions are built on coherent narratives.I work with leadership teams to clarify the central story their organization is telling and ensure it aligns across research, policy, partnerships, campaigns, and digital platforms.This is not about slogans.
It’s about defining the strategic frame that shapes perception.We develop:
- Narrative frameworks
- Core messaging architecture
- Positioning statements
- Strategic framing for complex initiatives
- Cross-market narrative alignmentOutcome:
A clear narrative spine that strengthens credibility, sharpens communication, and guides decision-making across the organization.
2. Institutional PositioningPositioning determines how you are understood and what opportunities become available to you.I support organizations navigating growth, transition, visibility moments, or ecosystem shifts to define and strengthen their institutional positioning.This includes:
- Strategic positioning audits
- Perception mapping
- Market and ecosystem analysis
- Executive alignment workshops
- Positioning refinement across regionsOutcome:
Sharper institutional identity, stronger stakeholder confidence, and clearer differentiation within complex ecosystems.
3. Impact Storytelling & Campaign ArchitectureCampaigns should not exist in isolation. They should seed long-term narrative shifts.I design storytelling systems that translate research, community insights, and institutional priorities into culturally resonant narratives that move conversations forward.This work often includes:
- Impact storytelling strategy
- Campaign architecture design
- Narrative seeding across channels
- Multi-stakeholder messaging alignment
- High-visibility announcement strategyDigital, brand, and partnerships are used as narrative distribution instruments, not disconnected tactics.Outcome:
Campaigns that reinforce positioning, increase influence, and extend beyond short-term visibility.
4. Digital Influence SystemsDigital communications is not a channel. It is infrastructure.With over 12 years of experience in digital strategy across African and emerging markets, I design digital systems that reinforce narrative and positioning rather than dilute them.This includes:
- Digital ecosystem audits
- Owned audience strategy
- Cross-platform distribution design
- Creator and partner amplification systems
- Executive digital presence strategyOutcome:
Reduced algorithm dependency, stronger reputation architecture, and communication systems that convert attention into long-term authority.
5. Creator & Ecosystem StrategyIn a fragmented digital world, institutions must think beyond channels.I design:
- Creator network strategies
- Multi-region digital campaigns
- Cultural amplification systems
- Partnership-driven growth frameworksThe aim is durable ecosystem influence not campaign spikes.
SPEAKING
Speaking & WorkshopsI speak on:
- Staying relevant in the AI era
- Building institutional authority beyond algorithms
- Digital culture and attention economics
- Narrative strategy in emerging markets
- Creator ecosystems and influence systemsMy talks combine strategic insight with cultural analysis, equipping leaders and institutions to navigate complexity with clarity.
Thought Leadership
I help ambitious professionals outgrow the systems designed to capture their attention and build real leverage in the AI era."Outgrow the Algorithm"Outgrow the Algorithm is my ongoing research and public platform exploring how professionals and institutions can:
- Build leverage in the AI economy
- Protect attention in a brain-rot ecosystem
- Strengthen positioning in volatile digital systems
- Convert influence into authorityThrough essays, video, and strategic commentary, I explore what it means to build relevance that lasts.
Build for Relevance. Not Just ReachIf you’re a leader or institution looking to strengthen your positioning, design durable communication systems, or rethink digital influence in the AI era, let’s talk.
artist profile
Stella Njogo is a multidisciplinary artist working across writing, sound, and media.
Her practice explores the intersections of culture, identity, and collective memory, often through experimental formats that move between the digital and the analog.Selected Projects2016 – 2018 | Creative Blogging
Initiated a body of writing on pop and digital culture through a Medium publication, which has since evolved into Culture Signals Lab.2018 | Kalongolongo Life
Developed an exploratory podcast named after the Kenyan childhood role-play game. The audio diary series, composed of 5–10 minute episodes, was awarded Best Use of Podcast at the 2018 DMA Awards in Kenya.2022 | Santuri Music Producer Programme
Selected for Santuri’s music production programme, producing an original soundscape presented at the cohort showcase.
Listen to it here.
2022 | ArtXchange Residency, Italy
The residency was about knowledge exchange and exploring art as a tool for social change.
I produced an installation (I am Not an Actor) -pictured below, that highlighted how we change when we engage in digital spaces. An accidentally intentional self-evolution in the internet culture.
It featured the installation, a silent film on loop(Silence on Set), and a live performance piece at the Open Studio Day with other African artists.
2024 – Present | Cultural Blogging
Resumed publishing cultural essays on Medium, reflecting on the role of Kenyan Gen Z movements in shaping civic and cultural discourse.2025 | Digital Creator
Developing a YouTube-based review show examining how media shapes culture through contemporary African perspectives.Artistic StatementThrough her work, Stella Njogo investigates how culture is lived, contested, and re-imagined in everyday life.
Her practice aims to document emerging shifts while proposing new modes of storytelling across platforms and generations.