From former clients to new start-ups, I explored diverse and amazing offerings at #dmexco2025. There were new products powered by both young start-ups and established companies, showcasing creative digital marketing with and without AI. It was a privilege to reconnect with former clients and colleagues and to meet new start-ups at the Innovation Stage during the dmexco Start-up Award, powered by Startup Valley. Congratulations to Mended for winning with their innovative jeans repair business idea, which they presented in a powerful, digitally intelligent way that impressed the entire grand jury, including Erik Junge from Didomi/Sourcepoint — the generous sponsors of prizes for the top three teams.
There are currently so many uncertainties, which are naturally also weighing on this industry. However, I get the impression that the majority of exhibitors are challenging these negative trends with bold concepts. Google tells us that the age of AI campaigns has arrived; that AI is changing the web at an incredible speed.
But what would all this be without the creative minds of people in agencies and creative departments? A brand cannot be built by AI-powered machines alone — it needs people who are passionate about marketing and PR and want to attract consumers with a love brand. At this point, I would like to share a personal highlight: Mutti’s presentation was one of the best! Their marketing campaigns for entering the US and UK markets are outstanding.
Furthermore, I would like to share another highlight: The Kantar study unveils creative strategies that will define brand success in 2026 and beyond. Did you know that an ad with excellent creativity has four times the power of an ad that doesn’t deliver creative intelligence?
Verena Gründel, Host and Director Brands & Communications at DMEXCO, summarises:“Advertising needs to be bolder. If it doesn’t touch people, it remains irrelevant. Especially in a market as rational as Germany, advertisers can truly make a difference by daring more. It’s time to see creativity not as a nice-to-have, but as a strategic asset.”
AI or IA: Intelligence Applied instead of Artificial Intelligence.
AI is integrated into many campaigns but is also misused in the creative process, said Ndeye Diagne, Chief Growth Officer at Kantar France. She said, „We have a responsibility. We have a role to play in leveraging this technology to create a better world.”
One of the campaigns she presented was from Lidl. The Lidlize campaign shows how people can be integrated into a campaign and how influencers can make a difference in receiving great attention for the brand and in society. The Lidlize campaign isn’t only AI-driven; it’s one of the best I’ve seen during dmexco. Powered by AI and integrating the best influencer marketing strategies in the world, the campaign increased the impression rate to 60,000,000! This also goes hand in hand with PR. PR and digital marketing need to be discussed together; don’t think of them in silos.
Tor Thompson from Microsoft shared some interesting concepts to use in the future and creative process: optimize for dialogue and make it understandable for AI. Don’t automate for the present moment; focus on long-term outcomes and remember that attention is the new currency.
Attention is the new currency.
L’Oréal shared some interesting thoughts on attention. The company has decided to allocate its budget to new concepts and explore new communities. They call the key components Movies & Series, Music, Gaming, and DOOH.
Influencers play a key role in advocacy and influence.
The ROI of influencer campaigns outperforms that of traditional media, e.g., traditional campaigns. This statement was certainly bold. The ROI is twice as high! This is huge! In 2024, the company paid more than 2,000 influencers and received a four-fold increase in advocacy spending and a 50% share of influence (+30% in 2022). What does this mean for the traditional media industry?
L’Oréal built a community for influencers to give them a home. Lorealistar is a platform where influencers can showcase their videos and earn points and credits. And the community growth is impressive! All facts were presented by Alma Lima, CDMO L’Oréal DACH.
Be bold! Move forward.
Many companies have demonstrated their boldness by delivering great new products and ideas. As an industry, we need to embrace AI, but not in place of the human creativity. Thinking twice and using human intelligence makes the difference.
I look forward to seeing bold people again at dmexco2026.
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