What is being made possible in today's marketing world by artificial intelligence, and what does the future hold?

At DMEXCO 2023, more than 80 presentations and masterclasses will get to the bottom of these questions, explore the latest trends and offer solutions.

On the first day of the event, which is Thursday, 20 September, attendees will already be spoiled for choice among all the strategic keynotes focusing on this top topic on the centre stage in hall seven. 

These keynotes include the following: 
  • Aude Gandon, global CMO of Nestlé, will be explaining why 'A new era for creativity' is currently beginning.
  • Microsoft's corporate vice president Saurabh Tiwary will be discussing 'Transforming Advertising in the Era of Generative AI'.
  • Google's vice president Gaurav Bhaya will be exploring 'The Great Ads Shift'.
  • Axel Springer's CIO Samir Fadlallah will be examining the question 'Gen AI — savior or nemesis of the media industry?'.
  • Tim Alexander, CMO of Deutsche Bank, will be asking 'Will humans or machines be the marketers of the future?' (this session will be held in German).

During fireside chats, the industry's thought leaders will also be gracing the centre stage to share their perspectives on recent developments. The following individuals will interviewed here:   
  • Sir Martin Sorrell, founder & CEO of S4 Capital
  • Matthias Dang, co-CEO of RTL Deutschland
  • Holger Blask, managing director of marketing at the German Football Association — DFB
  • Stacy Malone, VP of global business marketing at Pinterest
  • Tian Pei, head of global sports partnerships at Roblox, and
  • Ronan Harris, president of Snap.

Early in the afternoon on the first day, Rabin Yaghoubi, CCDO of 2023's platinum sponsor Aleph Group, will also be hosting a fireside chat on the topic of 'Digital Advertising for All: Unlocking Untapped Opportunity'. 

Retail Media Summit: high-profile retailers and major advertisers

At the Retail Media Summit, the who's who of e-commerce will be coming together across a wide range of formats, including panels and case studies, to showcase:
  • the status quo of this dynamic segment
  • where it's heading
  • what brands expect from retail media, and
  • how advertisers can maximise the potential of this relatively new category.

During the later afternoon on the first day of the conference, others will be taking to the media stage to shed light on the topic, including:
  • Patricia Grundmann (OBI)
  • Jessica Koch (Douglas)
  • Maike Abel (Nestlé)
  • Robert Jozic (Schwarz Media)
  • Christian Raveaux (REWE Group)
  • Kristina Bulle (Procter & Gamble)
  • abine Jünger (Otto)
  • Daniel Grafe (Breuninger), and
  • Torsten Ahlers (Media-Saturn).


w3.vision and the Digital Fashion Summit on the tech stage 

In 2023, the tech stage will be dedicated to groundbreaking developments in Web3 marketing and, for the first time, will specifically focus on the use of digital innovations in the fashion industry.

DMEXCO will be teaming up with w3.fund to deliver insights in the form of successful Web3 cases presented by speakers, including:
  • Nadini Sathiyarajan (Sorare)
  • Oliver Lange (H&M)
  • Sven Schindler (Jägermeister), and
  • racer Laura-Marie Geissler (LMG Racing). 

In the afternoon on the second day, 'Digital Fashion — The Phygital Network' will demonstrate how digital technologies could revolutionise the entire fashion industry. Bastiaan Geluk (INDG) will explore the use of cutting-edge 3D technology to present fashion products, Mar Mercadé (Snap) will be taking a look at how people are trying on clothes virtually and Benjamin Köhler (Otto Group) will discuss how digitalisation is driving a circular economy.

Sustainability: on the path toward green digital media 

What role can digital marketing play in making communication more resource-friendly and promoting sustainable consumption?

According to DMEXCO, it will provide answers and propose targeted solutions surrounding this debate across a diverse range of conference formats, such as the German-language BVDW masterclass 'How can resource consumption be reduced in digital advertising?' led by experts from:
  • Bauer Media Group
  • DoubleVerify
  • GroupM, and
  • Microsoft.

There will also be a lecture at the agency stage's Sustainability Summit, in which Prasad Shridhar Ghag (Sanofi) will share insights into embracing responsible media in practice. On the agency stage, study results and data analyses, presented by brands including Teads, OMG Momentum, Adform and Scope3, will highlight strategies for making advertising greener.

Creator economy

In the afternoon on the second day, all eyes will be on influencer marketing and the creator business on the E-Commerce Stage, where influencer expert Ann-Katrin Schmitz will join Martin Wroblewski (Social Match) for the German-language panel 'The end of authenticity — influencer marketing 2.0'. 

Influencer Anna Maria Damm will be walking attendees through the ingredients of a successful influencer brand, and the following individuals will discuss the potential of virtual personalities in the panel 'Bullshit, hype, or the future?' (also only in German):
  • Max Klemmer (Miss Germany Studios)
  • Hans Neubert (Bundesgesellschaft für digitale Medien, the German association for digital media), and
  • Urs Meier (Garden of Youth)

Ann-Katrin Schmitz will also be uncovering the dark side of the creator economy in her German-language keynote 'From LOL to WTF' on the centre stage, where rapper, influencer and entrepreneur Eko Fresh will present 'The German dream: from rap star to entrepreneur' the day before (in German only).

Exclusive studies and data at DMEXCO 

To kick off the BVDW masterclasses, attendees will learn what market trends the Circle of Online Marketers (OVK) predicts for the rest of the 2023 advertising year. Together with the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB Europe), the BVDW will also be providing insights into trending topics in the German and European markets.

In another BVDW masterclass, experts from the BVDW and OMG will be taking a deep dive into the topics currently shaping the digital media agency world by presenting the latest FOMA trend monitor, which for the past 17 years has delivered a reliable report on the mood at Germany's leading media agencies. 

If you can't make it to some of the sessions, you'll be able to catch up on the conference highlights digitally in the video-on-demand library in the DMEXCO app, says DMEXCO. 

Thomas Mosch, DMEXCO's conference director, says, "Although artificial intelligence will be the prevailing topic this year, DMEXCO 2023 offers highlights for all interests. Whether retail media, influencer marketing, Web3, digital fashion, Out-of-Home advertising, connected TV, sustainability or targeting — with a programme comprising more than 400 sessions, there's plenty for everyone to enjoy two action-packed and inspiring days within a great community."     

Dirk Freytag, president of the German Association for the Digital Economy (BVDW), says, "The digital economy faces fundamental changes. AI and new legal and technical framework conditions are currently transforming the market for good."

"Our industry is, therefore, being confronted with new challenges that raise a number of questions. As DMEXCO's ideational and professional partner, we've worked closely with the DMEXCO organisers to fill the stages in Cologne with a wide array of national and international experts who can provide answers and valuable insights for overcoming these challenges," concludes Freytag.

For more information, visit www.dmexco.com. You can also follow DMEXCO on Facebook, X or on Instagram.