Rethinking media planning: DMEXCO – consistently translating learnings into impact

Written by Mario Rose, CSO husare & Business Owner husare Momentum

 

Why “Be bold. Move forward.” is more than just a motto

In my opinion, DMEXCO 2025 has struck the right note: less buzzword bingo, more resilient practice. The many conversations at the trade fair with agencies, brands and marketers reflect what I have seen in day-to-day business for years: courageous brands combine channels, data and creativity to create a resilient system that doesn’t wobble with every algorithm update.

Status quo: the efficiency myth of walled gardens

Yes, Google, Meta and Amazon are efficient – up to a point. Those who place budgets almost exclusively there are exchanging temporary convenience for a risky dependency and foregoing real net reach outside the algorithms. The result: rising marginal costs per additional conversion, less transparency in measurement and growing brand safety risks. Walled gardens are and will remain part of the solution, but more and more marketers are now realizing that almost exclusive advertising in the “bottom funnel” is working less and less.

Five strong DMEXCO signals – and how to make an impact:

 

1) AI is no longer a tool

What is now clear on the stage and in practice: AI is no longer an “add-on”, but a cross-section in all marketing-relevant processes – from briefing and personalization to creator workflows and reporting. But AI alone is not effective. Brands must begin to emancipate themselves from the digital platforms – with their own data strategies as the basis for effective AI use and the evaluation of progress against business KPIs (MQL, SQL, CLV, turnover) and not simply against pure output.

2) Retail Media: From hype to operation

What is consistent: Retail Media continues to grow and professionalize.
My learning: Retail media offers opportunities for curated shopping via 1st party data from the retailer, category context and store signals. Orchestrate, don’t substitute: Retail media has a firm place in planning alongside open web, CTV, DOOH and social – at least for retail brands.

3) Cookieless: Practical relevance at last.

The consensus at DMEXCO: “Privacy by design” is a competitive advantage and ID solutions such as UTIQ and net-ID now have a reach in Germany that allows real targeting and control of reach – overcoming bots, MFA websites and the like. In addition, smart tech partners offer contextual & semantic networks that go far beyond simple keyword logics and thus really find the right context for a brand – easily controllable as an individual segment via DSP.

4) DOOH makes an impression

The “DOOH village” at DMEXCO, where even Ströer and WallDecaux came together at one stand, was my personal favorite place. The topic of environment-related outdoor advertising in combination with geo/daypart playbooks (e.g. retail proximity, evening slots) ensures cost-efficient net reach and lots of planning fun. However, there is still a lot of catching up to do in terms of creation in order to provide viewers with the right message for the context after carefully selecting screens. At DMEXCO, 3D animations were on everyone’s lips – impressive, but due to their still limited availability in public spaces, more of a gimmick than a “must-have”.

5) CTV is on the gas pedal

Disney – representing the growing CTV and streaming segment – was really hard to miss at DMEXCO. According to the “Generation Stream” Global Edition study by Disney Advertising, streaming is increasingly spread throughout the day and no longer just during traditional prime time in the evening. The study also emphasizes a high acceptance of advertising.

Important, because CTV offers:

• Reach expansion with decreasing linear coverage (younger, urban target groups)
• Regional focus via geotargeting & dayparting.
• Quality environments (premium publishers, fiction/sports/news) where brand image and context match

Our DMEXCO roadmap –
What I recommend to decision-makers now:

1. 1. 1. Further consolidate your own data and measurement architecture: close CRM bridges (lead/sales feedback), define KPI framework (primary and secondary) and thus create a reliable basis for AI optimization and incremental tests,

    

   1. 1. Establish a multi-channel reach engine: CTV + DOOH + Open-Web + Retail Media – orchestrated via frequency corridors for suitable reach outside of smartphone and social only.

    

   1. 1. AI as an operating system with its own data, not as a tool: Speed and precision win – decisions remain human.

    

   1. Simplify attribution: From “measure everything” to “measure the right thing”. First anchor business KPIs, then prioritize media signals.

 

 

TL;DR

• Walled gardens remain important – but monocultures cost reach, control and resilience.

 

• AI becomes the operating layer: co-pilot in planning, creation, optimization – with guardrails and business KPIs.

 

• Retail media & commerce migrate into the entire funnel; curated deals + 1st party signals beat the watering can.

 

• CTV & DOOH deliver scalable reach plus precise targeting – as fixed components in an orchestrated mix.