We attended DMEXCO 2026 in Cologne, where key players in European digital marketing gathered to discuss the future of marketing, media, and artificial intelligence.
This year's theme "Scaling Intelligence" raised a question that is on the entire industry's mind: how do you create real business value from artificial intelligence?
The focus is spot on, as nearly 90 percent of companies in the EU use AI, but only six percent see a significant economic impact from it. The era of experimentation seems to be over, and now, results are expected from AI.
Pasi Raassina, Head of Future Media, highlights three key themes from the event:
- Programmatic brings out-of-home advertising within reach of new buyers. It does not replace traditional direct sales but enriches the role of out-of-home advertising in the media mix. It makes out-of-home advertising a viable option for marketers who are accustomed to digital targeting and, for example, emphasizing specific moments in their marketing. Read more about programmatic out-of-home advertising >
- The conversation surrounding retail media often culminates in how to get advertising close to the point of purchase. This is what out-of-home advertising has always done: in shopping centers, on the streets, and, for example, in transit, we meet people exactly where decisions are made. As the retail media market develops, individual "new" media channels are emerging under it, such as Retail DOOH and Retail Audio. These newer media bring simplicity and speed to retail media marketing in a positive way, and especially through Retail DOOH, they offer the opportunity to also influence the awareness and consideration phases.
- What about AI agents & media buying? Currently, all adtech companies are building their own capabilities into genAI tools, and simple advertising processes can be performed step-by-step more and more through prompting. A holistic view covering the entire campaign lifecycle is still elusive, but it is realistic to assume that media planning and reporting will be the first to change. Furthermore, it can be predicted that media groups and individual media outlets will need to invest in the accessibility of their own data. Even AI agents cannot reach data that is well hidden.
Image: ©Koelnmesse
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