By jargonpr | 03 October 2022 | Events

The Jargon PR team was once again on the move recently when a couple of our team members made their way to Cologne, Germany, for the showpiece of European Digital Marketing: DMEXCO. The live event brought together exhibitors, presenters, and the wider  marketing community to meet, explore the newest technologies, discover business prospects, and navigate the fascinating world of digital marketing together. Kevin Winfield, Associate Director, and Ben Davies, Account Manager, attended the exhibition on September 21st and 22nd to keep their finger on the pulse of how the marketing and adtech industries, and watch how both sectors continue to evolve.

Following a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, DMEXCO made a triumphant return to the Koelnmesse exhibition venue. This year, around 40,000 people from 91 countries and 560 brands attended Europe’s most significant exhibition and conference for digital marketing and technology. Over 770 speakers addressed what social progress in the digital era may look like under the theme “We Progress Together.”

Pushing the Boundaries of Martech

Yahoo, the event’s Platinum Sponsor, addressed how omnichannel solutions can help marketers garner attention. With a global reach of almost 900 million consumers through their products, content, and technology, they create opportunities for brands to connect with customers through developing formats such as DOOH, CTV, and retail media networks.

Snap Inc, a camera start-up and event Gold Partner, explained how “we progress together in this spectaculAR world.” It feels that reinventing the camera is the best method to improve people’s lives and the way they communicate. Offering advertising solutions for organisations’ objectives in every format, from augmented reality to performance-driven advertisements and the organisation’s claim to fame — vertical video. It highlighted how Snap’s camera would play a revolutionary role in how people view the world around them in the future, merging what they see in the real world with everything available to them in the digital world.

Silver Sponsor, Pinterest, is most recognised as a source of inspiration, providing companies with an active, engaged audience searching for creative ideas through their session, aptly titled, “inspiration is recession-proof.” Pinterest demonstrated how the platform is still a vital channel as a source of inspiration for reaching customers – even in trying times. Visha Kudhail of Pinterest explained why motivating consumers for the long run is equally as important as driving purchases in the short term. Not only did Pinterest’s booth look amazing, but across both days, people were queuing to get onto the stand. The brand’s voice was definitely resonating with attendees.

Coming Soon: A World Without Cookies

Google, another Gold Partner, focused on its SEA automation and online marketing solutions, taking into account the current – and future – internet and digital landscape. Google’s European President, Matt Brittin, underlined the termination of third-party cookies in the second half of 2024 in his keynote speech at DMEXCO. Until then, Google intends to trial solutions in beta testing, beginning in late 2022, in partnership with the industry. “The next two years will be critical — the web that we know is under threat. We have to rethink the whole system to deliver effective ads. People will voluntarily share their data if they have more control. Managing tools, therefore, have to be meaningful, memorable, and easily accessible.”

The event was summarised by Professor Dominik Matyka, Chief Advisor of DMEXCO, “I would like to thank all our partners for their great support. The whole industry returned to Cologne with vigour and fun. DMEXCO 2022 has also shown without a doubt that we need to look for cross-sector solutions. In personalized advertising, in data protection, in industry standards, and, above all, in pursuing more sustainability in our digital world”. 

A Trip to Remember

Reflecting on his first visit to Cologne and the event itself, Account Manager, Ben Davies, said: “I’ve been to my fair share of trade shows, but few are as captivating as DMEXCO. As a digital marketing show, it’s not surprising that all the stands looked amazing, and were highly engaging and fun. 

“More importantly,” he continued, “the level of insight gained from the two days was incredible; from NFTs and the metaverse, right through to the oncoming cookieless future – there was so much to learn from DMEXCO and we are looking forward to being able to implement these learnings into our campaigns moving forward. Cologne itself is also a beautiful city with some amazing Gothic architecture. However, for anyone soon to visit be warned – cash is still king on this part of the Rhine. We found that out the hard way.”

Jargon PR certainly cannot wait to see what DMEXCO 2023 will bring, as the meeting place for key players in digital business, marketing and innovation.