From Cologne to the World: Interview with the Head of the Rapidly Growing dmexco

The world's largest digital marketing conference, "dmexco," was held in Cologne, Germany, on September 14 and 15. Now in its eighth year, it set a new record for the second consecutive year, attracting 50,700 attendees and 1,010 exhibiting companies over two days. It has grown to be considered one of the "Big Four" events in the media marketing industry, alongside CES, MWC (Mobile World Congress), and Cannes Lions. Executives from mega-agencies and global platform companies participate in these events throughout the year, with some calling it the "Grand Slam." We spoke with co-founder Christian Muffe after the event, who visited Japan afterward.

Muffat taking the stage at the opening.

dmexco was launched in 2009. While traditional TV and print media still dominated, the wave of digital transformation was undeniably coming, with platforms like Facebook and YouTube rapidly gaining traction. We vaguely foresaw that the burgeoning digital technology would not only create novel devices but fundamentally transform the very nature of communication. We felt there was a need for an event that captured the impact of digital on corporate marketing and people's lifestyles from a business perspective, and that there was a significant opportunity there. At the time, we saw nothing else like it. My co-founder, Frank (Schneider), was an exhibition expert, while I, with my background at Yahoo! and AOL, brought expertise in content and business strategy. This combination gave birth to dmexco: a unique B2B event that integrated a conference with an exhibition, specifically focused on the business perspective.

While Europe was the initial main target, over these eight years it has grown into a global event alongside January's CES, March's MWC, and June's Cannes Lions. The timing of these four events is well-spaced, creating a natural meeting point for C-level executives (CEOs, CMOs, etc.) from media, global corporations, and agencies.

At first glance, the themes covered might seem similar across events. For example, this year saw common discussions on VR (Virtual Reality), AI (Artificial Intelligence), IoT, and wearables. However, each event differs in its focus and approach. CES, the largest consumer electronics trade show, is B2C-oriented, leaning heavily toward products and technology. While it pioneers early adoption of the automotive industry, it doesn't deeply explore how emerging automotive screens impact communication or storytelling. Similarly, MWC focuses on mobile, and Cannes Lions centers on digitalization within advertising campaigns. dmexco, however, relentlessly pursues the significance and implications of digital in marketing and business management from a purely business perspective. It provides a space where marketers and leaders from media and technology companies can sit down and engage deeply with each other.

We believe this is why it has grown so rapidly in such a short time. We relentlessly consider what the key drivers moving our era are and bring those key players together. We see people who rarely speak directly take the stage, sit side by side, and thoroughly explore the intersection of marketing and technology, or media. That is the true essence of dmexco. For instance, programmatic is a hot topic, but discussions often lean heavily toward technology. At dmexco, we explore whether it expands storytelling possibilities or enhances creativity, sometimes continuing the debate across years. While 2016 set new records for participant and company numbers, what matters more than the figures is what actually happens there. It's the quality of being a platform for business and innovation in the digital economy era.

AOL, once thought to be in decline, was acquired by Verizon and is now bringing Yahoo! under its umbrella this year. These integrations will bring the number of users to over 100 million, with a goal of 200 million by 2020. AOL, now showing ambition to become a global platform player comparable to Facebook and Google in the mobile era, and its CEO Tim Armstrong, the driving force behind its revival, discussed the path of its strategy in a conversation with MediaCom CEO Steven Allan.

Paul Bulcke, CEO of Nestlé, revealed behind-the-scenes details of how the 150-year-old consumer goods manufacturer is transforming itself into a digital company. He introduced the Digital Acceleration Team (DAT), where leaders selected from bases around the world receive training, and a system of "reverse mentoring" where young employees mentor executives.

In the era of big data, how can we use vast amounts of data to increase business impact? How can we provide a customer experience that spans all channels? Five global leaders—Bob Lord, Chief Digital Officer at IBM; Lisa Uttschneider, Chief Revenue Officer at Yahoo!; and William Swayne, Global President at Kala—discussed how to create value from data.

VICE, the new journalism supported by millennials, has now partnered with Disney, FOX, Netflix, and others to expand into 58 countries and regions. Founder and CEO Shane Smith spoke with WPP CEO Martin Sorrell about the nature and potential of "news media" in the current era.

Dentsu Inc. Aegis Network (DAN) has participated in dmexco since its second year, even before its integration with Dentsu Inc. The booth was very professional and always showed an aggressive stance, and this year it was also very successful throughout the event. Until last year, advertising agencies jointly set up an "Agency Lounge," but each company felt it was too small, so they each branched out on their own, and it was discontinued this year. I think this symbolizes that advertising agencies themselves have begun to actively promote themselves. As you know, it's not just mega-agencies anymore; companies from other industries, such as IBM and Adobe, are entering the advertising field by promoting their advantages in the data domain. It looks like the situation will continue to be one to keep an eye on.

dmexco continues to evolve. This year, as a new initiative, it featured a dedicated section focused on video, an area set to become critically important. Top players across various fields—Facebook, NBC Universal, BuzzFeed, VICE—screened presentation videos created exclusively for dmexco. This kind of dedicated video focus is truly unique. Furthermore, there were exhibits focusing on VR and drones, and participation from the automotive industry increased. My job is to sniff out what's coming next around the world (laughs). Please look forward to next year as well.