World of Agencies: AI in Marketing Puts Agencies at a Crossroads
How can agencies leverage AI in marketing to remain indispensable? To gather strategic insights and find out answers to the most pressing questions in digital marketing from leading agencies, head to the World of Agencies at DMEXCO 2026.
Reinvention in the agency sector
Agencies are facing fundamental changes. AI is accelerating processes, changing job profiles, and opening up entirely new possibilities in terms of strategy, creative development, and media. At the same time, clients expect integrated solutions rather than isolated stand-alone disciplines, driving ever closer convergence between creativity, data literacy, and technical expertise at agency level.
The World of Agencies at DMEXCO 2026 will bring together leading agencies, brands, and tech partners to discuss the strategically important questions facing the sector: How is AI changing agency-client collaboration? What new business models are emerging? Which skills will prove crucial in the future? And how can creativity, data, and technology be successfully combined?
The latest topics making waves in the agency sector
Agencies are drivers of innovation. They offer early insights into the topics that have the potential to transform the digital world – both now and in the future.
Key developments currently leaving their mark on the sector:
- AI in marketing – from strategy to creative development to automation
- Data-driven campaigns and performance-oriented customer journeys
- Omnichannel marketing and holistic brand management
- New agency models, alliances between specialists, and collaborative partnerships
- B2B marketing transformation and tech-based strategies
- Retail media, DOOH, and connected TV as components of modern communication strategies
The Digital Marketing Trends 2026 – Insights from the Media Agencies’ Trend Monitor session on the Agencies Stage will illustrate how these developments are playing out in practice. This established monitor of the sector in Germany gives an overview of the direction in which advertising budgets are headed, which channels are growing in importance, and how agencies evaluate the impact of AI, retail media, data-driven advertising, and the increasing dominance of platforms. At the same time, it reveals what the future demands will be in terms of measurability, data strategies, and new agency roles – and where the greatest opportunities for growth in digital marketing can be found.
These topics will be brought to life in the World of Agencies by means of real-life use cases, best-practice examples, and innovative solutions.
Creativity Summit: The new creativity rule book
Creativity is one of the biggest challenges facing marketing professionals. At the same time, AI, new entertainment formats, and changing workflows are transforming the way ideas are generated and brands communicate. The key question, therefore, is: Who will come out on top when the creativity rule book is rewritten?
The DMEXCO Creativity Summit – powered by DDA offers answers. As the event brand of the German Digital Award, the most prestigious prize for digital creativity in the DACH region, the summit highlights the business impact of creative communication – from campaigns and social media to digital applications and innovations. This is where leading creative strategists will analyze the trends expected to shape marketing in 2027.
Attention will be focused on three high-profile summit sessions led by Anke Herbener, Vice President of the German Association for the Digital Economy (BVDW), and Peer Wörpel, Managing Partner at la red:
- The Golden Age of AI Creativity?! will use real-life examples to demonstrate how generative AI is able to enhance creative processes and unlock entirely new forms of idea generation.
- Brands & Entertainment – How You Do It Right! will discuss how brands can attract attention in a creator economy, without getting overshadowed by the entertainment content.
- The Next Generation of Marketing?! will look at the role that agencies and marketers will play in the future when AI writes briefs, creates assets, and optimizes media.
An ecosystem for agencies and brands
In today’s world, marketing challenges can rarely be solved in isolation. That’s why the World of Agencies brings together different disciplines, from strategy and creative agencies to media and transformation partners through to technology providers. In particular, the interplay with the World of Commerce, the World of Media, and the World of Tech opens up new perspectives on tomorrow’s marketing challenges.
How can brands scale sustainable growth? Visit dentsu at DMEXCO 2026 to discover how leading organisations connect AI, data, content and customer experience to drive measurable business outcomes. Join Markus Caspari’s AI Commerce session, the Pandora masterclass on turning global efficiency into local cultural relevance, and Adobe as our partner for scalable content experiences at the dentsu booth.
Networking and fresh ideas for agencies
The World of Agencies combines creativity, technology, and strategy to craft a new blueprint for success. With two stages and more than 70 sessions, you can look forward to insights into AI, data-driven marketing, new agency models, and the biggest trends for the years ahead.
At the same time, you’ll have the opportunity to speak with leading agencies, brands, and technology partners – and build valuable connections.
Whether or not agencies can remain indispensable in the age of AI won’t be decided by individual tools, but by strategy, creativity, and collaboration. And that’s exactly what the World of Agencies will discuss at DMEXCO 2026. Get your ticket now and experience the key developments shaping the future of the agency sector live in Cologne.
