Membrana Media at DMEXCO-2025: AI and Authenticity Took Centre Stage

Each September, Cologne becomes the meeting point for the digital industry. DMEXCO is part trade fair, part stage show, part reality check — and this year it was impossible to ignore the main theme: artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules, but people still want something that feels human.

AI is no longer a buzzword. It’s the machinery running beneath the surface. Case studies showed sales climbing by more than 50% when AI guides the customer journey. Algorithms aren’t just saving budgets — they’re writing copy, testing creative, predicting behaviors, and delivering personalization at a scale no human team can match.

But here’s the catch: the more machines deliver, the more a polished campaign can feel empty. DMEXCO’s quiet headline was “authenticity.” If AI is the engine, then trust is the steering wheel. Without it, brands may move faster, but not forward.

This tension between efficiency and meaning is shaping new business models. Retail media has moved from the sidelines to centre stage, fuelled by oceans of purchase data. Omnichannel strategies — blending streaming, linear TV, outdoor screens and digital audio — promise reach like never before. But without a clear story and a human voice, all that reach risks becoming just noise.

For us at Membrana Media, DMEXCO was a confirmation. Our focus is on building a stronger ecosystem — one where publishers aren’t left behind, advertisers see real value, and the user remains at the centre. Because their trust is the only asset that compounds over time.

Yes, Netflix, Disney, Samsung Ads and other giants were there in force. But their scale only underlines the real challenge: delivery systems and datasets are everywhere. What’s scarce is attention. Scarcer still is belief.

The winners of the next stage will be those who use AI not as a mask but as an amplifier. Those who sharpen their honesty rather than hide behind automation. Those who sound like people, not machines.

Because in 2025, audiences aren’t asking for more ads. They’re asking for something simple: don’t fake it.