The marketing function is undergoing a radical transformation across the DACH region. Conversations from recent senior marketing roundtables, spanning Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, reveal a picture of practitioners grappling with an increasingly complex digital landscape, rising customer expectations, and exponential advancements in AI. Yet, amidst this turbulence, opportunities abound.

In this deep dive, we explore how DACH-based marketers are investing in infrastructure, talent, and innovation to future-proof their operations. Key themes include the centrality of data for personalisation, a more pragmatic approach to martech adoption, the growing role of AI, and the renewed importance of emotional storytelling in a world saturated with automation.

1. Personalisation Demands More Than Data, It Needs Trust and Structure

Omnichannel personalisation is a shared aspiration, but it’s no longer about ‘just’ delivering the right message on the right channel. It’s now about consistency, memory, and intelligence across a customer’s journey.

Marketers report that while many companies have compliant data strategies in place, the true barrier is data quality and operational integration.

“Even with compliant data, we’re still stuck on poor quality. It’s not just a technology issue, it’s organisational too,” one participant noted.

Key investments highlighted:

• Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) and data lakes that unify behavioural and transactional data across silos.
• Organisational shifts to support a customer-centric mindset, reducing internal silos.
• Greater emphasis on Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) as the north star metric for retention and acquisition.

Notably, sales compensation models are being restructured to align with CLV outcomes, embedding long-term customer value into short-term behaviours.

2. Marketing Tech: Streamlining Instead of Stacking

Many DACH marketers expressed fatigue with sprawling martech ecosystems. The early wave of tool adoption has given way to a more disciplined approach.

“Adding more tools doesn’t solve the problem, it often creates new ones. Our focus now is reducing complexity,” said one executive.

Challenges include:

• Legacy systems without API compatibility.
• Disjointed data environments preventing a unified customer view.
• Low user adoption due to poor onboarding or perceived tool irrelevance.

In response, companies are:

• Consolidating tools into modular, interoperable stacks.
• Investing in digital asset management (DAM) systems like Adobe Experience Manager to better reuse content globally.
• Shifting evaluation criteria from features to ease of integration, governance, and scalability.

3. Generative AI: Powerful, Promising, and… Problematic

AI has become ubiquitous in DACH marketing teams. From campaign planning and copy generation to image editing and video localisation, teams are embracing tools like Synthesia, ChatGPT, and Adobe Firefly.

However, caution remains:

• Adoption is uneven, with some teams still in experimentation mode.
• Data privacy and brand safety are significant barriers to deploying AI at scale, particularly in regulated sectors.
• A common concern: “How do we prove that AI-generated content performs better?”

That said, several organisations have found success in pairing AI with human oversight:

• AI generates hundreds of ad variants, later filtered by human teams for compliance and creativity.
• Custom GPTs are being used to maintain tone-of-voice consistency across regions.
• AI is assisting in micro-segmentation, allowing for personalised experiences in real time.

One insight stood out: companies that integrate AI into their existing workflows, rather than bolt it on, see faster adoption and more tangible results.

4. Storytelling Makes a Comeback

In a world flooded with content, emotional resonance is back in fashion.

Several participants reported a renewed focus on storytelling grounded in neuroscience, where the goal is not just to inform but to forge lasting impressions.

“The most persuasive campaigns evoke hope, joy, or curiosity, not just features and benefits.”

Interestingly, B2B firms are also leaning into narrative-driven campaigns. One participant recounted shifting from technical, keyword-heavy ads to emotion-led content using humour and visual metaphors, and saw better engagement as a result.

Despite tighter budgets, teams are:

• Experimenting with video-first formats, even for traditionally print-based verticals.
• Using A/B testing to compare factual versus story-led campaign performance.
• Training teams in copywriting techniques that balance emotion with clarity.

There’s a clear appetite for storytelling that doesn’t compromise on ROI but deepens brand affinity in a saturated landscape.

5. Digital Transformation Requires Culture, Not Just Technology

Beyond tech tools, the most consistent thread across the roundtables was cultural transformation. Several leaders emphasised that while the shift to digital is inevitable, the real work lies in mindset and structure.

One participant described the move from a bespoke, on-premise architecture to cloud-based operations as “a change of religion.” Another said the biggest hurdle wasn’t tech, but getting teams to believe in the value of change.

Key strategies shared include:

• Process mapping workshops to align teams across functions.
• Peer coaching programmes to reduce fear of new tools.
• Linking tool adoption to KPIs and incentives (e.g., Salesforce usage tied to bonuses).
• Using failure-sharing forums to normalise learning from missteps.

Ultimately, the DACH region’s most successful marketing transformations are not defined by the latest tool, but by the willingness to change how teams collaborate, think, and measure success.

6. Retail Media and First-Party Data Goldmine

Retail media networks are emerging as a priority investment area. DACH brands are keen to leverage first-party data by creating their own inventory on owned platforms, particularly in sectors like CPG, healthcare, and consumer electronics.

Current experimentation includes:

• Piloting ad placements on proprietary apps or marketplaces.
• Partnering with media agencies to optimise spend across retail environments.
• Exploring credit-based pricing models for access to advertising platforms.

One insight: companies that have successfully adopted retail media do not treat it as a sales-only channel. Instead, they integrate it into full-funnel marketing, from awareness to conversion.

This shift is supported by more sophisticated performance measurement models, beyond just impressions and clicks.

7. Localisation, Translation, and the Human Touch

Many DACH firms operate across multilingual markets, making content localisation a critical concern. AI-powered translation tools like Happy Scribe are helping speed up video subtitling and documentation. However, teams caution against over-reliance on machine translation.

“Localisation is not just about language, it’s about relevance and context.”

Steps being taken:

• Training AI tools using company glossaries and tone guides.
• Building templates via automation platforms like Storytech for consistent reuse.
• Assigning human editors to validate and humanise AI output before publishing.

The result is a hybrid model – AI delivers speed and scale, while humans bring nuance and emotional resonance.

8. Social Media: Beyond Clicks, Toward Credibility

Social media continues to be central to brand awareness, especially on platforms like LinkedIn. However, there’s a clear divergence from vanity metrics.

Several teams reported:

• Focusing on employee advocacy programmes, enabling real people to post pre-approved content and humanise the brand.
• Shifting resources from paid posts to earned and owned media, especially in B2B.
• Encouraging executives to become brand ambassadors, sharing thought leadership instead of promotional content.

One standout comment: “The future of social media marketing in B2B lies in authenticity, not automation.”

9. Experiential Marketing is Back, But Different

Post-pandemic, there’s renewed investment in experiential marketing. But it’s not just about events, it’s about designing immersive brand moments that blend physical and digital worlds.

Examples include:

• In-person music events paired with digital engagement (e.g., gamification, AR filters).
• Blueprinting sessions at innovation centres to engage B2B prospects.
• Targeting schools with hands-on experiments to attract future talent.

“Experiential marketing isn’t a return to the past, it’s a reinvention. It’s about giving purpose to presence.”

Sustainability is also at the heart of this movement. Teams are integrating education on packaging, waste, and lifecycle into their physical experiences to align with ESG goals.

A Region Reimagining Marketing from the Inside Out

The DACH marketing community is not waiting for trends to dictate strategy, it’s proactively shaping its future. Across every roundtable, a clear pattern emerged: tools are secondary to mindset, and data is only powerful when humanised.

The road ahead includes:

• Investing in personalisation platforms that balance privacy with performance.
• Encouraging storytelling and emotional intelligence alongside machine learning.
• Re-evaluating the marketing team’s role as orchestrators of both content and customer trust.

If these roundtables are anything to go by, DACH’s marketers aren’t just adapting to the new rules, they’re rewriting them.