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DMEXCO – Europe’s leading digital marketing and tech event – usually taking place in beautiful Cologne has been re-imagined as DMEXCO@home and will take place 23rd and 24th September. A key theme and motto of this year’s show is ‘Attitude Matters’, so we spoke to DMEXCO Director Communications & Media, Milko Malev, who shared insights into their recent report on attitude in business.

This year’s motto for DMEXCO @home – Attitude matters – is more relevant than ever in light of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. During this crisis, many companies have demonstrated a clear attitude and shown themselves in a positive light through social commitment and engagement.

We have published our DMEXCO report – featuring a comprehensive study on the topic of attitude. The report really highlights that almost all respondents believe that the digital industry must demonstrate a clear attitude. An overwhelming majority (89 percent) believe that companies have a responsibility to solve societal challenges.

This trend was also confirmed by consulting firm Cap Gemini in July with 78 percent of a global survey confirming that companies play a greater role in society. Events in the Corona crisis, such as the #StopHateforProfit initiative involving Facebook, Coca-Cola, Unilever amongst other corporates, also indicates this attitude. Our DMEXCO survey revealed the following key trends:

Attitude is not a question of money and is helpful in the current crisis

When asked which companies can most afford to demonstrate their attitude, almost half of international survey participants (49 percent) said that the type of company doesn’t matter. They do not feel that the profitability of a company conflicts with values-based corporate management. Only 6 percent think that a company has to be able to afford to show attitude. Half also view the implementation of specific measures within individual business sectors as being unproblematic.

Discrepancy between aspiration and reality

It is interesting to draw a comparison between aspiration and reality in different areas. For example, climate change plays a role in only 32 percent of international companies, although 51 percent believe that it is important to show a clear attitude in this area.

No return to business as usual

Over half of respondents (54 percent) believe that there will probably not be a return to business as usual after the coronavirus. Interestingly, in Germany, the host country to our DMEXCO physical events, this figure goes up to 70 percent. Something will have to change, and respondents see challenges and a need for action in three areas. Companies:

  • must build a buffer for future crises ( 53 percent)
  • do business more sustainably (58 percent)
  • focus more strongly on the opportunities presented by digital working.

Just under half (42 percent) international respondents believe that profit maximization should no longer be the overriding principle of corporate management. Attitude is becoming increasingly important to employees and customers. It’s no longer enough to simply manufacture and market a product. The magnitude of this issue is emphasized in the interviews we conducted with digital experts Claudia Hartwich (Senior HR Director Microsoft), Eike Wenzel (founder of ITZ, German research institute for future trends) and Dorothee Bär (German Minister of State for Digitalization).

With DMEXCO @home and our #AttitudeMatters motto for this year, we are giving the digital industry a platform to come together and discuss how we can define attitude and put it into practice. Tickets available here

Milko Malev

Director Communications & Media @DMEXCO

  

MEF