SHERIDAN, WYOMING – September 14, 2025 – A new study from DMEXCO and research partner Civey reveals that boldness is fast becoming the defining factor in digital marketing success. While 75% of marketing professionals identify a bold brand presence as essential, only 8% say they have actually pursued bold marketing decisions. The gap highlights both a strategic opportunity and a cultural hesitation across the industry.
Bold Marketing as a Growth Driver
The study surveyed 500 professionals in marketing and communications. Key findings include:
- 81% expect boldness in marketing to gain importance in the next five years.
- 75% believe risk-taking brand strategies lead to greater long-term business success.
- Fewer than 6% disagreed that boldness is a success factor.
For companies seeking to stand out in crowded markets, boldness is increasingly viewed not as a differentiator, but as a prerequisite for relevance and growth.
Hesitation Holds Back Execution
Despite strong conviction, few companies act decisively. Only 6.6% of respondents reported launching bold advertising campaigns, 5.7% had pursued radical brand changes, and just 5% took controversial public stances. Fear of social media backlash (47%), damage to brand image (45.6%), and legal risks (45%) were the top reasons for caution, while nearly 30% pointed to internal resistance.
Interestingly, while 64% of respondents described themselves as bold marketers, the actions taken suggest a significant perception gap between intent and execution.
Where Bold Moves Are Happening
Among the boldest steps reported were:
- Expanding into new markets (17.4%)
- Targeting previously untapped customer groups (10.7%)
- Public commitment to social or environmental causes (8.8%)
These moves align with broader industry trends such as cultural marketing, ESG-driven storytelling, and direct-to-consumer expansion—areas where bold positioning can generate measurable returns.
Industry Voices Call for Courage
Marketing leaders emphasize that boldness is no longer optional. “Strong campaigns stay top of mind,” said Verena Gründel, Host and Director Brands & Communications at DMEXCO. “Boldness is the decisive lever for visibility and growth in marketing. In a time when AI-generated content can be created in seconds, we need human creativity, emotion, and a clear stance to avoid disappearing into interchangeability. Boldness is the fuel that catapults brands out of comparability and firmly anchors them in people’s minds. Not acting boldly is simply not an option.”
Anke Herbener, Vice President at the German Association for the Digital Economy (BVDW), added: “New technologies and megatrends like cultural marketing open up enormous opportunities for Germany’s creative industry. Yet there remains a gap between the desire for bold ideas and their execution. This applies to advertisers and agencies alike. DMEXCO addresses exactly this: showing why boldness in marketing is becoming a success factor, especially in uncertain times.”
Strategic Implications for Marketers and Agencies
For B2B and B2C brands, the findings carry clear implications:
- Creativity vs. AI commoditization: With generative content increasingly commoditized, bold positioning helps human-led campaigns stand out.
- Risk management in digital channels: Organizations must balance brand safety with calculated risk-taking to capture attention in saturated markets.
- Internal culture shift: Overcoming internal resistance and siloed decision-making will be essential to deliver truly bold campaigns.
These dynamics point to a need for leadership alignment, risk governance frameworks, and stronger collaboration between CMOs, compliance teams, and agency partners.
DMEXCO 2025: A Platform for Bold Leadership
DMEXCO 2025, taking place in Cologne on September 17–18, will showcase high-profile executives from companies including Douglas, Meta, OTTO, Zalando, Lufthansa, and Criteo. The program emphasizes bold strategies in content marketing, advertising innovation, and customer engagement, positioning the event as a live case study in courageous brand leadership.
In October, DMEXCO will expand internationally with the debut of DMEXCO ASIA, part of Tech Week Singapore. The move reflects the growing global appetite for bold digital strategies across new markets.
Learn More
Marketers and decision-makers seeking to explore the full study findings and DMEXCO 2025 program highlights can visit www.dmexco.com.