Crossmedia vs OMD

Measuring What Matters at The Drum Live 2026

At The Drum Live 2026, Crossmedia shared insights on modern media measurement, emphasizing that increased data and AI tools cannot compensate for a lack of foundational clarity. Samara Gerard, Managing Director Planning & Buying, highlighted the necessity of aligning business and media objectives before tracking performance. The agency advocated for balancing brand building with performance marketing and investing in robust data governance.

• Samara Gerard, Managing Director Planning & Buying at Crossmedia, shared takeaways from The Drum Live 2026.
• The commentary emphasizes that AI and dashboards cannot fix unclear business and media objectives, warning that AI merely accelerates wrong conclusions from bad data.
• Crossmedia advises balancing long-term brand building with short-term performance marketing instead of over-relying on ROAS and last-touch attribution.

Crossmedia Aligns Leadership Around the Next Era of Independent Growth

Entering its 27th year, the global independent media agency is sharpening its focus on growth, corporate strategy and operational discipline as it works to become the world's most trusted media agency.

DKB launches performance-driven retirement savings campaign

Deutsche Kreditbank (DKB) launched a new conversion- and performance-driven campaign for its retirement savings account (Altersvorsorgedepot) on October 30, 2026, following a pitch won by agency Antoni in October. The campaign, titled 'Altersvorsorge. Aber auf einfach.', humorously contrasts complex banking jargon with DKB's simple approach. It includes a TV spot, social clips, and OOH motifs. Media planning by OMD covers TV, Addressable TV, online video (YouTube, Disney+), social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), and DOOH. The campaign supports DKB's 'DKB 2030' strategy to simplify banking and retirement products. A second flight is planned for January 2027, when the product becomes available to all Germans, replacing the Riester pension. DKB also works with strategy consultancy Diffferent on brand positioning, while a separate brand campaign is handled by HeimatTBWA.

• DKB launched the Altersvorsorgedepot campaign on October 30, 2026, with Antoni as creative agency.
• Media plan by OMD includes TV, Addressable TV, online video, social media, DOOH, and display.
• Campaign is conversion- and performance-driven, supporting DKB's 'DKB 2030' strategy.

OMD Wins Triple Grand Prix at 2026 M&M Awards

OMD, a global media agency network, has won all three Grand Prix at the 2026 M&M Global Awards. OMD Worldwide was named Agency Network of the Year, OMD Peru was named Agency of the Year, and its 'SOS POS' campaign for Banco de Crédito del Perú (BCP) won Campaign of the Year. The 'SOS POS' campaign, which turned POS terminals into emergency banking tools to help Peruvians protect their accounts from phone theft, also won five category trophies and one Highly Commended honor. In total, OMD teams received 10 category trophies and four Highly Commended honors across markets including Peru, New Zealand, the UK, Germany, Lebanon, and Greece. Other winning campaigns were for clients Channel 4, McDonald's, MSD, ICRC, and BIC, showcasing the network's strength in financial services, healthcare, entertainment, and technology.

• OMD won all three Grand Prix at the 2026 M&M Global Awards.
• OMD Worldwide was named Agency Network of the Year, OMD Peru Agency of the Year.
• The 'SOS POS' campaign for Banco de Crédito del Perú won Campaign of the Year.

Merci's Emotional TV Spot Revives Sentimental Advertising

Storck's Merci brand is launching a new 50-second TV commercial that leverages deep emotional storytelling to stand out in the advertising landscape. The spot features various tear-jerking scenarios, such as a father meeting his estranged son, a mother seeing her daughter in a wedding dress, and friends comforting each other. The campaign is built around the brand's iconic jingle 'Merci, dass es Dich gibt' as a key sonic asset. The agency Pahnke Hamburg produced the film with production company Pullover Films, director Aleksander Bach, and music producers KruegerWilckens and Blut. The media agency OMD will distribute versions of 50, 30, and 23 seconds across TV, online video, connected TV, and cinema in Germany and internationally in Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

• Storck's Merci brand launches a new 50-second emotional TV spot.
• The campaign was developed by agency Pahnke Hamburg.
• The spot will air in versions of 50, 30, and 23 seconds.