koks.digital 2026: AI campaigns – Between genius and creepiness
For me, koks.digital has become a regular event on my calendar. This year marked my third time attending, but it was the first time I had the opportunity to take the stage myself.
Through the call for papers, Dr. Maren Volkmann from SIGNAL IDUNA and I were selected to present our talk, “AI Campaigns: Between Genius and Creepiness.” Together, we analyzed current AI campaigns and demonstrated why there’s far more than just a single prompt separating impressive results from a complete flop. I was particularly pleased by the audience’s active participation and the abundance of positive feedback afterward. The discussions that followed have shown that many companies are asking themselves the same questions: How can you use artificial intelligence effectively in marketing without sacrificing quality, credibility, and brand identity?
Corporate Influencers instead of generic content
Although it felt like the temperature kept rising with every presentation, the mood remained upbeat throughout the day.
I found Anika Schiller’s presentation on Bochum Economic Development’s corporate influencer program #BOfluencer particularly fascinating. She demonstrated how visibility can be achieved without large marketing budgets – namely, through employees who share their experiences and perspectives.
The topic strikes a chord. Anyone who regularly uses LinkedIn quickly notices that the platform is increasingly dominated by generic AI-generated content. Many texts sound similar, and many graphics seem interchangeable. That’s why I found the corporate influencer approach all the more exciting. After all, real experiences, individual perspectives, and personal stories are exactly the kinds of content that still stand out from the crowd. Authentic communication is thus increasingly becoming a competitive advantage.
AI-ready data strategy: The case of VfL Bochum
As a Bochum native, I naturally could not miss the presentation by Daniel Weitkämper from VfL Bochum. The insights into the club’s digital development were relevant far beyond the world of soccer. In particular, the topics of data silos and cross-departmental collaboration are concerns for companies in nearly every industry.
Breaking down data silos
We see this time and again with our clients. Anyone who wants to successfully use artificial intelligence in marketing must first get their data infrastructure under control. Without clean data, neither automation nor AI can reach their full potential.
Making data AI-ready
That’s exactly why we at communicode help companies make their data landscapes AI-ready. The presentation demonstrated once again that successful AI projects rarely fail because of the tools, but rather due to data quality, processes, and collaboration.
A fresh start for the internet... before it becomes unusable!
My personal highlight was once again Sascha Pallenberg (MeTacheles). His talks achieve something that few others can: they are at once informative, entertaining, unsettling, and inspiring.
I particularly appreciate his critical take on Big Tech and his commitment to a sustainable digital transformation. While many talk about new technologies, he questions their impact on society, the economy, and our digital interactions. This year, too, he offered some food for thought that I’ll be pondering for a long time to come.
For me, the conversations in between were at least as valuable as the sessions themselves. koks.digital brings together people from companies, agencies, and organizations who face similar challenges and openly share their experiences. It’s precisely this honest exchange that makes the event so special to me.
Conclusion: AI campaigns, data, and real-world experiences
For me, koks.digital remains a small but excellent digital conference in the Ruhr region. The topics – AI campaigns, corporate influencers, data quality, and the future of digital communication – showed that many companies are facing similar challenges.
A big thank you to the team for organizing the event, selecting the topics, and giving me the opportunity to be part of the program myself this year. Whether I’m back on stage or in the audience – I’ll definitely be there again next year.
Stephanie Ebbert
Stephanie is a UX Designer and Art Director with over 12 years of experience. At communicode, she designs and optimizes digital products such as websites, online shops or apps. She advises customers from the B2B as well as from the B2C area. Her passion for developing digital products is shaped by the human-centered design mindset. Stephanie is convinced that user testing, user interviews and psychology play a bigger role in good user experiences and successful shops than just beautiful design.
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