College

Best Brands College 2026

To underline the informative aspect of Best Brands, prior to the evening’s award ceremony there was also a congress during the day: at the Best Brands College from 08.30 am on 25 February 2026, high-profile speakers came together to discuss the overarching topic: Under the theme ‘#ExperienceUnlimited: How brand experience gives brands stability and strength’.

From global upheaval to technological disruption and a changing understanding of consumption and values – brands needed to respond to this unprecedented pace of change with unwavering innovative strength and resilience. What set successful brands apart these days was their ability to create unmistakeable experiences that resonated with people and maintained a strong sense of relevance. With #ExperienceUnlimited as its central theme, the 2026 Best Brands College provided inspiration and expertise on this topic.

Host: Daniel Boschmann

Highlights of the Best Brands College 2026

Dr. Julia Shaw

Keynote

Bestselling author & criminal psychologist – about the power of memories and unforgettable brand experiences

Anschreiben_BestBrands_2026_dig. Version.pdf - Abschlusshighlight

Felicia Mutterer, Oke Göttlich & Jasmine Robinson

Closing Highlight

featuring Felicia Mutterer, co-founder and Managing Director of FC Viktoria Berlin Oke Göttlich, President of FC St. Pauli and Jasmine Robinson, Managing Partner at Monarch Collective

Further Highlights of the Best Brands College 2026

Time: 9:30 – 9:40 am

Welcome with Benedikt Faerber, Managing Director & CSO Media Impact

Speaker: Dr. Julia Shaw, bestselling author & criminal psychologist

Time: 09:45 – 10:10 am

A little caution was advisable when you met Dr Julia Shaw: in a groundbreaking study, the bestselling author and criminal psychologist was able to implant memories in people of things that they had never actually experienced. Based on the latest findings from neurosciences and psychology, the ‘memory hacker’ showed in her talk that memories are not set in stone. On the contrary: remembering was a creative process in which our brain repeatedly formed a new image from individual fragments – our identity. How could brands use this knowledge to communicate their message better and make their products unforgettable? In her fascinating talk, Julia Shaw encouraged the audience to examine the connection between identity and successful storytelling – and showed just how valuable memories could be for brands.

More Information about Dr. Julia Shaw here.

Speaker: Stephan Betz, Brand & Media Experte - Strategic Analytics & Insights at NielsenIQ
Sandra Haberstroh, Team Lead Mobility D-A-CH at NielsenIQ

Time: 10:15 – 10:35 am

The demands being placed on brand management were huge and classic differentiation by product or price was no longer enough. In a time in which brands were battling it out for attention and loyalty, experiences were the key to success. Yet brand experiences were so much more than individual touchpoints: they were the sum of all interactions that resulted in a consistent, relevant and emotional overall picture. And they shouldn’t just have surprised – they also needed to be recognisable, align with the brand’s identity and deliver real, tangible value. But what made brand experiences powerful? And how could they be strategically designed and successfully used in your own brand management?

Further information about the speakers of this Masterclass can be found here.

Speaker: Adrian Eck, Senior Brand Activation Manager DE/AT at Weber-Stephen, Alina Enache, Senior Marketing Director at Coca-Cola Europe & Stijn Mentrop, Vice President & CMO at McDonald’s Germany

Time: 10:40 – 11:10 am

What made a brand a Best Brand? Three of this year’s top 10 brands – Coca-Cola, Weber-Stephen and McDonald’s – took to the stage to provide insights. The marketing specialists outlined what made their brands strong, as well as the principles that contributed to relevance, community and growth. This was followed by a lively discussion with sharp theories, precise questions, clear answers and plenty of opportunities for input from the audience. And at the end you took away tangible lessons and useful input that could be applied directly to your own roadmap.

Speaker: Ramona Jaeckle, Brand Manager at the Handelsblatt Media Group

Time: 11:15 – 11:35 am

In order to make business journalism truly tangible as a brand, it was crucial to establish a clear positioning, deliver a consistent brand experience and authentically embody your own values. Ramona Jaeckle, Brand Manager at the Handelsblatt Media Group, provided fascinating insights into the branding of German newspaper Handelsblatt and WirtschaftsWoche magazine, showing how strong media brands built trust and provided orientation in times of change. In practical terms, she demonstrated how targeted branding forged a deeper connection between brand and audience and therefore laid the foundation for long-term relevance.

More Information about Ramona Jaeckle here.

Speaker: Alexander Mühl, Director of Marketing & Digitalisation at Borussia Dortmund

Time: 11:40 am – 12:00 pm

There weren’t many other football clubs that defined themselves by their stadium experience as much as Borussia Dortmund (BVB). The club profited from a fan culture that had grown over decades and was based on exceptionally strong loyalty. But how were they dealing with a rapidly changing sports and event culture? How could marketing and digital services contribute to maintaining the unparalleled BVB experience? And how could they convey this special experience to people around the globe who would probably never set foot inside the Signal Iduna Park stadium?

More about Alexander Mühl here.

Speaker: Jil Andert, Director Brand & Events at Miss Germany, Max Klemmer, Managing Partner at Miss Germany & Tom Schwarz, Managing Director of Seven.One AdFactory

Time: 1:00 – 1:20 pm

In a world in which we were constantly bombarded with information, brands needed to do more than just get noticed: they needed to leave a lasting mark on people. But how? Seven.OneAdFactory’s Managing Director Tom Schwarz knew the answer: brands needed to become emotional experiences. At the College, he presented some of the most spectacular ad campaigns and content cooperations from recent months and explained what was required of brands. Together with Max Klemmer and Jil Andert from ‘Miss Germany’, he also presented one of the most exciting brand developments of the past few years: the transformation from a traditional beauty contest into a modern platform for female empowerment, activism and social relevance. They talked about why the transformation was necessary, the new self-image that defined the brand, how this realignment was reflected in this year’s ‘Miss Germany’ contest – and what made it attractive for brand integrations.

Further information about Tom Schwarz can be found here.

Speaker: Filiz de Campos Oliveira, radio presenter at bigFM & York Strempel, Lead Audio Experience at RMS

Time: 1:25 – 1:45 pm

Audio reached people in ways that other media could not. It created resonance – between brands and people, between voices and emotions. In a digitalised world full of distractions, audio was the medium that turned attention into genuine relationships and relevance. Listening built a sense of closeness and trust, and brands that were a part of this connection stayed in people’s minds and hearts. York Strempel, Lead Audio Experience at RMS, and Filiz de Campos Oliveira, radio presenter and digital creator, talked about the emotional power of listening and explained why the proximity to real people made the medium of audio so unique and effective for brand communication.

Further information about the speakers of this Masterclass can be found here.

Speaker: Mike Bödger, Director Strategic Business Development at WallDecaux

Time: 1:50 – 2:10 pm

Out-of-home campaigns provide more than just reach: if they are properly orchestrated, they can become an experience space in the middle of the city. Programmatic targeting, creative technologies and special formats are turning (digital) advertising media into dynamic brand experiences. Out-of-home advertising is visible, relevant and scalable – and surprises, activates and connects people. Based on real-life examples, OOH expert Mike Bödger showed how it’s done.

Further information about Mike Bödger this Masterclass can be found here.

Speaker: Nikolaus Glasmacher, Chief Business Officer at BILD

Time: 2:15 – 2:35 pm

Strong brands needed approachability, emotion and relevance – and they also needed to play their part in shaping change, especially in times of technological disruption. Nikolaus Glasmacher, Chief Business Officer at German newspaper BILD, took us behind the scenes of Germany’s biggest media brand and explained how technology, emotion and brand identity could be combined to create an unmistakable brand experience. We learned more about how to turn reach into real experiences, how to accompany users in all situations, and with which formats – from an emotional live event to a platform for interaction and discussion to a buying guide – we could offer users genuine added value and further grow existing business models.

Further information about Nikolaus Glasmacher can be found here.

Speaker: Michael Stücke, shepherd and owner of the Schäferei Stücke sheep farm, Nadia Leytes, Client Strategy Director at Serviceplan Cologne & Andy Wyeth, Creative Lead at Serviceplan Cologne

Time: 2:40 – 3:00 pm

When New York celebrated a shepherd from the north-west of Germany: with an innovative idea, queer wool label Rainbow Wool managed to get Tokio Hotel singer Bill Kaulitz on board as a testimonial and attracted the attention of the international press. This was followed by a cooperation with dating app Grindr and a spectacular fashion collection by designer Michael Schmidt – who had created outfits for Lady Gaga and Rihanna – on a catwalk in New York. This success story showed how a unique brand experience could catapult a brand with local roots to global relevance. Prepare to be inspired!

Further information about the speakers of this Masterclass can be found here.

Speaker: Felicia Mutterer, co-founder and Managing Director of FC Viktoria Berlin, Oke Göttlich, President of FC St. Pauli and Jasmine Robinson, Managing Partner at Monarch Collective

Time: 3:05 – 3:35 pm

In a time of constant disruption, how did brands stay relevant? Two perspectives – the values-driven approach of FC St. Pauli and the progressive model of FC Viktoria Berlin in women’s football – demonstrated how social commitment, working closely with the community and showing courage could strengthen brands in the long term. Felicia Mutterer and Oke Göttlich showed examples of diversified investor structures, effective community building and successful initiatives such as Kiezhelden (Neighbourhood Heroes), FC St. Pauli’s social initiative that supported marginalised groups in the local area. Plus: Jasmine Robinson from Monarch Collective revealed international insights from a global investor perspective. Monarch recently became the first global investor specialising in women’s sports to invest in FC Viktoria Berlin – a first in the German Women’s Bundesliga. In the panel, you were able to ask her questions directly and find out how leadership, empathy and business courage could make today’s brands resilient and desirable.

Further information about the Speakers can be found here.