How Zalando Broke Down Media Silos with a Unified Media Operations Platform

“It’s really about bringing transparency to our teams and breaking down silos,” says Johanna, reflecting on the process. “Working together pushed us to define how we should plan media, how we should think about marketing and it helped us create a unified structure, a unified terminology, almost a unified language.”

From Fragmentation to Transparency

Before introducing the Media Operations Platform, teams across the Zalando organization managed their paid media through a mix of spreadsheets, separate tools, and inconsistent terminologies. This made it challenging to maintain visibility across 25 markets and to align on performance as well as priorities.

“Before, we didn’t have transparency because everyone was planning on different platforms, using different terms, different formats,” Johanna explains. “Now, everyone’s in one place. They can talk to each other, see where the synergies are, and optimize their plans together. It’s one foundation, one source for collaboration.”

The introduction of a unified Media Operations Platform created that single source of truth. It all teams, from core media planners to high-level stakeholders — to see market plans, yearly flowcharts, and campaign data in one shared environment.

Redefining Media Planning and Paid Media Management

The transition wasn’t just technical; it was cultural. Different layers within the organization experienced change in their own way. Core users learned to navigate new tools and workflows, while strategic stakeholders discovered new visibility into their media plans.

 “There are always different layers to it,” Johanna notes. “The core team works most closely with the tool, while key stakeholders need transparency to see their market plans at a glance. Each group goes through its own change process.”

For Zalando, the result has been a clearer, more connected way of managing paid media across markets with an emphasis on planning smarter, not just bigger. Instead of chasing every opportunity across 25 markets, the teams can now prioritize and align around the goals that matter most.

Creating a Seamless Media Journey

Ultimately, this operational shift ladders up to Zalando’s ambition to deliver a seamless customer experience.

“Our goal is to create a seamless customer journey,” Johanna says. “Customers don’t care if they see our ad on social, TV, or out-of-home. What matters is that it feels integrated. That’s why we needed a seamless workflow across teams and channels.”

With a strong in-house digital team and an offline buying agency, Zalando’s paid media ecosystem is complex by nature. But with a centralized Media Operations Platform, the company has turned that complexity into clarity.

Entering Phase Two: Building on the Foundation

Zalando’s transformation is ongoing. With the first phase focused on transparency and alignment, the next step is to refine how the platform supports decision-making and collaboration.

“We’ve just finished one change management process  and now we’re starting a new one,” Johanna shares. “We’re entering phase two of what this platform means for us and how it can continue to evolve.”

The foundation is there: unified terminology, shared visibility, and a culture of collaboration. What comes next is about scaling those gains — making every media decision more connected, data-driven, and customer-centric.