Seeking Smart Solutions

Last autumn saw agency SVA establish a new organisational structure and new management roles, which reinvigorated the team and brought new driving energy and optimism, though they still believe that there are no small clients, difficult projects or impossible deadlines

All four of our interlocutors not only believe that their work will continue to be important in the years to come, but also that it will develop further, encompassing internal, external, corporate, promotional, CSR and all other communication needs through which companies want to share their purpose.

MAJA SUBOTIĆ Managing Director TIME OF THE ECO-ECONOMY COMING

The times ahead certainly won’t be less complicated, on the contrary. But we nonetheless believe that human capital, creative thinking and innovation are inexhaustible, which is why we entered 2023 with optimism. The reputation of the marketing industry is often debated, with its performance undermined, detracting from the need for it, with “threats” from

Companies can no longer sell whatever brings them the most profit. Smart solutions are being sought

new trends, gaming, artificial intelligence...

Given that communication and creativity are the elements used to weave the real marketing “craft”, I’m certain that the existence and success of professionals from our profession is beyond question, due to the very fact that even ancient civilisations recognised and highly valued writers and artists in their society.

The communication system is a factor that sets humans apart from other creatures, and cognitive abilities, and the ability to adapt to the most diverse conditions, provided humans with an evolutionary advantage that today ensures humans rule the world. Although we cannot, as the human collective, boast of the thoughtfulness of our actions, especially over the last few years, what is nonetheless positive – even if it is only in marketing today and has been conditioned precisely by accelerated digitalisation and various restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic – is the abandoning of the classic approach of “selling fog by the kilo” to increase consumption and opening up to the ever-increasing eco-economy trend. Today’s consumers communicate with one another independently, create independent reviews and debate products/ services, launch their own content and increasingly come together around sustainable solutions, while Generation Z, with its progressive and uncompromising attitude to its own convictions, is growing up at an accelerated rate and is immune to traditional marketing. Companies can no longer sell whatever brings them the most profit. Smart solutions are being sought, while the focus of communication is on brands, i.e., on the system of values that companies share with a much wider audience than their own client group. Our work continues to be important and is developing precisely in this context, encompassing internal, external, corporate, promotional, CSR and all other communication needs through which companies want to share their purpose with the world, and we need that more than ever today, from the individual to the collective.

IVANA PETKOVIĆ, Creative Director

WE’RE APPROACHING A REBOOT

Have you noticed how the most successful people are almost never the most educated, the prettiest, the most talented? They merely worked the hardest to realise their own dreams. I believe the creative director is not the most creative member of the team, but that they know their team very well, learn from each member every day and know how to get the best from each of them. They know how to inspire the team and always have an idea that they can put on the table in order to work with the team and come up with an idea behind which the whole team can stand.

If an idea is good, there is no reason to reconcile anyone. Money will come as a consequence, but that mustn’t be the inspiration. The creative director is always at the service of creative workers, the accounting department and clients. And they must be

In terms of the joy of new challenges, experience is precious in our profession, but the real beauty of this job is that it makes us young every day. We create campaigns for everyone, from children to pensioners, and that compels us to familiarise ourselves with all their

We create campaigns for everyone, from children to pensioners, and that compels us to familiarise ourselves with all their aspirations and affinities the most creative in understanding everyone. When it comes to the inspiration, trends come and go, which is why I believe we will all experience a reboot. It is paradoxical that, no matter how much innovation we have in our heads, we have still concluded that everything has already been seen, and that is matched by how much the world, and therefore communication, has been accelerating in recent years. Our basic power lies in the fact that we are capable of finding inspiration in everything. However, before and after everything, we are still addressing people, their needs and desires, and that’s something we shouldn’t forget regardless of that which time, trends or new formats impose on us.

MILENA SIMOVIĆ, Client Service Director EVERY PROJECT IS A NEW ADVENTURE

A unique approach primarily implies an openness in communication with the client, understanding all their needs and the challenges they face; putting yourself in their shoes. With such an approach, we work with equal enthusiasm on projects for large and small clients; with good organisation we render seemingly impossible deadlines possible, in our mutual interest, and we manage to develop love for those brands that are not the closest to our hearts.

aspirations and affinities. Circumstances are changing; the nature of our work and the pace at which projects are implemented is very different and more challenging, such that every new project is a new adventure. And despite many years of experience, I still learn something new every day.

MARIJA JOKSIMOVIĆ Media Director EVERY MEDIUM HAS ITS OWN AUDIENCE

Social media has been in focus for many years, and contributing further to that fact are influencers, who are increasingly engaging in monetised collaborations with brands. It is unquestionable that brands benefit from cooperation with influencers, but it is important for all such collaborations to be natural; for harmonisation to exist in terms of purpose, approach and communication method. If this is not the case, then the trust of the public is lost, which can harm both the brand and the influencer.

Traditional media and social media certainly aren’t mutually exclusive

Traditional media and social media certainly aren’t mutually exclusive. The perception of users, and the way both forms of media are consumed, differ completely, and they satisfy different needs of users, but traditional media will be forced to find new ways of generating revenue.