Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
BH Telecom is one of the best brands in BiH and the only telecommunications brand to record an 8% growth in the previous year, according to a survey of the relevant European Communications magazine.
These data sound nice, but it wasn’t this that drove me to write this article, and the one I plan to write for Tuesday. It’s about the fact that on September 5, on the Day of BH Telecom, two times on two TV channels (Al Jazeera and Hayat), I watched the film “My Story” by Goran Milić, which I saw as the pinnacle of the full pivot of BH Telecom’s approach to creativity in their communication, which I’ve been observing over the last half of the year. The creative – much more creative communication of this company – inspired me to contemplate whether this breakthrough in creative communication of one of the largest advertisers in Bosnia and Herzegovina might actually be a turningpoint that could benefit the entire advertising industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and move it into a more aggressive development. Advertising in BiH is in a big crisis. While in all other markets in the region, advertising, after the recovery of the crisis of 2008, is growing, in Bosnia and Herzegovina it is declining year-on-year. Budgets are getting smaller, so the value of the market is getting smaller, which is not just a concern for advertising agencies and media. This is the problem of the entire BiH economy. It is well known that in the European Union, one euro invested in advertising generates close to seven euros of GDP. The consequences of numerous negative impacts on BiH’s economic development and the reduction of investment in advertising are visible. Because of all this, I think this opportunity should be used to make a step forward in promoting advertising. That was one of the reasons why I organized a lunch and invited Senad Zaimović (Fabrika), Zvezdana Žujo (Communis), Vesna Vlašić (McCann Sarajevo), Tihana Tais (Direct Media Sarajevo), Belma Hadžiomerović (Raiffeisen Bank BiH), Sabina Isanović from Konzum, who couldn’t join us, and Nađa Lutvikadić (BH Telecom). We talked about the issues and what we could and should do to make things better. Can BH Telecom, as one of the pillars of the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, also push the advertising industry forward, and is this the moment for change? We should be our own best client, our own best creative agency, and our own best media.
What was it that BH Telecom did in a short period of time?
Creative tidying up in BH Telecom started with the visual identity. The logo and the orange color of BH Telecom have for years been recognizable in the public. But the dynamics of the telecommunications industry and the range of services used by youth and business communities demanded a new approach to the visual identity of the company. For this reason, BH Telecom, in cooperation with the Fabrika agency, made a slight redesign at the corporate level, which brought freshness in the recognizable visual identity and color of the company, a new tone and graphic elements, perfectly matching them to the existing image and communication standards of the brand.
The lightness of the visuals represents the virtual space of the cloud that nowadays holds all digital information, while the entire color scheme remains warm and close to people, confirming the trust and security that BH Telecom provides to all users.
At the same time, a new corporate slogan “My Story” was added, which linked all the visual and graphic innovations, as well as the wide range of services and benefits of BH Telecom, thus unifying the identity of all aspects of the company. BH Telecom is part of every important story and project in the field of culture, sports, science and humanitarian affairs, and along with the wide range of services for each individual user, this slogan best reflects the overall role of the company in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The new visual identity and the new slogan were launched with the campaign “Pun pogodak” (“Goal”) in which stars are the players of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian national football team whom BH Telecom has been supporting for 4 years now.
By linking the Football Association and the “Dragons” (nickname of the national team) with creatives of the Fabrika agency, BH Telecom got a fantastic video spot in which stars are the coach Robert Prosinečki and Miralem Pjanić.
“Fabrika’s creative team started from the fact that taking a selfie before hitting the pitch is some kind of a drug for the footballers. Miralem Pjanić is especially stands out, he is totally obsessed with selfies,” says Bojan Hadžihalilović, Creative Director of Sarajevo’s Fabrika Agency. “We have added the fact that coach Robert Prosinečki is an undisputed authority in the national team, and that he always has the last word, regardless of the fact that he has world stars in the team. He also has a famous saying ‘What did I say?’ which we have used as an introduction to the whole story.”
In a humorous but very precise way, the spot highlights the benefits BH Telecom provides to all its subscribers – unlimited calls and unlimited mobile internet. The spot has had a great reception among all target groups, especially football fans and kids who use certain phrases from the spot in their daily communication. Miralem Pjanić and Robret Prosinečki are great in carrying the spot and have showed great acting talent. In all respects, this campaign was a success, and its visibility was great because of the fact that it was aired ahead of the World Cup, during which BH Telecom was a partner to the BHRT in broadcasting the World Cup.
On the Day of BH Telecom, September 5th, ten Bosnian-Herzegovinian TV channels aired a 30 minute corporate film My Story by Goran Milić. The master of television journalism told the story of telecommunications, internet, social networks and many other things in his recognizable way. It should be noted that this is the first corporate film that Goran Milić has done in his almost half a century long career. I will write more about this film in the tomorrow’s Diary, because it deserves it.
Marking of the Day of BH Telecom will not be remembered only by Goran’s fantastic film. That same day, the first issue of BH Telecom’s My Story magazine was published, and a contract was signed with Miralem Pjanić on sponsoring two apartments in the Parenting House in Sarajevo, where parents spend time with their kids, sick with malignant illnesses.
Writing this Diary was not ordered (or sponsored) by BH Telecom. I wrote it out of my own conviction that this which BH Telecom did, and what they intend to do in the field of communication soon, is really a big chance for a big turnaround in our industry.