Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
Once again the most influential international festival of creativity in our region, the Golden Drum, attracted creative industry experts from across the region to Portorož. Over 1,000 of them had the opportunity to listen to the world class lecturers, get acquainted with the latest trends in the industry, and celebrate the best among the works entered into the festival from 38 European countries!
With a rich program – both educational and competitive – it’s no surprise that Golden Drum once again scored great figures, and it’s even less surprising to hear the praises from everyone we talked with about this year’s festival. But we wanted to find out more about this year’s Golden Drum first-hand, and who better to ask about the festival and its future plans than its president, and the CEO of the Slovenian advertising chamber, Mojca Briščik.
Media Marketing: 25th Golden Drum in some basic numbers (number of entries, delegates…)
Mojca Briščik: 1,200 creative ideas from 28 countries and over 1,000 delegates from 38 European countries. Among the 28 countries the most entries came from Romania (188), followed by Russia (149). Works were entered by 196 different agencies, 28 agency networks and 103 independent agencies.
The most entries, with expected slightly less than 60%, were received in the WHAT competition section, and among those most were in the Reach, Craft and Film categories. In the competition section WHY, the leading group was Social Good, followed by Entertainment and Activation.
Media Marketing: You are the only festival in Europe, and the world, which asks the question “Why?” in its competition, seeking the fundamental reasons for different communication practices. Has this method proved worthwhile?
Mojca Briščik: Absolutely. This section essentially reflects the current state of advertising. First of all, it treats professional ethics and social responsibility as the fundamental topics that are present in the profession. Taking into account the expected number of reported works and the first reactions of jury members, we have made the right steps – in the competition part we are now distinguishing ourselves from other creative / advertising festivals, and we believe that this section still has room for growth.
Media Marketing: How did the Adriatic region react this year in terms of entered work?
Mojca Briščik: We are happy that the Golden Drum still has an important role in the mind of the Adriatic region. This is, above all, reflected in the reported works. Most of them came from Serbia (37) and Slovenia (32), followed by Macedonia with seven entries and Croatia with six. This year, we had two entries more from the region than last year, for a total of 82 entries. The most encouraging fact is that the works from our region won some of the greatest awards.
This is an overview of the awarded works from the Adriatic region:
- One Poster For Peace by New Moment New Ideas Company Belgrade: Golden Drum in group Craft, category Best Art Direction in Silver Drum in group Out of home, category Leisure, Entertainment, Culture & Education
- #Unwanted by McCann Beograd, McCann Podgorica: Golden Drum in group Reach, category Public and Community relations in Silver Drum in group Craft, category Best use of music
- #check it by Publicis Belgrade – Silver Drum in group Activation
- Red Ball by New Moment New Ideas Company Belgrade – Silver Drum in group Out of home, category Health, Beauty & Fashion
Awarded works in the Adriatic Awards section:
- Golden Drum Adriatic was awarded to entry #Unwanted by McCann Beograd and McCann Podgorica
- Silver Drum Adriatic was awarded to entry One Poster For Peace by New Moment New Ideas Company Belgrade
- Bronze Drum Adratic was awarded to entry #check it by Publicis Belgrade
On behalf of the festival, I wish to congratulate all winners, as well as those who entered the shortlists.
Media Marketing: Satisfied?
Mojca Briščik: Of course! Not only did we managed to retain the number of submitted works at last year’s level – considering the decrease in the number of submitted works at the festivals that took place before ours – we have even observed an obvious increase in number of entries by young creatives (Young Drummers), and have hosted more delegates in Portorož than last year, from as many as 38 countries.
In addition, it is undeniable that this year we have really brought great names from our industry to Portorož, which indicates that the goal we set – growth of the festival in years ahead – will be achieved. In the past 25 years, Golden Drum has proved why it is a relevant partner both to agencies and advertisers.
Media Marketing: Since you had the chance to see all the entries, were your favourites successful? How successful were you in predictions?
Mojca Briščik: I wouldn’t call them favourites, but the agencies that attracted my attention “off the bat”, apart from those that won awards in Cannes this year, were also 180heartbeats + JvM for Unilever – Unbreakable Rainbow and Y&R Prague for Reporter Magazine – Questioning…
Of course, the list goes much longer. Fortunately, I didn’t have to decide about that. It was all in the hands of an international 22-member strong jury led by Dušan Drakalski, Chief Creative Officer Europe, Ray Productions, Czech Republic, and Adrian Botan, the Global Executive Creative Director, McCann Worldgroup.
Media Marketing: What lecture left the greatest impression on you, or were there more of them?
Mojca Briščik: The greatest impression on me was left by Sir. John Hegarty. With his simplicity even beyond festival commitments, he indirectly presented our industry as an extremely inspirational one, as something you simply want to work in. Apart from him, I would also highlight experts such as Barry Wacksman, EVP, Global Chief Strategy Officer, R/GA, New York, Justin Billingsley, CEO, Publicis Emil, UK, Pietro Leone, Global Chief Operating Officer, Geometry Intelligence, UK – three speakers whose presentations will have a major impact on the development and operation of our profession. I was also delighted with David Pivk, a Slovene whose hard work and love for sport earned him the trust of Nike (Brand Communication Director, Nike EMEA).
Media Marketing: What will you remember this year’s Golden Drum for?
Mojca Briščik: First and foremost, for the atmosphere at the festival and interesting comments of younger generations, and their views of the more experienced and respected colleagues whose names have already been printed in gold letters in the industry.
Since it is virtually impossible for me to listen to all the lectures during the festival, I got to experience them from a different perspective. I would literally sit among the participants and listen to the comments, especially those by younger creatives. I can honestly say that the experience was invaluable. I will share with you a comment by a young Polish creative (younger than 30), referring to the lecture of Mariusz Jan Demner. After the lecture, he commented with great seriousness about how can a 60-year-old jump around the stage with so much energy, and convince the audience to exercise together with him, and on top of all that lead one of the most successful agencies in Austria. But his comment didn’t end there, as he continued saying he couldn’t imagine himself working for one or two agencies for the rest of his life. First of all, the latter part of his comment shook me. I started contemplating the “state of mind” of the new generation and how the situation is viewed by leading people in agencies? What does this mean from the point of view of investing in the development of young people and why is the sense of belonging dying out? This may be a question for Media Marketing readers from many agencies.
Media Marketing: How does the Golden Drum feel as a twenty-five-year-old? How has its “age” affect it?
Mojca Briščik: It is mature, seasoned, wise, and still full of energy, especially now when it returned to the Slovenian coast, in Portorož. On the one hand it is experienced, and on the other, it is full of enthusiasm for development. It is certainly impacted by the changing advertising industry, which brings something new every year, and demands the festival to follow it.
Media Marketing: What will the future of festivals in your opinion?
Mojca Briščik: I am convinced that festivals will always exist. And, as Dr. Stephan Vogel, from Ogilvy & Mather Germany said recently, linking festivals to the Olympic Games: “If there were no Olympic Games, would anyone have run 100 meters in less than 10 seconds?”
As I have said many times so far, the festivals are a mirror of the state of our industry. At the same time, they reward ideas and allow the exchange of best practices. I believe festivals give an answer to the question of whether someone is good. When you hold an award in your hands everyone knows you are!
Media Marketing: Which trends will shape the industry in the years ahead?
Mojca Briščik: The industry will need greater transparency and honesty. Honesty in the form of brand integrity, which leads to trust that is reflected in better sales results. There will be an increase in volume of “in-house” work in the client marketing departments, which is currently being carried out by marketing agencies, especially if we are talking about brands. The rise of companies buying consultancy agencies, primarily in the digital sector, is still one of the trends that will last.
I am convinced that creative advertising agency will always be the first interlocutor to advertisers, and only then the consultancies which know how to handle another important tool in achieving your goals – data.
I personally believe that creative ideas are at the heart of brand communication, we can measure them with technology (of all kinds), but without creativity, the same result will never be achieved. The creative idea is what makes the difference.