Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
Slovenian Advertising Festival (SOF) on April 6 and 7 again calls on the industry of market communications and wider marketing profession to come to the Kempinski Palace in Portorož. The latest advertising trends have dictated the changes and innovations in the competition program, and have influenced the content of the program part of the festival, whose main theme is “The human factor in advertising” under which it will provide participants with a new perspective on the profession. The jury of the 26th SOF will be chaired by Gal Erbežnik, a consultant for the creative excellence of the Institute of Words and Thoughts. The first speakers are also already unveiled, and you can enter your best works to the festival by 9 March 2017.
According to Mija Gačnik Krpić, president of the 26th SOF and Business Development Director at the agency Futura DDB, several years ago advertising was a prestigious profession, in some cases even part of popular culture, but today it faces many challenges. Even the best ideas can topple on countless points if we are not aware of the importance of the human factor in a multi-layered process of advertising. This year’s SOF will be focused on self-examination and understanding the role of the individual in order to build the reputation of the profession and give it the importance that it deserves.
Novelties of the competition program
Entries for the festival are open, with 13 updated competition categories in offer. The essential change of this year’s competition program is the expansion of social good group into two categories: Social good of non-profit, non-governmental and governmental organizations and Social good of companies and their brands. Categories this year are separated due to contextual differences and prism of evaluation, but the Grand Prix for Social Good will be awarded to only one work.
The expansion of communication channels and forms of branded content has driven change in the group of radio ads as well. This group is now called Radio Communication and enables registration in two categories: Radio ads and Other Forms of Branded Radio Communication that is open to new, modern and different forms of branded activities that are made within the radio stations or in cooperation with them.
In the group Digital Communication, due to trends and technological developments, categories Websites and Apps, which were so far separate, have been integrated into a single category of Websites and Apps.
Jury President at 26th SOF is Gal Erbežnik
SOF’s Council for the Competition Program, led by Tanja Mezga, director of projects at Gigodesign, was in charge of changes in the competition program and the selection of the jury members.
The jury that will award the best works of Slovenian advertising industry will be chaired by Gal Erbežnik, consultant for creative excellence in the Institute of Words and Thoughts, who has more than twenty years of experience in advertising. Jury of the 26th SOF are: Gregor Ahman, conceptual / artistic director of the agency Havas Vienna, Miha Bevc, creative director and partner in BPCS, Vasilije Ćorluka, Executive Creative Director, Publics One Macedonia, Matija Kocbek, a leader of design and innovation at agency Pristop, Tine Lugarič, creative director at the agency Luna \ TBWA, Katja Petrin Dornik, creative director at the agency Grey, Matej Praprotnik, assistant director for strategy at Radio Slovenia and Peter Šepetavc, head of marketing at the company Mediately. In the assessment of the shortlisted entries in the category Integrated Communication Campaigns, the jury will be joined by three additional members appointed by the Slovenian Association of Advertisers within the Slovenian Advertising Chamber: Anja Jurca, communications manager at Hofer, Andrej Krajner, director of communication at NLB and Matevž Šmalc, head of brand management in the company Si-mobil.
Diverse and rich two-day program
A sizeable roster of local and international speakers will again this year provide new optimism and motivation to delegates at SOF. Coming to the big stage are stars such as Gregory Roekens, who at Grey Europe works on the development of technologies that improve user experience. Dieter de Ridder, executive creative director at AIR Brussels who will use his twenty years of experience to lead participants through practical advice for better creative results. Industry tricks and trips will also be shared by Harjot Singh, strategic director of McCann Worldgroup Europe, who has worked for some of the most famous brands and agencies worldwide. Another speaker coming on the stage will be Luka Bajs, senior copywriter at Grey Ljubljana, Roman Berčon, philosopher, director of advertising agency Votan komunikacije and a member of the new composition of the Advertising Court, Žiga Drofenik, the man who manages copyrights at IMC MP Ltd., Universal Music Publishing, Cene Grčar, lawyer, Pro Plus and vice president of the new session of the Advertising Court, Ivona Janjić, director of retail segment at Agrokor Group, Tomato Košir, designer of visual messages, Marko Milosavljević, associate professor of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Andraž Teršek, Faculty of Education, University of Koper, Peter Zabret, copywriter, Pristop, Gregor Žakelj, founder and art director at VBG, and many others.