Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
Growth is in the nature of every company. Each of them wants to grow its frames, its market and go further. They want to manage complex projects, big strategies and a string of brands. For the companies from the Adriatic region, the first step they make is in their national markets, the next step are the markets of the entire region, and the most successful and bravest also find their place in the world market. We at Media Marketing did not run any research, but we can say with fair certainty that the markets of the countries of former Yugoslavia are currently the best market for producers of consumer goods and other products in the region. We know each other well. We understand each other well, even when everyone speaks their own language, and our cultures and customs are similar and intertwined…
We carefully plan a brand. We are happy when we create it and send it to the market. We shape its characteristics, we build its values and personality – helping it find true friends and its place in the world. Brand management, after all, is one of the most difficult business projects of any company.
What does it actually mean to be a successful brand in this region? How do you understand consumers in multiple markets? How do you set regional communications, marketing and media strategies? How is the function of marketing regulated in large regional companies? Are the region’s markets truly the best ‘first’ foreign markets for the breakthroughs of companies?
In order to get answers to these and many similar questions related to successful brands in the regional market, Direct Media has initiated that the Weekend Media Festival includes a panel Don’t Stop Me Now, where heads of leading companies will talk about all the things they did to make their brands successful. There’s nothing more logical than Direct Media launching such a discussion. Their mission is to ensure the success of their clients throughout the regional market through good and creative media planning. With this panel Direct Media also wanted to support the Weekend Media Festival in the year in which it celebrates its 10-year anniversary.
We asked participants of the discussion to tell us what they will talk about at the Weekend. Here are their answers.
Petar Pereža, panel moderator, Nova TV
We will talk with the executives of some of the most successful regional companies and discuss the challenges of doing business in different markets. Some of the topics that we will touch on are the importance of understanding consumers’ differences, as well as setting up effective regional communication, marketing and media strategies. Panelists will also talk about the extent to which products need to be adapted to different markets and their rules, and where they see opportunities for the growth of their companies.
Marin Pucar, Board Chairman, Podravka:
What is necessary is the synergy of quality, innovation, communication, and constant listening to consumer needs, as well as tracking trends in the industry in which you operate. Vegeta is certainly the best example of how a top product, with an upgrade in terms of marketing and promotion, can succeed. Since its inception to date, Vegeta has become the most famous original Croatian product, with the original recipe since 1959.
Vegeta can be bought today in stores in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Sydney, Vladivostok, Moscow… Thanks to the high quality of the product and all previous marketing activities, and constant investments in the brand, Vegeta gained its “planetary” glory and is recognized in the world as a Croatian product, and Croatian quality.
Today, in a dynamic and extremely competitive business environment, one can not live and grow on old glory. This goes for Vegeta as well, regardless of its renown and distribution throughout the world, but also for all other Podravka brands.
We are aware that brands demand constant investment, and that is what we pay special attention at Podravka. That’s why we take care to develop our brands through new concepts, tailored to each market separately and consumer preferences in that market. Of course, all activities must be accompanied by marketing and promotional activities in these markets.
Mihailo Janković, CEO, Nektar grupa:
Since its founding in 1989, Nectar, a juice market leader in South East Europe, has been constantly focused on the needs of consumers and investment in production and technology in order to provide high quality products, as well as expanding the portfolio with innovations that give us the opportunity to go a step further and move boundaries, adding value to the entire industry in which we operate.
Our philosophy, which is deeply rooted in everything we do, is based on two main principles – “Vertically integrated value chain from fruit plant to final product” and “It does matter”. This philosophy helps us in our daily goal to make a difference for our consumers, our employees, but also for all those with whom we cooperate. They constantly motivate us to be better and push us to always provide the best.
Constant investments are strategically very important and we believe that this has contributed to Nectar becoming a leader in the region.
That’s why Nectar Group will continue with constant and significant investments in order to improve and expand its business. Our strength and driver are operational efficiency, high quality of our products, constant improvement of human capacities, continuous development and expansion of our portfolio through numerous innovations that enable us to move the boundaries and always be one step ahead of others.
At the group level, we have a large family of brands in several categories that are loved even beyond the borders of the region. The Nectar Group, comprised of Nectar, Fructal and Heba, has production lines in Serbia, Slovenia and Macedonia, with over 1 500 employees. In addition to ex YU markets, such as Montenegro and Macedonia, where Nectar brands are dominant, Fructal strengthened its leading position in the market of Slovenia, where it is an undisputed leader, but it also successfully operated and strengthened its position in other EU markets, such as Croatia, Italy…
This enables us to identify and respond to the needs of consumers in different markets with great success.
Jovan Stojanović, Director, Direct Media Serbia:
For a long time now we have been operating in eight markets in the region. On this jubilee edition of the Weekend Media Festival, it may be interesting to share our experiences about where the opportunities lie, and where the challenges stand in the way of expanding business in the region. We will share the development path of one, in many ways atypical communication agency. Was our path successful precisely because of this diversity? And what are the next steps? Our region began to transform, through the ever-more complex needs of our clients in different markets, and by getting to know the region, its macroeconomic specificities, consumers and the media, we continued to help other businesses adjust their business to market opportunities and be successful in doing so. In this panel discussion, we will talk about the possibilities of growth in the region, the future of the media and the advertising market. Leading company people relatively rarely appear on the pitches, and that’s why I am convinced that it will be interesting to hear how the CEOs of the leading companies in the region are thinking about the topic of marketing and communication.