Tina Raičević has been professionally dedicated to communications for more than twenty years. She spent her first decade in the media as a journalist, editor and presenter of news and political programmes, after which she continued her career in the corporate sector. Today, she is the Communications Department Manager at One Crna Gora, a member of 4iG Group, where she leads the corporate communications strategy, media relations, internal communications, reputation management and socially responsible business projects.
Together with the One team, she has carried out campaigns that have received national and regional recognition, including Montenegro’s Olympic Network, One Tree Matters and Girls in ICT. She was also part of one of the most significant rebranding processes in Montenegro’s telecommunications market and led communications for numerous strategic projects, partnerships, technological innovations and corporate events.
In an interview with Media Marketing, she discusses the media’s approach to PR stories and socially responsible initiatives, the importance of understanding between management and the communications team, and the challenges facing the industry in an age of content overload and artificial intelligence. She also explains why she believes that communications can attract attention, but that reputation and trust are built exclusively through actions and consistent results.
Your career in the public relations industry has been very dynamic. Considering that the mobile operator One is marking thirty years in business this year, how would you assess Montenegro’s media market? Is there sufficient understanding of PR stories, how much attention does it devote to social responsibility topics, and does the rule that “every news story is paid for” still apply?
I spent a decade and a half in the media before moving into the corporate sector, so I know both sides first-hand – and that is precisely why I can say openly: yes, that rule still largely applies. Almost every publication is viewed through a commercial lens, even when it concerns projects that have genuine social value. That is good neither for companies nor for the public. Socially responsible initiatives should not be a privilege reserved for those with the largest budgets, but a topic that deserves space because of its impact.
At the same time, it is fair to say that Montenegro has editors and journalists who recognise the difference between superficial marketing and sincere social responsibility, and it is precisely with them that we build long-term relationships. In the year in which One is marking 30 years in business, we remain consistent with the same philosophy: we do not communicate promises, but results. In the long term, I believe that this approach is precisely what builds credibility.
You recently launched a social responsibility campaign that draws attention to reforestation in Montenegro. Why did you choose this topic, and what is the campaign’s main mission?
The One Tree Matters project began as support for the Boranka scout initiative, but the young scouts’ sincere message of gratitude inspired us to develop a long-term social responsibility platform from a single donation. We did not want to be just another sponsor whose logo would appear at an event – we wanted to be part of the solution. That is why One employees went into the field and planted trees together with the scouts.
The platform grew around three principles. The first is authenticity – when the One network received the international Best in Test recognition, the campaign did not feature professional models, but scouts for whom a reliable network is genuinely important because of safety in the field. The second is responsibility – following the major fires, we decided to plant 30,000 trees in fire-affected areas, with each one bearing the name of a Montenegrin firefighter, and gave all firefighters one year of free telecommunications services as a sign of gratitude for their selflessness. The third is community trust – it is particularly meaningful to us that the campaign received support from environmental activists, who are otherwise the most critical of corporate campaigns.
Winning at CIM Forum is a great honour, but the greatest value of this story is not the recognition. It is the 30,000 trees that will grow for years as a reminder that a company’s responsibility does not end with a donation, but with what remains behind it.
What is it like to be at the head of a PR department whose director is Branko Mitrović, one of the recipients of the PRO PR Globe Vision Manager award?
Demanding, but extremely inspiring. Branko has never viewed communications as the final stage of a process, but as an integral part of business decision-making. Because of this, my team participates in discussions long before decisions become public – this allows us not to react to events, but to anticipate and strategically shape them.
Such a way of working carries great responsibility. When you have a leader who understands the value of communications, there is no room for mediocrity – strategies must be grounded in facts, clear objectives and measurable results. That is why I see his recognition at the PRO PR conference as confirmation of a management culture in which communications are not a support function for the business, but one of its strategic pillars.
Do you believe that one of the key factors of success is the understanding between the chief executive officer and the PR function? How important is such understanding, and what are the greatest challenges facing the public relations industry today, and why?
Absolutely. When the chief executive officer and the communications team share the same vision, the company speaks with one voice. Otherwise, PR becomes a channel through which decisions that have already been made are communicated, instead of being a partner in shaping them.
Today’s greatest challenge is not the speed of information, but the excess of content. It has never been easier to produce text, but it has never been more difficult to attract and retain the audience’s attention. At a time when artificial intelligence can write a correct press release in a matter of seconds, authenticity, credibility and the ability to tell a story supported by real people and real results have the greatest value. Technology can accelerate the work, but trust is not created by pressing a button. It is built through consistency, responsibility and time.
Does the public in Montenegro understand the role of public relations? Do employees understand it as well, from those who work at the counter to those who manage base stations? How important is the PR function in organisations?
I believe that the public understands communications much better than we sometimes assume. People very quickly recognise when a company is trying to embellish reality, just as they recognise sincerity.
Within a company, the role of PR becomes clear only when everyone understands that communications are not the responsibility of a single department. A colleague at a point of sale, an engineer who maintains the network or a manager who makes decisions all have an equal impact on the company’s reputation.
That is why I often say that PR is not what we write in a press release. PR is what the user experiences when they need the company most.
Communications can attract attention, but only actions build reputation. If PR faithfully reflects what the company truly does and how it behaves, then what is today the most valuable capital of every organisation is created – trust.
