Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
To besedilo lahko preberete tudi v slovenskem jeziku
By: Borut Odlazek
Špela Levičnik Oblak, CEO of LUNA\TBWA and regional director of TBWA CEE Adriatic, is this year’s winner of the Advertising Personality of the Year 2015, awarded by the Slovenian Advertising Chamber. In this interview you will find out what this award means to her, and what the source of her motivation is.
Borut Odlazek: How did you receive the news that you were named the Advertising Personality of 2015? What does this award mean to you?
Špela Levičnik Oblak: Behind me is one of the harder years I’ve had, which makes this award even more special. A lot of emotions are associated with it: joy, pride, satisfaction … It provides motivation for further work and a confirmation that the introduction of change is good, although sometimes very difficult. It brought me a tremendous amount of revelations and brought me closer to people that I had not known so well before. At the same time it is a confirmation that all the hard work for a better situation in the industry has not been in vain and that it’s good to cross the threshold of the immediate environment in which you act.
Borut Odlazek: With this year’s award you joined the selected few who have previously won this award: Mitja Milavec, Janja Božič Marolt, Marijan Jurenec, Miro Kline, Damjan Možina, Maja Hawlina, Meta Dobnikar, Lučka Peljhan, Gordana Petek Ivandič, Jurij Korenc, Marko Vičič, Vital Verlič, Milena Štular, Mitja Petrovič, Janez Rakušček, Žare Kerin, Dejan Turk, Matevž Medja and, last year, Zenel Batagelj. What do you think is the mission of all these laureates?
Špela Levičnik Oblak: Every one of those individuals stood out in their own way. That takes a lot of energy, commitment, courage. We probably all share the same belief to persevere in life and look ahead, not letting either small or major obstacles stop us.
It’s difficult to speak about the mission of the other winners. I personally am deeply convinced that we as a profession can only thrive if we are able to openly talk about and understand the environment in which we operate as an area where all of us who are involved should be winners. This mission is unfortunately still far from being realized, although I believe that each individual can do something to change the situation – for the better of course. First of all we need to learn to look for the positive things, not just for mistakes. We need to learn to allow and accept different opinions, to learn to judge and recognize exceptional work, to understand that our industry is a strategic industry and that we must give it a significant role within the company. We need to have ideas, and probably other values, so that advertising (marketing) is an investment, not an expense. I could list many more. If I were to expand the word advertising from Henry Ford’s statement into marketing communications, we would come to a hell of a conclusion: “The man who stops advertising/communication in order to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save time.”
The creative industries (to which advertising belongs) represent an important driver of economic and social development in the world, and so I believe in intensive growth and development here as well.
Borut Odlazek: Do you believe that awards (personal and agency awards) have importance (still) in the eyes of existing and potential clients?
Špela Levičnik Oblak: Awards are important as an external confirmation of excellent work and excellent results, although existing and new clients must be convinced over and over again through excellent everyday work and excellent results in existing or new projects. The awards are in some way a tribute to extraordinary efforts, ideas, standing out from the average, but on their own they are no guarantee for a carefree business future. I believe that they contribute to building a positive image of the winner, and help clients decide when selecting the best potential partners.
Borut Odlazek: In addition to performing as the CEO of a successful agency, Luna\TBWA, and as the regional CEO of TBWA CEE Adriatic, in 2014 and 2015 you presided over the Steering Board of the Slovenian Advertising Chamber. You have been actively involved in the Chamber’s work for years. Why do you think it is necessary to look and work outside the boundaries of your professional commitments, and thus get more widely involved in the improvement of the industry in general?
Špela Levičnik Oblak: Because all of us in this industry are somehow connected and dependent on each other. Troubleshooting only within one environment will not bring long-term solutions, either for it or for the others. Hence my decision to act outside the limits of my regular work duties both in the Slovenian Advertising Chamber and elsewhere.
Because of different interests (clients, agencies, media) it seems as if conflict is embedded in our coexistence. We are losing confidence in the profession, respect for the people in it … although I still believe that we have the same goal – successful brands and, consequently, successful companies. If we are all aware of this and turn the lens of our view, then we can seek the best, seek quality for the right price, seek productive relationships, seek the safest partners. The best financial results, growth and development will then come on their own. I have a feeling that, especially in recent years, an understanding of sustainable coexistence has begun to sway. Although it is in times of crisis that we should accept and understand mutual complementarity. What the Slovenian Advertising Chamber can do is offer each of the associations relevant and specific support, set clear performance standards, provide immediate constructive dialogue and thus connect us.
Tripartite relations can be an advantage. Hence the idea of Good Practices, which bring useful knowledge and at the same time open up the field to debate for all involved. That’s why we decided to organize the SOZ Academy, which encourages the acquisition of knowledge and at the same time enables the connecting of participants from the client, agency or media side. That’s why we support the Advertising Court, which gains not only in reputation but also in influence in real business life every year. Encouraging self-regulation is therefore so important. It’s not about external rules that are set up so that they can be violated, it’s about our (personal) value system, the industry value system, and the more we as individuals live by the values of honesty, openness and business ethics, the better our advertising ecosystem will be.
That’s why together with my colleagues in the Steering Board I advocated that the Chamber be revitalised and organized as a modern association that would bring great added value to all its members.
Borut Odlazek: What’s your main source of motivation? What made you decide on a career in advertising, in which you are so successful?
Špela Levičnik Oblak: As a graduate fresh out of the Faculty of Philosophy, I was overcome by the linguistic school of Prague, by the power of language and its influence in society, and of advertising, which represents a mirror of society … I’ve always been interested in the wider landscapes of the profession, and that’s still true today. At the mention of corporate social responsibility I think of social responsibility in the fact that we communicate, inspire, amuse, raise public awareness and inform, or make trash, make people ignorant and patronize others. The power of communication is incredible. It can change habits, shatter prejudices, activate and mobilize us for the common good. This is true not only in the context of socially responsible projects but, more importantly, in what we do every day.
The actual work itself in this industry of ours still has a positive motivating influence on me, but also frustrating at the same time, or rather troubling. But the positive prevails. I’m fascinated by the power of ideas that can turn the world on its head. I’m motivated by the numerous exceptional people, visionaries and smart, witty creatives. I’m passionate about the fact that all the time I can learn, discover life truths anew (both good and bad). It soothes me to know that the greatest people are actually those who never forget that we are, at the end, all still just people.
Borut Odlazek: What advice would you give to your colleagues in the field of advertising who wish to raise the standards of their own work and the work of the advertising industry in general?
Špela Levičnik Oblak: Gain as much knowledge as possible. Be open and curious. Be capable of cooperation. Be capable of overcoming the boundaries of the known, of getting out of your comfort zone.
I’m still very fond of the saying by Albert Einstein, who wrote a very simple truth: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
This, unfortunately, is something we all do, more or less intensely, more or less fatally, but we still do it. If in at least one project we openly speak about the pitfalls of those rooted negative conventions, reject procedures that don’t allow adequate reflection and the best solutions, if we make brave decisions that are not just another repetition, maybe the volume of “insanity” will be reduced. If in at least one business decision we stop repeating the decisions dictated by the competition, if we think of the wellbeing of the company in the long run, not just until the next quarter, if we really set the right goals and follow them, maybe the volume of “insanity” will begin to dwindle. And only then – but really only then – when we start replacing this insanity with actions that awake us, activate us and entertain us, can we expect different results.
Borut Odlazek: How important is the education of employees? Are there some reserves in this area in Slovenia?
Špela Levičnik Oblak: We learn all our lives, and that’s why the reserves are limitless. I believe that the desire to learn keeps us active, youthful. The combination of knowledge and openness, and maturity and experience, is an exceptional advantage and wealth.