Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
Darko Jovančić is a marketing leader and a passionate lover of digital marketing. He made his first marketing steps in the Direct Media agency, right after graduating, and has stayed there since. He started as a Media Planning Assistant in the Digital Sector. During his three-year career, he has moved through the positions of Media Planner, Senior Media Planner and is currently in the position of Senior Digital Specialist. The constant desire to learn, acquire new knowledge, skills, refinement, and the desire to make Direct Media always better than the day before, are definitely what sets him apart from the others. During his work experience, he has led a large number of DM’s global and domestic accounts. Since 2017 he is a member of IAA Young Professionals. He’s also active in IAB Serbia’s working groups. The quote that best describes him, according to those who know him best, is: “Work hard in silence and let your success make the noise.”
MEDIA MARKETING: Immediately after studies you got a job with Direct Media agency. What attracted you to the communications industry?
Darko Jovančić: Already during my studies I got acquainted with marketing and at first glance gained sympathy for it, and expressed the enormous desire to know all the specifics that this industry carries. What attracted me to work in the communications industry is certainly the dynamic environment, strategic way of thinking, and a strategic approach to every situation. All of this seemed to me too abstract at first glance. I didn’t quite understand the concept or the background that results in a strategy which can change the business results and the business model of a company from its roots. But when you are lucky enough to learn and work with the greatest experts in the region, then you can see how it all makes sense, and what amount of analysis, research and hard work is behind all this.
MEDIA MARKETING: And what brought you to the Direct Media agency?
Darko Jovančić: The fact that you have the ability to work in Direct Media agency is a privilege in itself. I was fortunate enough that management recognized the potential in me, and gave me the opportunity to work in the largest communication agency in the region. I owe a great debt of gratitude to the colleagues who have selflessly transmitted their knowledge to me. And I consider this a key to successful business. Constantly transferring knowledge, everyday learning and, of course, a good collective.
MEDIA MARKETING: You quickly rose from Media Planner to Senior Digital Specialist. Talent, perseverance, learning, good work, team support… What was the decisive element?
Darko Jovančić: I’d say all that combined. I really think that no result can be achieved without the support of the team, everyday collaboration and cooperation. Because projects, pitches, awards, are not won by an individual, but by a team. An individual stands out more as a product of a good working atmosphere and good teamwork. Of course, in this industry, which is quite susceptible to changes, it is very important to constantly improve yourself and apply new trends. We strive to reduce the gap in the application of new technologies between the more developed Western markets and in our region, and we try to do it in an innovative manner. We don’t have the resources as the West, but we most certainly have the know-how and persistence.
MEDIA MARKETING: Senior Digital Specialist. What exactly is your job in a media agency?
Darko Jovančić: My job is primarily to lead digital activities for clients, as well as engaging in new customers’ acquisition. In practice, this is a somewhat more complicated process that encompasses a large number of complex activities. I work on making media and communication strategies, short and long-term. Market analysis, data analysis and campaign evaluation play an important part in the work process. Great emphasis is placed on the optimization of results, and therefore it is very important to have a meticulous approach to data analysis and apply it in the future campaigns. The out of the box mode of thinking has become a daily life in digital, and we constantly try to set ourselves new goals and thus push the boundaries.
MEDIA MARKETING: You lead projects for some of the agencies largest global and local clients. How did you start and how big of a responsibility is that for a young person?
Darko Jovančić: I remember the first major project I was involved in for a global client. I sat there amazed with the amount of information and knowledge of my colleagues who led the project. It was all thousands of miles away from what I had imagined in my head. I simply had no experience and I knew that behind such a project there’s serious and persistent work. I knew I had to change my complete mindset to fit in with that environment, and to process the amount of information necessary for such serious projects more efficiently. Of course, after each project you are richer in experience, and this knowledge needs to be shared so we could be better as a team, to be a successful collective.
That is why a project represents a great obligation, a great effort and even greater satisfaction that comes as a result of hard work.
MEDIA MARKETING: As of this year you are the member of IAA Young Professionals. Is it because of exchange of experience with colleagues, transferring knowledge to the younger, or something else?
Darko Jovančić: We are all aware of the role young people play in marketing, especially with the emergence of new technologies. What this section is about, and which has attracted my attention, is that we work on the development of this industry by exchanging knowledge and skills from all areas of marketing. I believe that the obligation of section members is to transfer the acquired knowledge to other colleagues on a daily basis. This is how we build the future and create a fertile ground for the development of new young leaders.
MEDIA MARKETING: What should young leaders learn from their older colleagues and apply in their work?
Darko Jovančić: I don’t want this to sound as a critique, but we live in a quite dynamic environment where young people want to build their status relatively quickly. However, I believe that time is still needed to be able to take on a certain amount of knowledge from older colleagues, which is necessary to do this high-level work. This is not a skill that is gained overnight, but it takes a lot of experience and work to swim in these very fast and unpredictable waters.
MEDIA MARKETING: And what should they definitely discard from that legacy?
Darko Jovančić: You can’t make a career overnight, and a lesson should be learned from every criticism. When you succeed in programming your brain to find the opportunity to be even better in each critique, then you’re on the excellent path that guarantees success. You have to put the vanity aside, and try to be better in every situation.
MEDIA MARKETING: What advice would you give to your peers? To join you in this industry, or to try and find a better job?
Darko Jovančić: If you want to work in a dynamic environment, where you are expected to show quality in every situation, everyday learning and developing skills, then this is the job for you. Because, as a result of all this, when a campaign comes and achieves excellent results, succeeding among the public, that feeling is priceless.
MEDIA MARKETING: How do you envision the future of digital advertising?
Darko Jovančić: Digital is going through changes, and we are all aware of the evolution of digital advertising to which we need to adapt. My assumption for the future of digital advertising is certainly a bigger and more serious focus on “big data”, and processing of that data towards achieving marketing and business goals. It’s not enough to have a large amount of data, but this data needs to be put to use in a quality and meaningful way. And, of course, there is also personalized advertising, 1 on 1 communication with the target group. Each potential users is valuable, and each user needs to be approached in a customized way, analyzing their behavior and interests online, and adapting your creative solution and media exposure to each individual.
MEDIA MARKETING: How much free time do you have, and how do you like to spend it?
Darko Jovančić: There’s very little free time. Even the weekends are often working days, because of the pitches, internal projects, etc. The deadlines are tight, there is a lot of demands, and if you want to be a serious player in the market, you must meet two requirements: time and quality. That’s the only way we keep the leader position in the market.
Of course, I try to spend my free time with my wife, family and friends. I live near the river and use every free moment to walk, or sit at some of the rafts. Also, an unavoidable part of our everyday life is the mobile phone. And the moment when I caught myself spending more time analyzing banners, formats and advertising solutions than watching content on Facebook or Instagram, I knew that advertising had gotten under my skin.
