On Wednesday, I was in Mostar for a meeting with the agency Degordian. It was one of my most important and best meetings in recent years. We were discussing the development of the Creative Portfolio web platform. This is certainly one of my biggest and most significant projects, after which, if I may say so, I will draw a line under my 55-year career.
As you know, we have published the editions ‘Creative Portfolio’ through the years, featuring all the award-winning works from advertising festivals in the Adriatic region. They are a compilation of the best works presented in large-format books, each spanning over 300 pages. Asja and I were responsible for preparing them. We published five books: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Due to the pandemic, there were no festivals next year, and the book for 2023 was not released. This year is still ongoing.
The books were very complex. They are beautiful, but also too heavy – 2.5 kg. Complicated for distribution and too expensive. That’s why Asja and I decided to create a web platform where we will upload the content of the five books that have been released, add the years 2023 and 2024, and then continue adding award-winning works from festivals every year. And so, for the next 10, 20… years. It will be a treasure trove of knowledge and creativity from the regional communication industry, and a valuable resource for everyone in advertising, such as agencies, advertisers, and media. Such a comprehensive and rich project has never been done before.
While using books, you have to flip through pages to find the campaign you are interested in. There are no TV commercials, only screenshots, which diminish the value of the award-winning campaigns. If you are interested in the work of a creative director, you have to flip through hundreds of pages to find them listed among the creative teams. On the web platform, it will be much easier. With a single click, you’ll be able to list all festivals, agencies, advertisers, awarded brands, creative teams… Based on numerous filters, you’ll be able to choose campaigns according to various criteria. Agencies will be able to pull up all campaigns they have won awards for over the years with one click, making it easier to showcase their strength to clients. Marketing teams of advertisers will be able to do the same for their brands. You’ll be able to track how the digital revolution has changed the communication industry over the years, or how artificial intelligence has advanced and taken its place in our business.
What I find extremely important is the fact that within the first seven years alone, approximately 1200 campaigns will be published, each starting with a brief, which is essential for creating a successful campaign today. Young people entering our industry will only be able to learn how to write a brief and how a brief transforms into an award-winning campaign on this platform. The Creative Portfolio platform fills the gap left by universities, offering instruction on writing a brief, a critical skill not typically covered in academic programs.
And finally, those engaged in scientific research in the communication profession will be able to conduct their studies and obtain data for their scholarly work on this platform.
I was amazed by Ivona’s (Jurilj) stellar team of young, smart, and exceptionally creative individuals for their knowledge, dedication to the project, good ideas, and excellent communication among themselves. They are: Marina Pavlović, Head of Creative, Mateo Pavlović, Digital Advertising Specialist, Marela Bilić, Account Manager, Edina Voloder Mujkić, Graphic Designer, Andrej Leventić, Graphic Designer, Hrvoje Primorac, Junior WordPress Developer, and Marija Sučić, Marketing and PR Specialist. I knew them from before. In early July, they will launch the redesigned Media Marketing portal, which is also their creation. They completely impressed me and, under Ivona’s leadership, took us much further than I had imagined before the meeting. On the way back from Mostar, I didn’t even notice when I arrived in Sarajevo. The whole time, I replayed the meeting in my mind, trying to remember the most important points.
This is a very complex project. I knew that before, but after the meeting, it seemed three times more complex to me. I questioned whether we are ready for something like this. We have all the materials, but they are scattered all around and now they need to be organized so we can deliver them to Degordian. Gathering the campaigns from 2023 and 2024 is the harder part of the job.
In principle, we’ve determined that it will take us six months to take the digital Creative Portfolio to new heights. This means we could launch shortly after the start of 2025. Whether we succeed depends solely on us. Degordian is on board, and Ivona and her team are eager to receive our materials and start working.
Now we need to roll up our sleeves and engage sponsors. Without them, this won’t work. According to preliminary research, there is interest. The issue is that not everyone can sponsor such a project. If it features the best works, then the sponsors must also be top-tier. The best with the best!
Before I “part ways” with the book, I want to express my immense gratitude to Žare Kerin (Futura DDB Ljubljana), who was the creative director, and Marjan Božič (Futura DDB Ljubljana), who designed all the books. They are the most responsible ones for why I am proud of the Creative Portfolio and why I feel excitement every time I pick up the book.
