I’ve spent the entire week under the impression of Days of Communication. I’ve attended many major events in the advertising industry throughout the region and beyond, but never one quite like what I experienced in Rovinj. In terms of programming, content, production, and every other aspect, this was truly a festival worthy of praise. Everything I wrote before the Days of Communication in the article “Croatia has the sea, Dunja, Jelena, Davor, and…” turned out to be a good prediction. It was truly memorable!
A long list of brilliant speakers from all over the world, fantastic campaigns – with the awarded ones truly being the best – the energy brought by all participants, and the strength of the entire Croatian communications industry. This wasn’t a fleeting moment; it was the result of years of work and HURA’s efforts to build, year after year, an event that gathers agencies, advertisers, and media in one place, at least once annually, to showcase their work and achievements – the very best that makes Croatia’s communications industry dominant in the region, and beyond.
There were many meetings, conversations, and insights into great developments. Jelena Fiškuš and Sean Poropat (Studio Sonda) told me about a community of 30 houses in Vižinada (Istria) where creatives from across the region will be able to generate big ideas for their clients. Aleksandra Dilevska shared major accomplishments of Publicis agencies in the Adriatic region. Damjan Geber (Brigada) has become the global creative director for museums worldwide (he left straight from Rovinj to tour major U.S. museums), and he recently served on the jury of ADC New York. Dean Udatny (Go2Digital) told me about a network of giant video billboards led by Go2Digital… There was so much happening, and I’d need a lot of space to write even a sentence about each thing. More on all that in the coming days and weeks.
I went to Rovinj with Sead Fočo (The Agency), the new owner of the Media Marketing brand and portal. The Days of Communication were a great opportunity to introduce Sead to the leaders of the regional marketing industry – and for him to meet them.
In his core business, Sead mostly works on the U.S. market with American clients, so this was a great chance for him to connect with agency professionals and marketing departments from this region. I believe we used the opportunity well, as much as possible considering the busy crowd of registered participants.
Sead is young, energetic, exceptionally intelligent, highly educated, and practical. His vision for the future of Media Marketing is well thought-out, and his ambition to strengthen Media Marketing financially – in order to securely fund the editorial team – is serious and based on clear business models that can be highly beneficial for the regional communications industry. But the industry must be aware of that. Over the many years that I’ve been running this portal daily, we’ve all grown a bit complacent. Now is the right time for someone new to take the helm – someone who will inject new energy, fresh blood, and help the industry grow even stronger.
I’m not stepping out of the team, at least not until the transition is fully complete. I’ll keep writing the Diary, occasional commentary, forging and nurturing relationships, creating projects, and supporting the new editor-in-chief, who will start on June 1st. I will still be the Methuselah, trying not to get in the way of the younger forces who are slowly taking on their roles. I can help with my experience, connections, and understanding of the regional industry. They won’t need knowledge – they already have more of it than I do.
We’re witnessing a “new” beginning for Media Marketing – one that, I’m convinced, will be even more successful than the first start nearly twenty years ago when I began something, not even knowing exactly what. That “something” grew into a portal whose newsletter is opened each morning by almost everyone it reaches. At least, that’s what the people I met in Rovinj told me – both those I know and those I’d just met.
The new team will make everything even better and richer in content.
And finally, once again – all praise and congratulations to Dunja Ivana Ballon, Jelena Fiškuš, Davor Bruketa, and everyone who contributed to three days of a Croatian advertising fairytale in Rovinj.
