In a series of conversations with members of the Dani komunikacija festival board, through the personal perspectives of those who shape it from within, space is opened for questions that do not have clear-cut answers. Instead of institutional positions, the focus is on the voice of experience, intuition, and everyday work in an industry that is constantly changing.
In that context, the conversation with Anđela Buljan Šiber, a member of the DK Organizing Committee, takes us to the very heart of the festival rhythm that Dani komunikacija builds year after year. Five award ceremonies, BalCannes, MIXX Awards Croatia powered by Admixer Media, IdejaX, Effie and Young Lions, across just three days are not only a matter of program intensity, but also a cross-section of the industry: from creativity and digital, through effectiveness, to new generations of talent.How does that rhythm affect the way we experience the festival, but also the industry itself? Where do awards follow changes, and where do they only catch up with them? And what do the works that make the shortlist tell us about the direction in which communications are moving today? This is something we have the opportunity to hear firsthand.
Five award shows in three days create a certain rhythm for the industry. How does that rhythm change the way people experience the festival, and is it intentional?
At our festival, nothing is accidental. That rhythm actually shows how diverse our industry is and how many different disciplines participate in creating communication, and we try to cover all of them. Over several evenings, you can see the full spectrum of work, including creativity, digital, effectiveness, and young talent. Through awards, we celebrate work that has been created throughout the entire year, showing how alive the scene is and how many great ideas come from our region.
Awards always lag slightly behind the industry. Which new form of work or communication that already exists on the market is still waiting for its proper place in the award system, and how do you recognize when the time is right?
We strive to ensure that no innovative form of communication is left out, because we follow trends throughout the year and continuously revise categories. The rulebooks are defined just before submissions open, in consultation with established experts – in this way, we ensure that our awards do not lag behind the industry. It is important to emphasize that the best works are usually long-term communication platforms, not one-off hype, so there is no concern that a good idea will not find its place.
It seems that awards motivate agencies, but it is not clear whether they motivate clients. How do you address that internally?
I think awards motivate everyone equally, both agencies and clients. There are both agencies and clients who are more or less motivated by awards, but that is part of personality. Like people, both clients and agencies have their own character, and I do not see major differences between us. In some way, we all need confirmation that we are doing our job well. For some, one aspect is more important, for others something else, which is why we have different awards.
Clients are most interested when they can clearly see the connection between creativity and business results, and I am sure such awards make them happy. That is why awards like Effie are important, because they show that a good idea and effectiveness can go hand in hand. In the long run, awards help clients see the real value of good creative work – something we agencies constantly claim 😊
Which type of work that has entered the shortlist in the last two years says something important about the direction the industry is heading, regardless of the final result?
Recently, we have been seeing a lot of work that emphasizes sustainability. We are all witnessing numerous unwanted changes in society and the environment, and we are taking our role in all of this responsibly. We are aware of the power of communications, so we are increasingly dealing with topics that matter to people and that have a real impact on long-term change. These are not quick wins, the results will only become visible over time, and we must persist in that.
Is it wrong to say that awards sometimes reward agencies that know how to submit, rather than agencies that know how to do the work?
Most often, those who know how to write a good submission (promote their work) also know how to do their job well (promote the client), so the two often overlap. Of course, awards are a subjective impression of the jury, and as long as something is subjective, we can question the factors that may have influenced the decision. This is a challenge faced by all juries in the world, and no one has yet discovered a bulletproof formula. That is exactly why we pay special attention to the selection of jury members – we strive to ensure they are proven industry experts who can very quickly recognize when there is real value behind a piece of work.
