Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Adnan Arnautlija
Last year was great for New Moment. For the third consecutive year New Moment PR was named Agency of the Year in Serbia, they returned from Cannes with five Lions for The One Book for Peace project, as well as numerous other awards afterwards at festivals home and abroad. Now, the profession in the region recognized their contribution to the communications industry at the PRO PR Awards 2018, where one of the winners was Branka Conić, PR Agency Director at New Moment New Ideas Company.
This was our cue to chat with Branka about how she came into the world of communication, the importance of recognition from the peers, the relationship between PR and media, and the plans she and the New Moment have to continue to contribute to the development of the industry as a whole.
Media Marketing: What is it that attracts you to the PR industry the most, and how did you get in the communications business?
Branka Conić: I believe in destiny, and hence I believe that the real things and people that come into your life, and even jobs, find you rather than the other way around.
That was the case with me. I ended my Psychology studies and came to the Agency upon recommendation of my then professor at the department for Psychology in Marketing, the famous Ivan Štajnberger, so I could finish the practical part of the exam from his subject.
Soon after, the founder of our company, and also the pioneer of the advertising industry in the Balkans, Dragan Sakan, offered me to work on the development of a PR agency, which was still in its infancy as a profession, and was insufficiently independent. I believe that he is still looking us from above, and that he can be proud of the fact that New Moment PR has been named the Best PR Agency in Serbia for the third year in a row.
This is the profession that offers you opportunities to improve each day, adopt new knowledge and meet people from all paths of life. Is there any other place where you can be equally well informed about the process of production of both steel and chocolate, the latest trends in the fashion industry, how to make the best beer and how mobile phones will look like in the future?
Also, this profession makes you always look at the world positively and too seek the better side of things in everything, which is why PR people are such irreparable optimists!
Media Marketing: You were among the winners of the PRO PR Award 2018 for your great contribution in the field of communications and public relations. What does this award mean to you?
Branka Conić: I believe that in life the most important recognitions are the ones you get from your coleagues. We are the ones who know each other the best. We share the same challenges, temptations, and the great satisfaction and passion for the profession that is so much more than just a profession – it is a way of life, and that is why this recognition has a special importance for me.
Media Marketing: At the PRO PR Conference, many pointed out that PR experts are investing tremendous effort into communication of their clients, but struggle when they should promote themselves. Why is it so, and do you think that people in PR should work more on their own visibility?
Branka Conić: There is truth in that, and it’s not related just to the PR profession. There’s an old story about shoemakers who always wear bad shoes.
The difference is in the manner of communication. I think most of my colleagues, myself included, start from the fact that our work and the successful projects we stand behind speak sufficiently about our success, and that it is visible because of the very fact that we deal with public affairs, and our work is seen and commented on by an audience that counts in millions of people.
I personally like conversations with good cause, and with right interlocutors, such as the Media Marketing, which brings together our professionals and always selects current topics from the profession.
On the other hand, as far as the promotion of the PR profession is concerned, I think we should be all, collectively, more active in this sense, and that is something we especially focus on in the Association for Public Relations of Serbia.
Because expertise helps us get into the game, and communication to win it!
Media Marketing: What do you think about the relationship between PR agencies and the Media? Is there that necessary symbiosis and harmony between them, and what could be done to improve this relationship?
Branka Conić: The media and PRs (although I prefer to use the term communication experts) are two sides of the same coin, although it is often presented in the public that we have opposing opinions and ways of work – we cannot exist without each other.
In practice, our relationship is clearly defined, we are aware of the specific rules that govern both the space of PR agencies and the media, and if our cooperation is based on mutual respect for the needs of both sides, the relationship is always friendly.
There are too many stressful situations in both professions. We don’t need to make life more difficult for each other, but we need to help each other and facilitate communication, which is actually something that we are supposed to be best in.
Media Marketing: How would you assess the PR industry in Serbia today, and do you think it has the status it deserves in the communications industry? What challenges lie ahead?
Branka Conić: I believe that our PR specialists stand side by side with colleagues from around the world. The principle of work is the same, and we have the advantage of creative communication. I think the challenges facing modern communication should be seen rather as an opportunity.
We live in a time when nobody has the luxury of not communicating with the public. Companies and brands are exposed to direct communication with their consumers on a daily basis, which has become public through social networks, so it is extremely important that we take an active role in it and not allow others to do our communication for us.
Media Marketing: After winning the PRO PR Award 2018, how will you, and the New Moment agency, continue on the mission of further advancing the communications industry?
Branka Conić: From the very beginning, one of the most important missions of the New Moment Agency was to promote the creative potential of the Balkans. Our goal is to get into the global game, and last year’s Cannes Lions for the project “The One Book for Peace” have confirmed that we not only participate in it, but are also winning. These projects prove that our profession really has the strength to make changes in society and make it more humane, and that is one of the basic goals of our profession – creating ideas for a better society.
Creativity is that spice that all the good foods have. It speaks all the world’s languages and is the only constant of success in our business, and that’s something that will continue to be our focus in the future.