Creativity Is Increasingly Measured by Meaning: McCann Ljubljana and Brave Steps Toward Long-Term Results

Perhaps it is time, as we enter 2026, to understand that creativity does not mean risk, but rather a well-considered decision backed by an even braver idea. An idea that is not born in a rush, but in those rare moments when we consciously “release the brakes” and approach a project as if it were a blank canvas waiting for its first strokes. It is precisely there that the feeling returns in which the whole team starts to play again like a child.

The middle ground is often the most comfortable place in our small regional markets, based on the fact that for years an unwritten rule has prevailed: “do not stand out too much”. Yet this is exactly what will attract attention in an oversaturated media space. It has become completely clear that consumer behavior is changing, and one of the main tasks for brands in 2025 was to prove stability and continuity.

Courage stands out as one of the acts that will push our industry forward, starting with everyday moments in which we dare to say that something needs to be done again, without settling for mediocrity. McCann Ljubljana, a member of the AMA Group, is behind a year in which the focus was placed on conscious and long-term choices, rather than quick solutions. In a conversation with Nina Zadnikar – Managing Director, Anže Jereb – Creative Director, and Lea Hrovat – Project Manager, we touched on the boundaries of creative risk, authenticity, psychological shifts in audiences, and work that becomes an experience with meaning.

Nina Zadnikar, Managing Director

1. If you had to sum up 2025 in one strategic decision you would make again, and one you would handle completely differently today, what would those two “plot twists” be?

The strategic decision I would make again without hesitation is investing in people and long-term partnerships, even when, in the short term, the numbers would not justify such decisions. In a small market, people are the most valuable capital. Their trust, energy, and mutual connection create stability that is not immediately visible, but returns many times over.
On the other hand, today I would set a clearer and more decisive boundary toward projects that demand only speed and production, without real added value.

2. What made your agency grow up the most this year, and what made it play again like a child?

We grew up through complexity that involved greater integrations, more demanding clients, and projects that required clear structure, responsibility, and consistency at every step. We learned that growth does not mean just more work, but better organization, clearer processes, and mutual trust. What made us play again like children were ideas. Moments when we forgot budgets, deadlines, and constraints and simply asked: “What if?” That is where the energy and passion are born that remind us why we are in this business.

3. If the Adriatic industry were a company on the stock exchange, what rating would you give it as we enter 2026? And why should investors keep or not keep the shares?

I would give it a stable “buy” with long-term growth potential.

Although the industry does not promise fast or spectacular profits, it possesses what is rare and valuable today: resilience, adaptability, and exceptionally talented people who know how to create great value with rational resource management.
Investors should keep the shares, because this region consistently proves that creativity does not depend on market size, but on mindset. And that mindset is resourceful, empathetic, and constantly in search of good ideas.

Anže Jereb, Creative Director

4. Which idea in 2025 made you stand up from the table and say, “Okay, this is why I still do this job”?
   Without a doubt, “Unstoppable at Planica”.

This was a project in which we were not just the authors of the idea, but part of the entire process, from concept to execution. Together with the team, we were present on site, side by side with people with disabilities who participated as volunteers at the Ski Jumping World Cup competition in Planica.

For us creatives, the purest emotion is the moment when you see that people truly accept a project. In this case, everyone involved was smiling, motivated, and proud. That is the rare moment when advertising stops being a job and becomes an experience with meaning.

5. What was your biggest creative risk this year, and did it pay off in the way you expected or in a way you could not have predicted?

After more than 25 years in this business, it is quite clear to me that my role as a creative director is the opposite of the romanticized idea of “constant risk”. My job is to ensure that the agency as a system takes fewer risks and plans better, that clients take risks only when it aligns with their business goals, and that the team has a sense of security that everything will be fine.

That is why I do not like to mix the concept of risk with the concept of creativity. Creativity is not irresponsible jumping into the unknown, but thoughtful decision-making. The best results come when ideas are bold, but the foundations are stable.

6. Which creative weakness does the industry in the region persistently conceal, and what would you do if someone appointed you to “expose” it during 2026?
   The region is divided into many small markets, and that is where I see the key problem: almost no one wants to stand out. Not only is there no desire to take risks, there is also no desire to clearly differentiate. The middle ground is “good enough” for everyone, which is why we have relatively few truly striking creative campaigns.

In a time flooded with content, if you do not stand out, you simply are not noticed. And that legitimization of mediocrity, of not standing out, has become a quiet dominant force in the broader business environment.

I do not have a magic wand. What I can do, and what I constantly do, is slowly persuade partners throughout the entire process with arguments, patience, and conversation that differentiation is a necessity, not a luxury.

Lea Hrovat, Project Manager

7. Which common assumption about consumers did you have to “break with a hammer” in 2025 because it was no longer true?

That consumers want brands to constantly offer them something new.

For many years, we believed that communication always had to be fresh, surprising, different. But in 2025, it became clear that consumers are tired of constant novelty. They are no longer looking for the “next big thing”, but for something they recognize, can trust, and can identify with. Uniqueness today no longer means being louder or more extravagant, but being consistent and true to oneself. Authenticity is shown through continuity, in the fact that a brand does not change its story every time a new trend appears, but deepens it.

8. If you had to predict one psychological shift in audiences in 2026 that will most change communication, what would that shift be, and why is it invisible until it has already happened?

A shift toward “mental energy saving”.

People will no longer evaluate content based on whether it is interesting, but on how much energy it takes from them. This is not a conscious decision, but a very practical reaction to overload. It is invisible because it does not manifest as resistance or criticism. People will simply stop engaging. They will not comment, they will not share, they will not explain why they do not like something.

Brands that know how to communicate clearly, calmly, and without unnecessary tension will win, even when talking about complex topics.

9. What is the most unexpected sentence you heard from a client this year, and how did it change your brief, campaign, or relationship?

“This is a very good campaign, just not for us.”

That sentence surprised me more than a rejection, as someone who previously worked on retail projects. In my earlier environment, “good” almost always meant “usable”.
In the agency, however, I learned that quality alone is not enough. Alignment with the client’s identity is crucial.

10. If someone offered you the chance to start 2026 with one single “act of courage”, professional, creative, or human, that would completely push you out of your comfort zone and move the industry one step forward, which act would you choose and why?

Nina Zadnikar
I would choose courage. The courage to slow down and give ourselves space to think, instead of reducing everything to speed and routine. The courage to choose meaning in everyday decisions and to nurture ideas that carry truth, not just what is “trending”. I believe that this kind of quiet, human courage moves the industry forward and enables the creation of long-term value.

Anže Jereb
Honestly, life itself already pushes me out of my comfort zone often enough, so I do not believe that one project or decision could “shake” me in a spectacular way. And the industry, in the long run, is not moved by grand gestures or declarative courage, but by good, relevant creative projects. Those that are remembered, that have meaning, and that speak beyond the brand itself. If there is one act of courage, it is persistent insistence on quality, even when it is easier to accept mediocrity.

Lea Hrovat
Courage would be in consciously creating space in projects for moments in which we dare to say: this is still not clear enough, this is still not the right solution, here we need to think a bit more. And to do that even when it means more effort, more questions, and less apparent efficiency. The industry is very good at executing things quickly and correctly. It is less good at allowing itself to pause and check whether we are actually doing the right things or just doing what is expected of us.

I believe that the industry is not pushed forward by loud shifts, but by people who take responsibility for defending the quality of thinking, not just the quality of the final product.