Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By Ekrem Dupanović
Dubravka Jusić, Executive Director of Marketing at the Fortenova Group, has gathered a great deal of experience over her career in the industry leading communications teams at major multinational companies. Given the unprecendented and presumably exceptional situation we find ourselves in, we were interested in Dubravka’s views on it, on the communications industry’s position, and the future of our profession. Will communications exit the pandemic crisis smarter?
At the start of our conversation, we found ourselves facing the issue of the consumer rush to food stores. This probably reflects a code embedded in the human psyche that warns us to minimise the risk of hunger during crises.
MM: At Fortenova, did you guess a stampede towards the supermarkets was coming and were you ready for it?
Dubravka Jusić: The Fortenova group has a presence on five markets in the region, in retail, food production and agriculture. It was among the first to see demand increase when the Coronavirus crisis hit. As we had been following the situation in the region and around the world, we began preparing for the scenario on our markets in time – we initiated activities in our operational arm to respond quickly to our customers’ increased need and to new ways of doing business. We also started preparing for business under crisis by forming crisis teams at the holding company and in our operational subsidiaries, with clear guidelines and instructions to protect our employees’ and customers’ health and ensure the sustainability of the business as a whole. For example, Konzum’s campaign “Looking after yourself is looking out for others” emphasizes the importance of safety for employees and customers and reminds us of social distancing in-store, the importance of disinfection and hand hygiene, encouraging contactless payment, and putting up plexiglass barriers for our cashiers.
Under the current circumstances, our size gives us flexibility – employees at any given subsidiary can support our other companies in meeting increased customer needs. One example is that lots of shoppers are now using Konzum’s online shop, because of the increased pressure at our retail outlets. We were expecting this pressure and adapted, expanding the scope of online ordering bz allowing customers to pick up at various locations. This let us respond to our customers’ needs, while also optimising our employees’ work, as they are under major pressure all the time.
The only way to manage situations like this is through partnership relationships with everyone involved, constant communication, and solidarity.
All our companies have continued their business without difficulties, the shelves in our stores in all markets are stocked, our front-line employees are responding to customer needs, and employees in production, warehouses, and logistics are doing their job. This all shows we were ready. It’s proof of our efficiency. We want to thank all our employees for their sacrifice, the overtime hours, and their courage in continuing to be in direct contact with customers, suppliers, and partners.
MM: Konzum is certainly one of the winners in this crisis. How are other members of Fortenova doing? Is this generally a good time for food producers?
Dubravka Jusić: This situation is not good for anyone. There are no winners. One good thing about it is our continuous investment in good relations with suppliers and partners over the past two years. Because of the solid relations and trust we have built up we can keep our stores supplied. Konzum buys fruits and vegetables from small family farms and places them in its stores – this partnership helps small businesses, which are banned from selling their products on farmers’ markets, and makes sure our customers are well supplied with fresh produce. The Fortenova Group’s agricultural and produce holdings are in constant production, doing all they can to keep the shelves full. Management is also working closely with the National Defence to ensure not just the supply but open and safe ways of bringing that supply to our markets.
The only way to manage situations like this is through partnership relationships with everyone involved, constant communication, and solidarity.
MM: What are the prospects of the current good trend in sales turning around when the crisis passes and people start using up their stocks, so that sales crater? Or are these stocks not enough for an extended period or to impact business results?
Dubravka Jusić: We are hearing and reading a lot of different opinions from experts at the moment, but none of us has any idea how the crisis will change our lives and businesses. It will definitely have long-term consequences for the economy. Over the longer term, results are less dependent on domestic demand than on the tourist season. The tourist season, and whether there is one, affects all the companies in the Fortenova Group. For Konzum and its retail network, this is already an extremely challenging time, but the tourist season will impact business results even more.
MM: What are your reactions in marketing? Is it all working well enough, or does it need a little push? Have you cancelled some campaigns or reworked your marketing plan and, if so, how much have you cut investment in communications?
Dubravka Jusić: We are adapting to the emerging situation and following events. Given the needs of the situation and the instructions to stay at home, customers and consumers are spending a lot more time at home, so the internet is likely to become the favoured channel for communications over the coming months. We are adapting our activities to the situation and planning for the future. Accordingly, we aren’t distributing catalogues to homes and have increased our activities online instead.
You have to communicate. Before, during and after the crisis, companies have been and will continue to be constantly in touch with key departments, good brands with their customers. Of course, the scale and scope of communication must be tailored to circumstances and possibilities but that doesn’t change the fact that you have to communicate.
Communication is like a living organism. It adapts to circumstances. There was no script or rehearsal for this scenario.
MM: I ask you, as someone with tremendous experience in communications, is the communications industry handling the situation well or will it come out a loser..? Or, maybe, use the time to think about where it has been for the past ten years and exit the pandemic smarter?
Dubravka Jusić: Good communication adapts to the situation. A single virus and its behaviour are changing the behaviour of the entire planet, so we are all communicating differently from before. People look for credible sources of information in such circumstances. The National Civil Defence has been presenting information clearly and precisely, and the proof of their success is how closely people are following their instructions.
They have been being helped by employers and corporate communications companies who have followed their recommendations on how to do business and communicate and have successfully transferred to work from home, as well as by the media, who are responsibly conveying key messages. Professionals at communication agencies are also displaying their expertise and experience in crisis communication for their clients. In pure communication terms, the industry has professionals ready for the challenge.
As an industry, however, we still remember the last recession, in 2009, when the crisis hit us really hard. That is why it’s so important to remember that communications, both direct communication with the consumer and internal communication within the company, really any form of communication, is more than just advertising. Budgets for advertising are always amongst the first to be cut when companies face crises. Here, we can see how important communication is and how much influence it has not just on dealing with the crisis but on business more generally. All the participants of the communications market are very aware of the possible consequences and I’m sure we’ve all learned something.
MM: How do you see the communications industry after the Coronavirus pandemic? What will or should it be like, in your opinion?
Dubravka Jusić: Communication is like a living organism that adapts to circumstances. There was no script or rehearsal for this scenario, and communication has meant adapting to the moment and to new decisions.
For sure, communication could have been better in some situations – it can always be better. But with the experience this crisis has given us, we will come out of it more prepared for the next. What doesn’t change no matter the situation is that communication must always be true, open, checked, and timely.
The communications industry has shown an ability to accept and embrace quickly new ways of working, new media, and, I expect, new and improved adaptability to the emerging situation
What matters under the circumstances is that we look out for each other and so empower mutual trust, trust in institutions and companies, all of which will help us return to our normal daily routines and business when all this is over.
MM: HURA and HUOJ have appealed to the Government to extend financial assistance to help agencies survive the crisis? Will it have any effect?
Dubravka Jusić: The entire economic sector is talking to the Government and hoping to ensure businesses survive. This dialogue includes both HURA and HUOJ as representatives of a part of the real economy where help is needed and drawing attention to the communications industry. Their appeal addresses the need to preserve business activity across the board, and it will only be effective if the State recognises the importance of such an approach. Some proposals have been adopted, and dialogue is continuing. The State really must do everything it can to maintain overall economic activity, which the communications industry also depends on. The current situation has confirmed the importance of the communications industry, of which the media is a part. It will be just as important in the recovery, to help us get ready to return to normal operations and functioning as quickly as possible.
MM: I assume you are in continuous communication with friends and associates from the media, agencies and marketing departments in other companies. How do they see the current situation and the future, after the pandemic?
Dubravka Jusić: We are all equally affected by the crisis caused by the pandemic. I keep in touch every day with all of my colleagues from all our companies, whether in Croatia (Konzum, Ledo, Jamnica, Zvijezda, PIK Vrbovec, Belje, Tisak, Agrolaguna), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Konzum Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ledo Čitluk, Sarajevski Kiseljak), or Serbia (Dijaman, Frikom, Mivela). It is encouraging to see solidarity in action, regardless of the economic situation, and how all these companies are contributing in their different ways to easing the situation.
What matters in this situation is that we look after each other and so empower mutual trust, trust in institutions and companies, all of which will help us return to our normal daily routines and business when all this is over. What is certain is that, when all of this is over, after we have been living and working at a distance, we will appreciate each other more, as well as our time and, of course, our health.
