The morning status of a campaign may appear stable, but just a few hours later budgets are revised, priorities shift, and algorithms that worked flawlessly yesterday today require additional supervision. Audiences are more accessible than ever, yet increasingly selective with their attention, while the market is ever less likely to reward firmly fixed plans. Stability in media planning therefore increasingly means not sticking to a strict strategy, but the ability to adapt quickly – to data, context and the pace of change that the industry is finding harder to control.
Is stability still a realistic goal at all, or is the new normal actually the ability to adapt quickly? To what extent have artificial intelligence, audience fragmentation and changes in content consumption redefined what we until recently considered secure industry rules? And where today are the real “quiet winners” of the media mix – in technology, data or the human factor that interprets it all?
From the perspective of everyday practice at UM Zagreb, insights are shared by Katarina Robeli – Managing Director, Aleksandar Đorđević – Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer and Media Operations, Viktor Crnogorac – Head of Offline, Samra Lojo – Account Executive, and Svetlana Milanović – Chief Trading Officer and Media Operations, offering views on budget dynamics, the role of technology, changes in the media mix and audience signals that the industry is only beginning to seriously notice.
Katarina Robeli – Managing Director
1. If you had to describe 2025 as a year in which media budgets behaved like an air conditioner – sometimes “cooling,” sometimes “heating” – what was your biggest win in stabilising the temperature?
When argumentation doesn’t work, adaptation remains. The fact is that unexpected cooling periods do not happen simultaneously, so they are neutralised by warming on another side.
2. What new type of client panic appeared this year? How did you turn it into a calm, rational plan for 2026?
Generally speaking, there was no real panic, more hesitation for completely unknown reasons, most likely inertia and a domino effect once the momentum started. However, a calm and unpretentious conversation about potential consequences (of hesitation and/or modest budgeting) usually leads to rationalisation.
We also have a client from a specific category facing the imminent introduction of new, very strict regulation. Occasional panic was usually calmed by referring to all the previous novelties throughout our long careers that we successfully navigated, and by organising working groups, including external experts when needed, so we could inform ourselves in advance and prepare together for all upcoming challenges.
Aleksandar Đorđević – Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer, Media Operations AMA Group
3. Which data point shocked you the most in 2025 – not because it was unusual, but because it shattered a belief the media industry held sacred?
Sometimes it feels like the world is moving faster than ever. Trends change daily, and we try to keep up. And just when we think nothing can surprise us anymore, artificial intelligence appears and changes the way we live, work and search for answers. It’s incredible how quickly we accepted it – so quickly that some people have already replaced classic internet search with questions addressed to AI. Globally, one of the most common reasons for using AI has become something very personal: counselling. People seek guidance, understanding, even comfort – and from technology, no less. That’s why it’s important to invest in development, security and ethical implementation. Technology gains real value only when aligned with human knowledge, experience and community values. In the end, perhaps the most important truth is simple: AI can be an extraordinary tool, but we are the ones who give it meaning. When we use it wisely, it expands our possibilities. When we understand it, it becomes an ally, not a replacement.
4. What was the smartest “small optimisation” you made this year that delivered a bigger effect than three major plans combined?
I consider the wisest “small optimisation” any decision that leads to smarter and more efficient resource allocation, with the goal of better results and raising the overall quality of service for clients. Often, such seemingly minor changes achieve greater impact than complex and expensive initiatives.
In that context, I would highlight a strong focus on advanced research, data and technologies through which we discover new ways to support the growth and development of our partners’ businesses. Long-term activities and decisions always take precedence for me over short-term, one-off plans.
5. If you had to choose one channel that will be the region’s “quiet winner” in 2026, which would it be, and what are others still not seeing?
When we think about what defines “winners” in today’s communications world, two criteria stand out: growth dynamics and future potential. That’s why I would give my vote to content creators – those who are no longer “quiet,” but increasingly clearly show why they belong at the top.
Trends globally, regionally and locally have confirmed the same thing for years: influencers are continuously strengthening their impact and becoming an indispensable part of any serious communications and brand framework.
Alongside them, podcasts are also worth highlighting – a media format experiencing strong audience growth, often faster than the pace at which brands enter collaborations. That’s why their potential is still perceived as “quiet” today, but it is quite certain they will soon become one of the most significant channels to account for.
Viktor Crnogorac – Head of Offline
6. Which algorithm behaved like an “unpredictable teenager” in 2025, and how did you make it work for you anyway?
AI campaign algorithms create the most challenges – brilliant when they have a good day, completely irrational when left without supervision.
To get the most out of them, additional focus is needed on clear KPIs, intensive testing and greater emphasis on using first-party signals.
7. If you had to keep only one method for measuring campaign effectiveness in 2026, which would survive and why?
I would keep only incremental experiments, for example at user level or through geo tests. Attribution models change, signals disappear, but a well-designed incremental/geo experiment always shows how much a campaign actually changed business results – not just dashboard numbers.
Samra Lojo – Account Executive
8. Which media planning rule did you have to abandon this year because reality completely defeated it?Audience fragmentation, the strengthening of time-shift viewing and instability in certain dayparts have made classic reach projections overly optimistic. Instead of “take prime time and you’re safe,” we now need much more precise mixing of channels and dayparts and, most importantly, constant checking of actual delivery and optimisation rather than relying only on planning.
9. Which media combination did you discover completely by chance that turned out to be unexpectedly brilliant?
Even with a minimal budget, we can have short TV spots outside prime time and late in the evening (which is cost-effective), and we can support that with online activations such as search or social media to increase audience reach.
Svetlana Milanović – Chief Trading Officer for Media Operations, AMA Group
10. Which negotiation sentence in 2025 brought the most value to the client, and why will you never stop using it?
“What specific conditions would enable you to accept this proposal today?”
This question remains a valuable part of my negotiation arsenal because it changes the dynamics of the conversation: instead of negotiations turning into a contest of wits or pressure, it introduces a partnership approach. It gives the counterpart space to take control of the process and clearly define what they need to make a decision. In practice, this builds trust, reduces tension and opens the door to constructive problem-solving together rather than in opposition.
11. What is the strangest but true audience behaviour signal you saw in a campaign – one that nobody outside the buying team would even notice?
We noticed an unusual but completely real pattern: audiences don’t actually respond to the message itself, but to their current internal state. In one campaign, the same ad, without any changes, literally “disappeared” during one part of the day, only to become extremely strong a few hours later. It was as if we were addressing a completely different person, even though it was still the same individual.
This is the kind of signal the buying team notices before anyone else because they continuously monitor audience pulse, while from the outside it’s almost invisible. This insight showed us that attention is not a stable category – it switches on and off depending on the moment, mood and context in which the audience finds itself.
