Digital marketing and media are advancing at a rapid pace, trends are constantly changing, and it takes exceptional creativity to stand out in the sea of content and capture the audience’s attention. The greatest achievement in our region is when that effort is recognized by the SoMo Borac jury—an esteemed regional award for the best digital work presented across the Media and Advertising streams. The Croatian Association of Digital Publishers (HUDI) is supporting SoMo Borac as a co-organizer for the third year in a row with the goal of strengthening the Media stream, and so far, interest has continued to grow year after year.
As entries for this year’s edition are coming in, we spoke with Anamaria Todorić, Director of Digital Strategy at Večernji list and 24sata and a member of HUDI.
1. You are this year’s president of the SoMo Borac jury for the Media stream. How did you experience this role and what will guide your leadership of the Media jury?
I’m very proud of this new role, especially because my colleagues nominated and elected me. SoMo is particularly important to me because my team and I received it for the redesign of vecernji.hr, and I know how much that award meant to us. I will be guided by professional criteria to the fullest, primarily objectivity, and we will certainly aim to reward the most innovative projects and those that clearly involved extra effort.
2. What do you look for in an outstanding digital project? Which criteria are most important to you during evaluation?
Above all, innovation and creativity. In today’s age, dominated by AI, I believe that what truly makes the difference is the creativity and diversity of the human mind. We all have access to the same technology, which means that what sets a project apart is a good idea and strong execution of that idea.
3. Which categories do you expect to be the most popular in this year’s competition?
It’s hard for me to predict, but if I had to bet, I’d put my money on Best Media Feature and SoMo Native. Why those two categories? I just have a feeling that our colleagues are most focused on those areas—at least here in Croatia. But since SoMo is a regional competition, other categories could surprise us as well.
4. Večernji list also won a SoMo Borac award in 2023 for the portal redesign—do you have any advice for entrants?
We’re very proud of SoMo, especially because it came at a time of intense digital transformation for us. Our application was handled by our marketing colleagues. I was more of an observer and project lead for the redesign itself. What I would definitely advise teams is to carefully read the rules for each category, because it’s a shame when great projects end up in the wrong one. As for everything else – be clear, try to tell your story with clear messages and results that matter to you, and I believe the jury will recognize that story. And yes, let your imagination run wild with the application – be creative, because if anyone has creativity to spare, it’s people in media and marketing!
Applications for contestants are open until September 24, 2025, and don’t forget to secure your ticket in time for the daytime conference taking place on October 24, 2025. Subscribe to the SoMo Borac newsletter to be the first to hear updates about the most important award ceremony, and follow them on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn!
