Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
To besedilo lahko preberete tudi v slovenskem jeziku
By: Ekrem Dupanović
Photo: Franci Virant
Media Marketing: For years now you are involved in the competition program of the Golden Drum. What’s your opinion on its development?
Lučka Peljhan: Golden Drum today is a respected, world renowned festival. To me personally it has been very close since its establishment, although back then I only collaborated on the development of the Slovenian Advertising Festival. I joined the Golden Drum team in 2011 when at the newly founded Council of Competition Program we introduced some changes in the competition. All these years, even before my direct engagement, I was particularly motivated by the loyalty to this brand, extremely wide circle of real friends of the festival who are faithful to it, who support it and understand the periodic oscillations in the dynamics of development. There were times when the festival grew quickly, with a lot of experimenting in the competition part. This is a very precious heritage, and these experiences are even today a useful guidance in the planning of the competition program each year. The basic guidelines are, of course, the trends in our industry. I believe that the competition at the Golden Drum is developing in the right direction. Among other things, because we persevere on the very high standards of the assessment of entries.
Media Marketing: How have the entries changed? Which categories have come to the forefront?
Lučka Peljhan: This is a very interesting question. We might do a whole retrospect on this topic as we are nearing the 25th Golden Drum… Works entered for competition are always and everywhere a reflection of social reality. In the first years of the festival, countries that we cover were catching up with the developed world. Creative solutions that we could see in Portorož then were something like pre-runners. Perhaps we are only now aware of how important the mission of Golden Drum was back then. Today, creatives from these same countries win the highest accolades at the biggest international festivals, creative and business executives from these countries are taking the most responsible positions in international agency networks.
Media Marketing: This year you and the GDCC team have renewed the competition program. What new does it bring?
Lučka Peljhan: This year’s competition program will preserve the current structure. It has two competition sections that are assessed by two equal jury. We have refreshed the sections, which is why their names are now different. Best Piece section is intended for campaigns and concepts. In each of the sections there are eight competition groups which, along with their categories, reflect the latest trends in our industry. I especially look forward to the new competition category in the Best Practice section, intended for rewarding creative use of local characteristics. Who knows the Golden Drum knows that the “genius loci”, the spirit of the place, is part of the genetic code of the festival. This year we decided to particularly highlight this. In recent years, on the winning stage we encountered many works that have used the local spirit masterfully in their creative solutions and concepts, but they were often awarded for other reasons. The new competition group “Best capture of local spirit” enables a separated, and therefore different view on this specific feature, and its awards will bring additional impetus to this sensibility.
Media Marketing: Another novelty is the Golden Drum Adriatic Award…
Lučka Peljhan: Adriatic region is a place where the Golden Drum originated and evolved over the years. Creatives and agencies from this area in one period moved away from the festival, and we could often hear how they had little chance for good results. It’s true that at that time the festival was dominated by Russian, Polish and later Romanian campaigns with far larger budgets. However, good ideas and their excellent execution don’t always depend on the budget. Exceptional individuals and great creative teams from the region have in recent years increasingly showed how much creative potential our region has. Most awards were again won by Macedonians, Serbs, Slovenes, and I believe that this year they will be joined by Croats and applicants from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since our region is specific, culturally and historically, we decided to introduce special awards. All submitted works from the Adriatic region – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia – will now compete for regional awards Golden Drum Adriatic without any special application. These awards will provide an overview of the creativity in the region and put focus on the best. We have prepared a special scoring system that besides awards of the Golden Drum also recognizes the inclusion of works from the region in all rounds of voting. On the basis of these complex calculations, in each of the competitive sections we will announce 10 finalists for the awards, and the best three will receive the Golden Drum Adriatic, the Silver Drum Adriatic and the Bronze Drum Adriatic. The remaining finalists will receive a diploma which will be a nice recognition. In addition to a special scoring system, we have also prepared special conveniences for entry into the festival. The current winners of the national festivals of the mentioned countries, meaning the top-ranked works from these festivals, will compete at the Golden Drum based on a special invitation of the organizers, and for all applicants from the region organizer is preparing special favorable conditions of cooperation. I believe that the entrants will make use of this opportunity.
Media Marketing: Why this award, and why now?
Lučka Peljhan: Adriatic region is creative and is growing in confidence. There’s no longer a reason to believe that Golden Drum is a festival of some other countries. Special awards Golden Drum Adriatic fill the gap and the region gets its long awaited, valuable awards.
Media Marketing: The Golden Drum is moving to the Slovenia’s capital. How in your opinion will the urban metropolis affect the festival?
Lučka Peljhan: Friends of our festival value its soul, our Slovene openness and professional organization. Ljubljana with its infrastructure allows us to do a few more steps forward, and among the participants of the festival reinforce the belief that we are one of the best organized and most hospitable festivals in this part of Europe. Ljubljana will add to this her charm of a small, from the standpoint of other European capitals, but, in fact, a large city. Whoever wishes to return to the memories and visit Piran, they will also have this option.
Media Marketing: Within this year’s Golden Drum there will also be other projects in which, among other things, you will include younger generations. In what sense?
Lučka Peljhan: Again this year we are announcing the Off Drum competition for under 30. In cooperation with the City of Ljubljana, in August we will publish a call for Ljubljana Poster Award. Entries will again be free of charge, and applicants can compete for a nice financial reward. Deadline for entries will be 15 September.
Media Marketing: Slogan of this year’s festival is Inspired to Inspire – what do you mean by this slogan, especially you as someone responsible for the competition program?
Lučka Peljhan: In our industry it’s all about inspiration, and festivals can offer their participants a lot of it. For example excellent speakers. What is especially inspiring with us is the fact that the participants can later talk with these speakers, if they are not too busy, have a drink and meet someone else inspired by the same topic… I’m, of course, particularly interested in the inspiration which will be brought by the jury with its decisions. Awards – as we all know – are the subjective decisions of a group of selected individuals and therefore they are carefully selected. Especially the presidents, who are markedly highlighted in decision-making and communication of the results. The responsibility of the jury members is extremely high and the atmosphere in the hall when the award is presented is the best indicator of whether the decision of the jury is a source of inspiration. This year’s jury is remarkable. I’m grateful to all the friends of the festival who helped us invite such famous names to our jury.
Media Marketing: What does a festival like this bring to the industry – not just in Slovenia but beyond?
Lučka Peljhan: From the standpoint of the competition festival can do a lot. Creative creating is a stressful job, intertwined with limitations, and even misunderstandings and disappointments. Therefore creative need the recognition of their peers, no matter how much this might sound mellifluous. Despite the eternal doubt whether our industry needs so many competitions. From many years of friendship with many creative individuals, I know how truly important festival awards are for them. It is this importance of the awards that obliges us to uncompromised dedication to fair and competent evaluation of all entries.
Media Marketing: What is your personal relationship with the festival, what is the most important for you?
Lučka Peljhan: What can I say, I’m in love with the festivals. In the days when the jury is sitting in darkened rooms, discussions are opened that enrich everyone. Our team always tries to create the best conditions for work because the atmosphere in the jury is very important. Navigation between ensuring compliance with the rules, the limited time for evaluation and warm hospitality is sometimes tricky. I am happy that we manage it, and that the eminent jury members gladly come back to our festival and remain our good friends. And when you get involved to such a measure, then you’re in a relationship. I really love the Golden Drum.