As platforms multiply and technology makes creative production faster and more accessible, the challenge for brands is no longer simply being present everywhere – it is having an idea strong enough to matter. For Marko Jovanović, Creative Director at Havas Adriatic and one of the speakers at Golden Drum 2026, truly great ideas remain priceless, even as average ones become easier than ever to produce.
In this exclusive interview, Jovanović reflects on how working across some of the industry’s leading agency networks has shaped his creative perspective, what makes creativity from the Adriatic region distinctive, and why strong brand positioning matters more than chasing every new platform. He also offers a glimpse into the themes behind his upcoming Golden Drum session, The Future of Media Creativity – although, as he makes clear, some answers will have to wait until Portorož.
You’ve worked across several major agency networks, including BBDO, McCann, Leo Burnett and now Havas Adriatic. How has moving between different creative cultures shaped the way you approach your work today?
It has probably shaped and influenced me in more ways than I am even aware of. But what I do know is that working across several different agency networks has given me a great opportunity to work with so many talented people, and I have always tried to learn from them, regardless of their position within the team. I know it sounds like a cliché, but that’s just how it is.
Your Golden Drum session explores the future of media creativity. As the media landscape becomes increasingly fragmented, what does being truly creative with media mean today?
I’m afraid you will have to come to Golden Drum to get the answer to that question.
With brands competing for attention across an ever-growing number of platforms, do you think the industry sometimes focuses too much on where an idea will live rather than on the idea itself?
Unfortunately, yes. Although I think this is more often the case with brands that don’t have a clear brand positioning or a strong brand identity. The brands that are well defined and know exactly who they are tend to see new platforms as they should – as new channels for communication. Unfortunately, I feel like those brands are in the minority in our region.
As Creative Director at Havas Adriatic, you work within a region with very different markets, cultures and audiences. Do you think there is something distinctive about creativity coming out of the Adriatic region?
Although they may seem quite different at first glance, the markets, cultures and audiences across the region are actually quite similar. To a greater or lesser extent, we are all part of the same, or at least a very similar, cultural code. And I think that naturally shows in the work.
Local insights that manage to reach a more universal level are what can potentially make us feel distinctive and different from other markets. But, ultimately, I think the same principle applies everywhere.
AI is making it possible to produce creative work faster than ever. Has that made the original idea more important—or less important?
The idea is still the most important. As always.
The only thing that has changed is the paradigm: “average” ideas are now more accessible to us than ever before. And not just to us, on the agency side, but to clients as well. But a truly great idea remains priceless.
With so many brands competing for attention, where do you think the biggest creative opportunities are for brands to differentiate themselves?
The biggest opportunities lie in distinctive ideas. :)
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