Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
Some fifteen days ago, we published the article Why Big Brands Choose Small Agencies? In a survey conducted by Advertising Age among some of the leading US marketing specialists, the following advantages of small agencies were highlighted:
Smaller agencies generate passion, thereby boosting their competitiveness
Smaller agencies are more transparent and less focused on sales
Smaller agencies are slimmer and more agile
Smaller agencies have a greater ability to move at the speed of the market
Smaller agencies have expertise in niches
Smaller agencies leverage their strengths
Despite these advantages, agencies in our region today rarely admit that they are small, considering it a drawback rather than an asset. However, even our largest agencies are small compared to agencies from developed countries.
Over the last couple of days, in our e-mail correspondence, Milena Mijatović, founder and CEO of the creative agency MINT from Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina), wrote to me: MINT is a small agency with large clients and a rich portfolio. I immediately asked her for an interview so we could see what it’s like to be a small agency in the company of big clients. That’s how the following interview came about.
Media Marketing: The hardest thing to do in the advertising industry is to stay “small”. How does MINT do it?
Milena Mijatović: Full commitment, trust and focus on results are key factors that keep the client, and I believe our clients have recognized that. For long time now I don’t see agencies as big and small, but as those that do good jobs, or bad.
Media Marketing: You are specialized in design, creative and communication strategy. Do you lack something, or do you think this is enough to attract big clients?
Milena Mijatović: Clients are interested in IDEAS. When you have a good idea in which you believe, and you present it with a passion, the client is sold. Everything else is part of the game. We once won a big pitch with an idea that could fit on an A4 sheet of paper. All the sketches and presentations of over 100 slides we have thrown to the trash, and came to the pitch with a single piece of paper, and a top-notch idea. We won. It was one of our best pitches.
We are doing what we are the best at – leaving everything else to those who are better than us in that. In final realization of campaigns, we partner with many agencies and this is a model that has proven to be extremely successful.
MINT services numerous clients from the Netherlands and Germany on a daily basis, but is particularly proud of continuous cooperation with companies such as Konzum BiH, Ledo, Frikom and Sberbank.
Media Marketing: How did it come to collaboration with Konzum?
Milena Mijatović: We’ve been working with Konzum for several years now. It was “love at first glance” with Iva Balent, then CMO of Agrokor. She recognized our potential in the first pitch, she inspired us and encouraged us for much more than we believed we are capable of.
A couple of years later, the new communication strategy was a big challenge for us. The focus on smaller formats, daily actions and warm atmosphere was a complete turnaround compared to the previous period. Slogan Good Day Every Day was set as a communication platform that constantly inspires us for further activations and positive messages. It is an inexhaustible source of communication across categories. After the slogan, we defined the brand’s promise: “We are the supermarket with the best actions in the city. With us, Every Day is a Good Day.”
Konzum is one of the examples where, with excellent cooperation with the agency Communis Sarajevo, we enriched and enhanced the overall concept with a series of videos that they created and implemented.
Media Marketing: You mentioned earlier that, after an in-depth analysis of the client, you created a new mission and vision of Konzum, which, thanks to the Board and the rest of the management, was successfully implemented and is showing expected results.
Milena Mijatović: Konzum’s mission is clear and inspiring. Good results are the indication that, thanks to their marketing team, it was properly communicated across the company.
Within the entire process it is very important that we have open collaboration with the Konzum marketing team, as well as open and direct communication and mutual understanding, which is important, because then everything happens easily, quickly and successfully, to mutual satisfaction. Our collaboration continues, and we are very happy for that. We are already working on some new projects.
Media Marketing: How much have you included social networks and digital in general in this communication?
Milena Mijatović: We’ve done some notable campaigns on social networks: Hey neighbor, what’s your recipe, and Konzum Tips & Tricks. These are some of the prize games that are closely related to the above-mentioned concept. The results were excellent, customer interaction increased by 80%, and over 100 mails came daily with various recipes, tips and customer stories.
Media Marketing: Do you shop at Konzum? And if you do, do you experience the brand promise that you actually created?
Milena Mijatović: I regularly shop at Konzum in Banja Luka. I make my purchasing decision based on the good range of products and good location. I’m certain that they uphold the brand promise, because I feel good at Konzum every day. J
Media Marketing: What about MINT in the months to come? What can we expect in the near future from your creative workshop?
Milena Mijatović: We continue our regular activities with long-standing clients, and are preparing new in house projects that we will talk about when they are realized.
If you ask me about the next steps forward – I see those in digitalization of creativity. Trends demand creation of personalized, tailored approach to every member of the target group. We are pushing toward that.
