The Grando Portorož salt magazine, where the 34th SOF was held, is closing its doors. As the old salt workers would say, “the harvest is over, it’s time to rest, and only afterwards will preparations for the new season begin.” At SOF, 37 agencies presented on the festival stage, and 72 awards were given out: 27 gold, 43 silver, and 2 grand prizes. Winners were toasted, people danced all night, enjoyed the spring sun, and shared moments that will be remembered for a long time.
The best production companies for film commercials are Just A Corps and Instant, while the best production company for radio and audio commercials is Zavod Radio Študent. The title of Advertising Personality of the Year was awarded to Sašo Dimitrievski, partner and board member of the Pristop group, while Mastercard Slovenia was named Advertiser of the Year.
Teja Medvešček and Lovro Frece, winners of the Young Creatives competition, will travel to the Young Lions competition in Cannes.
Meetings that inspire, exchanges that go beyond words, ideas that will shape the future. SOF is not just a festival – it is the pulse of creativity, community, and courage. It is an unforgettable feeling that stays in the minds and hearts of all who created it – and lives on in every new inspiration.
Petra Parovel and Patricia Šelih spoke about the background of their companies’ success: impressive numbers, organizational challenges, dealing with ungrateful comments, and goals they set for the future.
“Analog channels are becoming the new luxury, and younger generations are increasingly returning to analog content – there is too much digital, the world is flooded with stimuli, so they seek rest and a more genuine experience,” highlighted Alex Turtschan in his speech.
Blaž Brodnjak and Dejan Turk started an interesting debate about when and how much it is worth investing in advertising. Blaž Brodnjak said he has an open mind and spirit and gladly supports brilliant ideas, while Dejan Turk emphasized something more in people: “The fire in the eyes is what I look for – not only in marketing, but in people in general. Because competition is fierce, it is crucial to dare to be different.”
John Thornton emphasized that thoughtful entertaining content is key to success on social media, with the goal of achieving the largest possible response; even negative comments are not harmful, as they still bring additional attention.
Alen Cvišić, Miha Jagodic, and Katarina Lotrič are a great example of how brilliant ideas can come to life if you believe in them enough; they presented their paths to success on the global market.
Erik Herrström is convinced that challenges give birth to the best ideas if we know how to use them well, adding that key are those brands that move culture because they leave the greatest impact.
Representatives of the 8 March Institute presented a campaign that inspired millions of Europeans, emphasizing that there are no magical solutions – success requires above all resourcefulness.
