Audioliber, the first audiobook fair in the region, has won the MIXX Awards Croatia 2025 Best in Show, awarded by the IAB Croatia for the best digital campaign of the year. The campaign was a collaboration between audiobook publisher book&zvook, creative agency UTORAK, and digital marketing consultancy Think Say Make Do.
Competing against more than 170 submitted projects, and big-name brands like HT, Marodi, Studenac, and Croatia Osiguranje, Audioliber was recognized as the most innovative and impactful digital initiative of the year. This victory marks a remarkable achievement for the cultural sector – a fair with no large budget, but with a clear vision, community-driven enthusiasm, and a belief that culture can be bold, relevant, and disruptive. Audioliber proves that an authentic idea, born from the margins, can outshine corporate campaigns and demonstrate that culture, when rooted in innovation, honesty, and togetherness, doesn’t need permission to change the game.
“Nobody likes audiobooks until they listen to their first one” was the slogan that kickstarted the campaign – both a provocation and an invitation. At a time when finding time to read feels like a luxury, Audioliber introduced a new cultural habit: listening to books on the move. Trams, clubs, bookstores, and cultural venues in Zagreb turned into stages for live readings, performances, and conversations about the future of books. The fair concluded with a drone launched from the balcony of the Ministry of Culture, symbolically crossing national borders and heading toward the London Book Fair, a prestigious global publishing industry event.
The campaign delivered exceptional results:
- The number of installations of the book&zvook app rose by 734%,
- Revenue from audiobook download codes increased by 762%,
- The number of new website users grew by 304%.
As further recognition, book&zvook was named Google’s App of the Month on the Croatian Play Store.
Audioliber emerged as a response to exclusion and marginalization. When book&zvook was offered a remote, invisible space at a traditional book fair, they refused to accept the establishment’s rules and instead created their own mobile, digital audiobook fair. The decision was driven by the belief that audiobooks could become a new form of reading – available to everyone, in everyday situations: on the tram, in the car, while ironing or running. The authenticity of the Audioliber campaign stems from a sincere need for change and innovation, not a desire for profit or prestige. That’s what makes this story a universal inspiration for anyone working outside the mainstream, believing that enthusiasm and rebellion can spark real change. Last weekend in Rovinj, at the Days of Communication festival, the industry confirmed that belief.
Ljubica Letinić, co-founder of book&zvook:
“We started with a tram, musicians, guerrilla stickers, bar readings, and bookstore listening sessions. And we ended up – no less – on the balcony of the Minister of Culture’s office. From there, a drone was launched with a message and sent off toward London. We followed it in March to the prestigious publishing industry event – the London Book Fair. And just two months later, they tell us that at the Days of Communication, we’ve won the MIXX Grand Prix: the award for the best digital campaign of the year – MIXX Best in Show goes to a small, alternative fair: Audioliber.”
Dražen Smaranduj, digital marketing expert, Think Say Make Do:
“I was in charge of digital marketing, and I knew right away that we were working with a limited budget. We realized we couldn’t afford everything a traditional digital app campaign would require – especially when acquisition wasn’t the primary goal. We prioritized offline activities and a bold slogan. I still remember the first 24 hours of the campaign, thinking I was doing everything wrong. Instead of tracking advanced analytics and optimizing app install ads, the first thing I did was launch a Facebook event ad – to get people into the tram. But that evening, and the guerrilla slogan messaging via OOH channels and physical activations, flipped the entire campaign logic. The explosion of media coverage and audience response became our main source of engaged users, which we then funneled into the marketing journey in real time.”
Jakov Vilović, agency UTORAK:
“We started with a premise: Croatians are nowhere near as familiar with audiobooks as Swedes or Americans. So Audioliber’s job wasn’t just to ‘sell’ books – it first had to sell the very idea of listening to books. That’s the fate of pioneers. In the first campaign, we decided to highlight the tangible benefits of audiobooks over paper ones. Sure, Dostoyevsky under a blanket has its charm, but you’re not under a blanket most of the day. You’re not even home. You’re on a tram. In your car. Ironing. Running. All that time – you can be reading. That struck us as an irresistible offer to book lovers. OK, maybe you can’t imagine listening to a book – but you can’t drive and read either. So, you decide. (…) In a campaign, anything can be said – if it’s true and if it serves the message. Our motto is: ‘First say it straight, then say it great.’ (…) ‘Nobody likes audiobooks until they listen to their first one.’ That’s simply the truth – for everyone who loves them today, and everyone who’s yet to discover them. In this case, straight and great aligned perfectly.”
