From capturing user attention to finding the best ways to break out of the comfort zone through creativity and innovation, the second day of the Days of Communication – Croatia’s leading marketing communications festival in Rovinj – sparked discussions on key topics for communicators, digital professionals, and creatives alike.
The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the performance by Dietmar Dahmen, a world-renowned expert in transformation, innovation, and the future of business. On the main festival stage, he once again blurred the lines between lecture and performance. With sparklers and flames, he set the stage on fire – not for show, but to ignite new ideas and open up space for creative shifts. To the audience’s euphoria, the moment was rounded off with the iconic sound of Firestarter: “You have to hate the status quo to change it. Be radical. Create what AI can’t – be the AI DJ, add your unique twist,” concluded Dahmen.
Dietmar Dahmen
On the main stage, participants joined speakers to explore crucial themes: from Karen Nelson-Field, one of the world’s leading experts in attention economics, who explained why attention is the new currency and how to earn it in the chaos of digital media, to the provocative question: What if the best pitch… isn’t a pitch at all?
Blair Enns, the world’s top authority on selling creative services – hailed as the pitching guru – deconstructed traditional agency sales models and proposed an alternative: clear principles, bold decisions, and pricing that makes sense. In his talk, he shared how to sell creative services without traditional pitching and explained why defining your own value is essential for long-term success. His presentation was precise and free of fluff – just like the method he advocates.
“Blair Enns confirmed my thinking: you can’t be both innovative and efficient at the same time. Personally, I prefer innovation over efficiency because it’s more exciting than just making money. The secret lies in finding the ‘sweet spot’ in the tension between innovation and efficiency,” commented Damir Ciglar (Imago Ogilvy), a member of the festival’s Organizing Committee.
After captivating both agency and advertiser audiences, the stage was taken over by Amber Case, powered by ENNA – a researcher who explores how technology becomes an extension of our bodies and how that constant connectedness affects us emotionally, socially, and even physically.
Rather than observing technology from the outside, Case dives deep into its real impact on humans – how it changes, shapes, and burdens us. As the world’s leading expert in calm technology, she presented the idea of tech that supports us quietly in the background instead of overwhelming us.
“What appears to be reality is flattened behind this glass screen. We’re losing dimension, texture, color – the illusion of life is slowly fading,” Case shared, calling on designers, engineers, and brands to create technologies that are intuitive, compassionate, and human-centric. “The mind craves what is real, exciting, funny.”
Michael Corcoran at the Days of Communication_photo by Marko Lopac
Somewhere between low-cost flights and brutally honest tweets, one of the internet’s most recognizable brand voices emerged. Michael Corcoran shared how, instead of chasing likes, they sought real reactions – any reactions, as long as they were authentic.
This former social media lead for an airline company gave main-stage insights into campaigns that shape pop culture. His talk emphasized the importance of context and authentic expression, showing how brands can connect with people on an emotional level: “Gen Z wants authenticity and reality – humor is often their way of coping with trauma. If you want to succeed, be either funny or offer an escape from everyday life.”
But the day didn’t end there. Staying true to the festival’s spirit – where the best conversations often happen after the program ends – the evening continued with Midnight Mutterings: Too Late Insights, a laid-back, late-night talk format with festival speakers. This year’s hot questions were posed by host Galeb Nikačević Hasci-Jare, with Michael Corcoran offering his insights and answers.
And this is just part of the festival’s extensive content offering: Friday alone featured more than 30 additional program segments – from the unavoidable AI and PR discussion in AI Beyond the Hype: Strategic PR Before Shiny Tools, influencer marketing in On Influencer Marketing by IAB Croatia: Is Your Feed a Lie?, and the now well-known regional panel on creativity Creativity: the Business of Ideas II, to consumerism, the focus of Beyond the Checkout: The New Rules of Consumer Trust powered by Studenac.
For more information about the festival, visit www.danikomunikacija.com.
