One digital citylight helped passers-by check their posture, while a banking campaign gave grandchildren the role of guides through digital services for older family members. Two different problems and two different types of technology were connected by the same decision: not to leave the digital tool in the background of the campaign, but to turn it into a benefit that people could immediately recognise.
This approach brought projects from Croatia and Serbia to the shortlist of this year’s MIXX Awards Europe, a European competition dedicated to creativity, innovation and effectiveness in digital advertising.
The Croatian project Your Posture Is Your Future, known to the local public as Ispravite se, is a finalist in three categories: Creative Data Storytelling, DOOH / OOH and Driving Social Change. The project for Croatia Poliklinika was jointly delivered by Bruketa&, Go2Digital and Millenium promocija.
Instead of using digital out-of-home displays solely to show a message, the authors turned a citylight into an interactive posture-checking tool. Computer vision and specially developed software analysed the posture of passers-by across eight key points, and the results were displayed immediately, together with highlighted risk areas and the option to book an appointment with a physiatrist.
In this way, the project brought communication, the assessment of a potential health problem and the first step towards an examination together in the same place. During the campaign, 106,642 passers-by were scanned, 50,521 contacts were collected in accordance with data protection regulations, and the number of specialist examinations increased by 46 percent. Ispravite se had previously won a series of national and international accolades, including a Silver at the Clio Awards, a Red Dot, a WOO Creatives Award and 13 awards at competitions held as part of Dani komunikacija.
The regional shortlist is completed by the campaign I Taught Grandma, or Naučio sam baku, which Ovation BBDO created for NLB Komercijalna banka. The project reached the final of the Marketing Effectiveness category, which assesses how clearly defined objectives, strategic insight and execution have been translated into measurable business results.
The campaign communicated the option for pensioners to access their monthly pension through the bank’s digital channels one day before the official payment date. Instead of explaining the new functionality to older users solely through the language of banking services, it drew on intergenerational relationships and invited younger people to help their grandmothers and grandfathers take their first steps in digital banking. In this setup, grandchildren effectively became operators, showing them how to install the app, check their balance, pay a bill without visiting a branch and use the early pension payment option.
Reaching the European MIXX final continues the award-winning journey of the Naučio sam baku campaign. This year, the project won Gold at the Effie Awards Serbia in the Finance, Financial Cards & Insurance category, while it had previously taken first place in the Digital & Social category at the CIM Forum. Alongside Ovation BBDO, Media House RS and Rooster Production participated in the campaign’s execution.
Croatia also has finalists on this year’s list beyond the individual project categories. Bruketa&, Go2Digital and Millenium promocija are among the candidates for Creative Agency of the Year. Davor Bruketa is a finalist for Creative Director of the Year, while Ivana Momčilović is in the running for Art Director of the Year.
These selections are based on the points agencies and individuals accumulate through the results of entered campaigns. A nomination earns one point, Bronze three, Silver five, Gold eight and the Grand Prix 12 points, meaning that the system evaluates both the success of an individual project and the continuity of contributions across different categories.
This year’s MIXX Awards Europe spans 24 categories, from creative data storytelling and new technologies to retail media, creators, gaming, CTV and social impact. Entries were assessed by an international jury according to strategy, creativity and results.
The Gold, Silver and Bronze winners will be announced on 8 October at Felix Meritis in Amsterdam. All Gold winners will automatically enter the competition for the Grand Prix, awarded to the best campaign of this year’s competition.
