Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
Participants Direct Media Academy 2016 have passed their final exam, defended their works and once again confirmed their knowledge and undisputed talent. For those who will continue their education at the AcademIAA, more learning is ahead.
Students of the DMA 2016 had their hands full at the Terme Tuhelj near Zagreb last week, where seventh Direct Media Academy was held. This development and educational program of Direct Media system is traditionally held in a different country each year. At the beginning of the year, the most talented individuals are selected from all offices in the network, to attend an intensive three-day seminar of Direct Media’s development and education center, which aims to develop competence and professionalism of employees from across the network.
After a series of lectures from various communication and advertising disciplines, and following the theme of this year’s DMA – the transformation of advertising and co-creation of experiences of advertising, entertainment and technology – the program put to the test the ability of participants to demonstrate what they have learned in a very short timeframe. DMA is also a kind of team building, because it gathers in one place advertising professionals from different markets, and groups include participants from all sectors: Media planners, Research and Insight analysts, creative and PR departments, etc.
The entry of a new brand on the market, repositioning of existing brands, targeting, retargeting, creating content and its advertising, all through a brand new approach to the use of media, these were the tasks of DM students who had to solve them in less than 24 hours, creating a comprehensive strategy. The examination committee consisted of the most experienced people of Direct Media, among whom was Mitja Tuškej, CEO of Direct Media Slovenia, an expert in brand communication and a long-time lecturer at the DMA.
No less interesting was on the last, Festival day of the DMA. The large conference hall of the hotel was packed with employees and clients of Direct Media, as Academy’s guests of honor. Again this year, among the speakers were leading regional and European names in economics, semiotics, strategic branding, digital marketing and psychology. Lectures were opened by Milan Deskar-Škrbić, macroeconomic analyst at Erste Bank Croatia who presented the economic development potential of South-East Europe. Bojan Leković, the founder of the portal Kupujemprodajem.com, came from the Netherlands to present to the DM students the way in which IT technologies pave the way for further development of the media, what advertising will look like at a time when print media become electronic newspapers, and when television stations become mobile apps.
Executive Director of Digital Communications Institute in Belgrade Ana Mirković spoke about personal branding on social networks by providing answers to questions on who has the key role in the development of personal brand on social media – we, or the people who follow us – and whether the focus on emotions is crucial in the construction of identity on social networks, both for brands and individuals. Tobias Wecker, creative leader of one of the world’s most-awarded agencies hasan & partners from Finland, in a lecture titled “Advertising that doesn’t suck”, through shining examples of his agency recalled the famous Ogilvy motto that “the consumer is not a moron, she is your wife” and that marketing campaigns can be created only from this perspective.
In his distinctive manner, Zenel Batagelj, president and co-founder of Valicon, presented the results of the use of neuroscience technology in marketing campaigns, demonstrating what kind of campaigns truly awake attention and emotional response of consumers, and how to use neural optimization of video content. Semantic brand audit was a topic presented by Anthony Mathe, an expert in this field who came to the DMA from London where he works and teaches. Speaking of branding as the Achilles’ heel of today’s advertising, Anthony Mathe pointed out that little is known about the semantics of brands, and that it is essential for consistent and effective communication of a brand.
Tamara Tomović, an expert in the field of emotional intelligence and director of the Mind Protect, gave a lecture on the group of emotional intelligence (EI) skills, and the way in which they can be developed to contribute to the success of individuals and organizations.
As every year, the DMA party crowned the three-day working gathering of advertising professionals from across the region. In the year of marking the 15th anniversary of the establishment, and as many years of successful business, in the scenic surroundings of the nearby castle Direct Media celebrated successful completion of another Direct Media Academy, with a message that they continue to invest in their people and operations.