Photo: Niko Goga
Croatian public relations professionals believe that Baby Lasagna was the best communicator in the Croatian public sphere last year. For that reason, he was named Communicator of the Year 2024 at the ceremony of the 18th Grand PRix of the Croatian Public Relations Association (HUOJ). They explained that the musician, who achieved a historic result for Croatia at Eurovision, won over both domestic and international audiences with his unquestionable musical talent, authenticity, approachability, sincerity, simplicity, transparency, and openness.
Krešimir Šustić
“I am extremely pleased that authenticity and emotion can connect people across Europe,” said Krešimir Šustić, PR manager for Baby Lasagna, accepting the award on behalf of the artist who is currently on a major European tour.
Finalists for the Communicator of the Year award also included the activist platform Grof Darkula and Aleksandar Stanković, HRT editor and presenter.
The Grand PRix for the development of the public relations profession was awarded to Violeta Colić, co-founder of the Colić, Laco & Partners Communication Office.
Violeta Colić
“Since I started working in this profession, so much has changed. The oldest among us remember sending invitations and press releases via fax. From there, we have moved on to using artificial intelligence on a daily basis. It’s good that we are using it, because we should keep up with changes, if not lead them. We must embrace all technological innovations that can help us do our work better and faster. However, while using artificial intelligence, we must not neglect our own intelligence – only then can we get the best out of AI,” said Violeta Colić.
At the Grand PRix ceremony, the agency 404 was named Best PR Agency for the eighth time.
Agencija 404
“This year, 65 communication projects were submitted for the Grand PRix, and 33 reached the finals in nine categories. The competition was fierce, and the quality of the projects outstanding,” emphasized Igor Crnčić, president of the jury for the 18th Grand PRix.
The jury’s scores determined which projects deserved awards and which type of award. Nine projects received bronze, twelve silver, and only two received gold.
Gold awards went to Madison Consulting, which ran the “I’m Just Like You” campaign for the NGO kolekTIRV to raise awareness about the rights of transgender people, and to Ana-Marija Ferenčak, Paula Hranilović, and Ivana Pušonjić for the project Zokipedia, a TikTok campaign for Zoran Milanović’s presidential campaign.
Ana-Marija Ferenčak, Ivana Pušonjić i Paula Hranilović (foto Niko Goga)
Mario Aunedi Medek, president of HUOJ, invited communication professionals to submit their projects for the international the! award and to participate in KOMference, which will take place from November 6 to 8 in Split. The theme of this year’s HUOJ conference is “Communication on the Front Line – Security in Times of Crisis.”
Mario Aunedi Medek
As part of the Grand PRix, it was also announced that David Sopta, former President of Jadrolinija’s Management Board, was named Anti-Communicator of the Year 2024 due to poor crisis communication following the Lastovo ferry accident.
Other figures highlighted for poor communication in the past year by the Grand PRix jury included Radovan Fuchs, Minister of Science, Education and Youth, and Stephen Nikola Bartulica, Member of the European Parliament and former member of the Homeland Movement.
