The Predictions & Trends Working Group of IAB Croatia has published the document Digital Trends: Opportunity or Hype? – the first structured set of guidelines on the Croatian market that helps differentiate between short-lived digital trends and those that bring real business value. Alongside the guidelines, a practical trend-evaluation tool has been prepared, intended for everyone who makes daily decisions about investments, innovation, and digital ideas.
The document provides guidelines that can be a useful tool for all industry stakeholders, brands, agencies, media, and content creators, in assessing what is worth investing time, resources, and energy in, and what will, despite its appeal, most likely disappear quickly without any real impact.
FIVE CRITERIA FOR RECOGNIZING REAL VALUE
The guidelines introduce five key criteria for evaluating digital trends: the breadth of adoption, availability and development potential in the local market, clear added value, limitations and risks, and the level of understanding of the concept among clients and users.
Through concrete examples such as metaverse events with minimal real audiences, and the growth of TikTok and influencer marketing, the document demonstrates how to distinguish short-term hype from solutions that have the potential to create long-term value in the Croatian market.
A PRACTICAL TOOL FOR EVERYDAY DECISIONS
Alongside the guidelines, a practical trend-evaluation tool has been published, allowing professionals to examine each new trend through a set of simple YES/NO questions. This makes it easier to assess whether there are enough users, whether there is real business benefit, whether legal and reputational risks are covered, and how easy the trend is to explain and sell to a client.
The publication of the guidelines and the tool is part of the broader format IAB Discovery: The Month of Predictions & Trends, whose central event will take place on December 10 at 4 p.m. in Zagreb’s Holographik Space. The event will offer exclusive insights from the Predictions & Trends Working Group, consisting of Lara Stolnik (Selotejp), Boris Vukić (404), Katarina Exle (Cvoke), Antonio Karlović (WPP Media Croatia) and Marko Mikeš (Aleph), a panel with predictions for 2026, and a detailed presentation of the five criteria that help the industry avoid falling for hype.
Participants will have the opportunity to hear directly from the authors of the guidelines, ask questions, and learn how to turn new trends into real opportunities for the growth of their brands.
The guidelines are available for download on the official website.
