Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
Canes Lions is the world reference for all creative agencies. It’s the goal of every creative. It’s an award for which everyone would gladly swap all the others they had won, and with good reason: the number of entries from around the world is approximately 10 times higher than in any other festival. To be in the shortlist is already a huge recognition. Competition is the fiercest possible, and selection is brutal. The Festival makes you believe that anything is possible; and at the same time it terrifies you showing how difficult it is to come even close to those selected!
And that this is the ‘biggest deal’ is illustrated by the fact of a small number of Lions won throughout the Festival’s history (this is the 63rd consecutive competition) across our immediate and wider region. Croatian agencies (including Imago) have so far mainly sadly observed how dreams of the first Croatian lion shatter already at the announcement of shortlists – so far only three works from Croatia made it to the coveted shortlists. And since a few years ago, after yet another dry year in Cannes, I announced in front of everyone in Imago that Imago has to win the first Croatian Lion, then this was really the ‘biggest deal’ for us!
Last year, while looking at my sad face because all of our international award-winning works have not reached a shortlist in Cannes, Darko Bosnar promised me he would give his best and will certainly win a lion. Well, it didn’t take long. Ah, yes, as one girl friend said, now I know how Leonardo di Caprio feels like. And Darko knows it as well!
I have to be honest, on Friday I was not quite aware what it actually means, and how much ‘the biggest deal’ it is. In all the organizational pandemonium after we found out, the preparation of communication, informing the client and their sincere joy, (and here I must repeat that all this would not be possible if Ms. Iva Balent hadn’t enthusiastically accepted our self-initiated idea and literally changed the plan of activities for Jana and unreservedly supported us!), the award ceremony, giving yet another semi-articulate statements for Marketing Magazin (every time I get confused responding in Croatian to a question said in Slovene), all the congratulations and continuing drunkenness… in all of that I forgot something quite appropriate for such a success: to sincerely celebrate! In the end it turned out that Ekrem Dupanović celebrated more than I, but he was just the first one who understood the importance of all this. Not only was it appropriately covered by the Media Marketing, he was sincerely happy about it. And he also moved me with a message from his daughter Asja! And so I also began to realize that this is the biggest deal!
Because, this is not only the biggest deal for Imago, but a big deal and motivation for the Croatian advertising industry, with a clear message to everyone: it’s possible! If we were able to keep our promise, and reach the first Lion, we can go for the first Grand Prix!
Big deal!