Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
It was Friday morning. I was solving the last technical issues with Marjan Božič, DTP for The Best of Creative Directors book. I received the last version of the layout. The book looked great. On Monday, it would go to Printera for printing. I shut down my computer satisfied, sat in the car and together with Vedrana was off to Belgrade.
In the late afternoon I met in Madera with Vlatko Dimovski (I&F McCann Grupa). We drank quince brandy and enjoyed an excellent octopus salad. Vlatko told me about the great impressions from the visit of the Nordic creatives of agencies from I&F McCann Grupa (Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden). He told me how Srđan Šaper’s idea about connecting northern and southern creativity is strategically perfect and he believe in success. I asked him about some things, but with Vlatko it’s always on the “need to know” basis – what you don’t need to know, he won’t tell you. He is soon to “defend” the business plan of McCann’s agencies in the region for the next year. He is pleased and optimistic when talking about next year. Recently he’s been spending the most of his time in Zagreb, where together with the local McCann team he is creating a winning strategy for 2017.
Ivan Stanković came to pick up Vedrana and me and take us to the hotel Metropol. We went to a party which was organized by Direct Media on the occasion of 15 years of business. We found ourselves among 1,500 guests who were having great fun. I talked to Miša Lukić – actually we shouted at each other although we were standing side by side. The music was loud and the ruckus was great. Miša told me about his impressions from the lecture which he held that afternoon at AcademIAA, the educational process organized by the IAA Serbia. He is delighted with the positive energy of young people who are eager to learn from practice. We were joined by the Marko Bunčić who is leading the AcademIAA project, I met him in early October when I was a guest. He told me that the participants evaluated all the speakers and, as things stand, I should be pleased with my evaluation, but about how I ‘fared’ I’ll know more after 9 December, when this year’s cycle will be completed. He told me that I will certainly be invited next year as well, and reminded me of a party which is set to take place on 9 December. I already received an invitation from Jelena Ivanović and promised that I would probably come, although December is chaotic month.
I also ran into Mitja Tuškej, se we talked about the promotion of his book No Friends, No Brands, which I translated from Slovenian. Media Marketing is the publisher and we will try to fit in the schedule and to promote the book together with the book The Best of Creative Directors. It will not be easy. We planned Zagreb on 19 December. Mitja can’t make it, because that day he has a presentation on the pitch for a very important client in Belgrade. I told him that we’ll then work on that day in Belgrade, and Zagreb the next day. Later I hear that on 19 December is the glory of St. Nikola, and then everyone is either celebrating, or going to their friends who celebrate it, so the promotion of the book has to move. Mitja asked me if I had the opportunity to meet Jadranka Drinić, president of Direct Media? I said that unfortunately I haven’t had the pleasure. “Well, she was here a moment ago,” said Mitja and looked at the crowd of guests in which Jadranka was almost impossible to find. I couldn’t even see Milica Marković. Immediately after talking to Mitja, Vedrana and I left. This volume of decibels is not for our years. A great party, but for the younger.
Skadarlija, Putujući Glumac restaurant, dinner organized by the Serbian Public Relations Association for lecturers at the PRilika conference. The meeting with friends. I sat among the participants of tomorrow’s panel that I would lead. I went through the topics with Marina Čulić Fischer, Ilarija Bašić, Branka Conić and Barbara Krajnc , but I didn’t reveal the three on which I was reminded by Dejan Verčić. He’s a friend of mine from New York, where he participated in the global PR forum, and he sent three questions that we need to discuss at the panel. That’s what friends do. Tavern is a miracle. In it you can find out everything, so I learned that Dubravka Jusić became the director of corporate communications at Agrokor. The news for headlines. I immediately checked with Dubravka whether her mobile phone number is still the same. She says yes.
From Skadarlija I went again to Madera, to see the sports reporter Milojko Pantić whom I haven’t seen for 25 years. When they do an annual inventory in Madera, they make sure to include Panta, because he is constantly in Madera. They call him the Chairman of Madera table. Although they told me that he would certainly be there after 23.00 hours, Panta didn’t show up. Too bad. I wanted to talk to him, but in the end I just left a message with the waiter.
It was already pass midnight when we returned to the Metropol. The day was dynamic, tiring, but very nice.
Then came Saturday. The second day of the PRilika conference – an excellent conference and excellent organization. First I met with Lazar Džamić in the conference room. We hadn’t seen each other for a long time. “Why didn’t you say you were coming? Just this morning Dana asked me about you at breakfast,” said Lazar. “And why don’t you read the program of the conference in which both you and I participate,” I replied. I was interested in everything that was happening with him over the past three months, since he came back to us after 17 years of absence during which he was in London. After the lecture I called him and asked him what do we look like now that he’s returned? What does he make of us, and what should we do to be prettier and smarter?
After Lazar, a hug with Teodora Migdalovici, who flew in for the conference directly from Rome and the Eurobest that took place there. She was tired, but did not want to disappoint the organizers. That’s Teodora for you. Her word is her bond. Then there were Kristina Ercegović, Danijel Koletić, and many other familiar faces and good friends. Our panel went OK, at least so say the organizers and participants. Marina, Ilarija, Branka, Jasna and Barbara were great interviewees, and I think we really shed light on some of the key issues of the PR profession in the region. I publicly announced that Media Marketing in February would call a pitch for the name of the region in which we operate. Enough with the exYu. We need a creative name from which we will make a brand. I invited the participants of the panel to participate in this project with their agencies. More could be talked about PR, but I stuck to the planned hour. First of all because lunch was after the panel, which all the participants were interested in.
After lunch, Vedrana and I fired up the car to return to Sarajevo. As soon as we entered Bosnia, and connected to the network, the phone began to go nuts with message notifications. Great news came from Iva Balent – Jana’s storks flew in from Rome carrying silver from Eurobest. I looked forward to this news. I congratulated Iva and immediately realized that we have a problem. In the book The Best of Creative Directors, Agrokor rented two ad pages, one for the Sarajevski Kiseljak and one for Jana. Jana’s ad represents all the awards that the campaign Wing of Love won this year. The ad came a day earlier and I had already sent it to Futura. It can’t go out without the Eurobest award. It’s a book. Someone will pick it up 20 years from now, and they won’t have the information about this award. I recall the title in Jutarnji list when Marin Čilić won the US Open two hours after the Time Vault closed in Zagrebačka Bank. The headline in Jutarnji List was “Don’t close the vault until we put Marin’s racket in it.” The same way I see the book, and that it can’t be closed without Jana’s award at Eurobest. I called the Director of Printera and told him we are pushing the delivery of the book to press for a couple of hours until we get the new ad from Jamnica. I sent an e-mail to Lea Riđan (Agrokor) with instructions of what to do. I hope that we will succeed. I also informed Iva Balent about this and asked her if we could get the news about Dubravka’s arrival in Agrokor. She told me they would send it.
We arrived in Sarajevo tired and very happy. It was exciting. We’ve spent 34 hours on the road, and slept only 7. I love this pace. I simply love it.
4 December 2016.