Not all marketing moves are equal. Some go unnoticed, some serve their purpose, and some, in rare moments, redefine what a brand can be. That’s what happened with the campaign “Our Place to Start the Sarajevo Film Festival”, in which Bingo and the Via Media agency set not only the communication tone, but also created a spatial narrative within the country’s most important cultural event.
At a time when sponsorships are often reduced to passive visibility with no substance, Bingo took a different course: to become present – not just visually, but emotionally, functionally, and socially.
“Our Place” as a Spatial and Symbolic Category
The campaign builds on the established “Our Place” platform, through which Bingo positions itself as a shared experience point for millions of citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this case, the abstract idea was translated into a tangible spatial and social act – creating its own festival base in the heart of Sarajevo.
Instead of a declarative presence, Bingo created a new zone of festival life, moving the brand from the audience to the stage.
A key moment was the involvement of young actor Kerim Čutuna, known for his satirical take on the influencer world. Rather than exploiting his popularity, Bingo and Via Media integrated him into the context, adding local relevance, humour, and social commentary. This freshness made the campaign feel like a natural continuation of the dialogue with the audience, rather than a programmed marketing effort.
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Sponsorship as Dramaturgy
This case shows how sponsorship can be treated as a dramaturgical element. Instead of being a footnote in the programme, the brand became the context. It didn’t overshadow the festival – it enhanced it. The audience didn’t feel they were “watching an ad,” but that they were genuinely invited to “our place” in the city centre, in sync with the festival’s rhythm, which Bingo supported.
“Our Place to Start the Sarajevo Film Festival” is an experiment in communicative coexistence, where the lines between promotional and cultural, commercial and public, blur in a way that doesn’t aim for spectacle but leaves a real mark.
And in that mark – in the feeling that something shifted and remained – lies the true value of the campaign. The question is: did it perhaps write a new chapter in how brands participate in events that aren’t theirs, but become theirs when shared with the public?
