Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
We wanted to investigate how the TV ad for Lejla water brand of Sarajevo Brewery was made. We asked the Brewery for comment and received a stingy worded mail which says they will send us a comment if they see fit. They haven’t sent any.
We asked the Brewery to send us contacts for the Gotiva agency which made the TV spot. We went to Gotiva’s page, but were greeted by a pop up form asking us to give all our information, and then they would consider whether and what to answer. The fact that we didn’t receive a response or agency contact from the Sarajevo Brewery brought us to suspect that it wasn’t Gotiva that bamboozled the Brewery, but that client perhaps asked for a copy of ad originally made for a Czech water brand. Even so, Gotiva bears the guilt. An agency that respects itself (and not just the money) would never accept such a client request.
Today, you can read the column of permanent judicial adviser for advertising and marketing in Croatia, Kamil Antolović, who believes that in this case there is no doubt about emulation that is contrary to the law and the code of ethics of this profession.
Below you can read what people from the industry think about the entire thing. Some of those we asked for a response didn’t send one, probably fearing that Sarajevo Brewery might cut them out from some future jobs. All those who were asked for a comment, but failed to send one, did a disservice for themselves and the entire industry. As long as these things happen, nobody will do well. Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only country in the region whose advertising industry doesn’t have a trade association. It’s not in the interest of those who only like shady deals. If there were rules, things such as this with Lejla brand would never happen. The Court of Honor of such an association would sanction any violation of law, ethics, and codex of the trade.
Lazar Džamić, Creative strategist and lecturer at the Faculty of Media and Communication, Belgrade
This is an obvious plagiarism, because even under the principle of probability, it is unlikely that such coincidences would occur by chance, not only in the idea but also in the details. The old advertising rule was ’10 years or 10,000 km ‘- that is, it is possible to copy things that are old and forgotten or very far away. But that was the case before the internet. It doesn’t work today. Today, everything is known immediately. This was pretty imprudent from the agency, or the client if they had asked for plagiarized work…
Goran Lizdek, Detail designer, DE Automotive GmbH, Munich
Although I guess the time will tell who “bamboozled” who in this case – meaning whether the initiative on plagiarism of already existing advertisement came from the client or the agency – it will ultimately make no difference, because the fact that someone has made such an unscrupulous plagiarism speaks about the complete lack of ethics first, and then the lack of creativity. Regardless of the fact that the greatest responsibility lies with a couple of people who have deliberately made such a move, it is difficult to believe that hands of anyone included in the production of this ad are clear, because turning a blind eye, or rather both eyes, to such blatant plagiarism can hardly be justified. If any legal implications come out of this as a consequence, I believe they will be fully justified and deserved.
Darko Bosnar, Innovation Director – Imago Ogilvy, Zagreb
I think it is a real pity that a product like natural spring water of Bosnia and Herzegovina is not presented through an original Bosnian story, but that inspiration is sought elsewhere.
A country that is so beautiful and diverse as Bosnia and Herzegovina certainly hides the stories only waiting to be told. I hope that other brands will know how to recognize and start applying that.
Elma Pašić, GfK BiH:
As a Bosnian-Herzegovinian consumer, I am offended by this – as a professional, I am saddened.
Naida Čelik, Creative Director, Communis Sarajevo
With the current population of seven billion people in the world, there is a great chance that someone will have the same idea as we do. Especially in advertising, where we often have the opportunity to do campaigns for products advertised by hundreds of other advertisers around the world. And it is no sin to have the same idea. It is however a ‘sin’ not to explore the market and to deliver an idea that already exists. However, such things can happen by chance.
What does not happen by chance is repeating the same idea with the same execution.
Copying an existing campaign (in the hope that no one will detect plagiarism) is a low blow to everyone in the industry. It is unfair to the agencies that are working to offer original ideas, it is not fair to clients who invest their money and trust, and it is not fair to consumers. It is also not fair to young people who want to work in advertising because it gives a bad example of what this profession is.
Without making any accusations and seeking guilty parties, I have only one thing to say – if someone is unable to make an original solution, they should leave the job to those who are.
Adnan Arnautlija, Editor, Media Marketing
In spite of the general opinion, the biggest problem for Bosnian-Herzegovinian brands is not that they aren’t respected and valued by the people, but rather that they don’t respect and value themselves. The way a brand shows how much it values itself is its marketing, and in BiH, even in categories where we have truly quality products, we allow ourselves gaffes such as this one with the campaign for the spring water Lejla. And I don’t just speak about the video spot, but other campaign elements as well which, in addition to being ‘uninventive’ (not to use a tougher word), also look subpar in quality (primarily visuals for print and billboard segment of the campaign).
What I, as a BH consumer, hold against “my” brands is that they are not as good and as strong as they can, should and must be, and they will only achieve that when they begin to respect and value themselves.
