Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
A meeting of representatives of national trade associations of advertising industry of Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro was held in Zagreb, organized by HURA. Bosnia and Herzegovina was the only country in the region not represented at the meeting, because it doesn’t have its own trade association.
Let’s recall. The first meeting of national associations was held in April 2014 in Belgrade, at the initiative of Media Marketing. With the arrival of Viktor Nikolić to the helm of UEPS, another meeting was initiated, which, in cooperation with Media Marketing, was organized in June last year, again in Belgrade.
The third meeting, in Zagreb, agreed cooperation on solving some of the problems that burden the advertising industry of the Adriatic region. We wrote about it yesterday, and today we are bringing you the impressions that the participants of the meeting shared for Media Marketing.
Davor Bruketa, President at HURA
The meeting in Zagreb has shown that there is a need for harmonization of professional standards in the region. It has resulted in a concrete and realistic agenda in measuring investment in advertising, ranking of agencies and competition transparency.
Dunja Ivana Ballon, Executive Director at HURA:
At the joint meeting, we set very specific targets and deadlines for ourselves. It was great to listen to the great projects organized by colleagues in the region and to exchange experiences, but I’m most looking forward to the realization of new activities in the promotion of good practices and competitions, with which we have already realized positive shifts in the market. I also believe that our new projects will contribute to the standardization and unification of the region’s markets, which will undoubtedly help our members’ business and the development of the industry.
Mojca Briščik, Director of SOZ:
Regional meetings of this kind first and foremost represent the opportunity to meet with colleagues from the industry who live and work in different circumstances. It’s an opportunity to exchange opinions and practices, and make a step further in aligning the goals that are important for our industry. Since today’s markets are diverse, and considering the fact that regulation is not equally rigorous everywhere, we will have to adapt certain recommendations and desired standards. Otherwise, it is very important that we all perceive advertising in the wider context equally, and that we (representatives of the associations) are primarily responsible for laying down the foundations for survival and further development of the industry and be promoters of good practice.
The meeting in Zagreb took place in a collective and constructive spirit. Next year we will organize it in Ljubljana.
Ana Ivandič, Digital Edition, Board Member at SOZ
Last year I was very glad that we – colleagues from the region – gathered at a joint meeting, and this year I am even more glad for this. Our talks in Belgrade gave the initial results, so this year we have raised the ambitions of our cooperation. I think that, as a regional team, we are realistic in assessing our capabilities and that we are all willing for even wider cooperation in order to strengthen our profession, but also the region. In addition to being an opportunity to acquire new knowledge, I must say that gatherings like this are always food for the soul, given that I have the opportunity to socialize with such great people.
Because of all this, I left Zagreb with a smile on my face.
Thank you to HURA’s team for wonderful hospitality.
Viktor Nikolić, President of UEPS:
On behalf of UEPS, and on my own behalf, I want to thank HURA for good organization, efficiency and patience, and to everyone else for good company and the topics we have opened.
Will we succeed in what we agreed in Zagreb? I don’t know. But I do know we certainly won’t if we don’t start doing something. This meeting was just that – a step! There will be someone after us, and somebody after that someone, to continue working from where we stopped…
I think we can all be a good example to everyone else in our “little states”, on how to cooperate and create a business environment. We, as UEPS, are very proud of that!
Vanda Kučera, Vice-president of UEPS:
A big thank you to the hosts for great hospitality, for very good working atmosphere and ambiance, and for a very well prepared meeting! The fact that we, as participants, were included in the preparation of the topics for discussion was already a sign of quality and successful work.
As someone who is actively involved in the work of IAA and UEPS in Serbia, and as someone who cooperates very well with colleagues from member agencies of I&F McCann Group, I can say that I have a relatively good understanding of the situation in our profession throughout the region. In this regard, I would say that all the topics that were initiated at this meeting were really important to us all, regardless of the markets in which we operate (Media Marketing wrote about the topics on Monday). Also, I can say that we will all have to work hard to achieve the goals that we have set for ourselves.
Changes are happening. They are here. We’ve started pushing together towards certain goals, so I want to believe that we’ve started something that will not stop easily … On the contrary!
Stana Šehalić, General Secretary at UEPS:
The meeting in Zagreb has confirmed the need for such gatherings. After all, the purpose of an association is to initiate topics of interest to the profession, which members burdened with daily obligations don’t have time to deal with. The agenda in Zagreb included questions that are common neuralgic points of the region, and which simply “ask” to be asked, and at least partially answered – to the benefit of the majority who expect better regulation, tighter and clearer regulation and raising the reputation of the profession. It is important that things started rolling at this level, and it is logical to expect each next meeting to be richer in content and quality.
HURA was a very good host, and the participants were inspirational.
Sašo Pešev, President of MAAM:
First of all, HURA proved to be an excellent host. They didn’t spare the energy or anything else to host us.
As far as professional work is concerned, after every meeting of regional associations, I am always ashamed. I see what the Croats, Slovenians, and recently the Serbs are doing, and what we did not do in MAAM. And we could have. There’s only a shortage of will among the people from the MAAM Board of Directors to work for common goals.
In any case it was useful. An inspiring meeting for people to get energized and engaged in the development of cooperation at the regional level, and the development of local industry.
Jelena Ivanović, Director of IAA Serbian Chapter:
As a part of the global network of the International Advertising Association, IAA Serbia by its existence and functioning confirms the necessity of solving issues of general interest within various forums. Cooperation with other associations is something that is unquestionable in our organization. On the contrary, advising and agreeing with colleagues from other associations is considered normal way of working. For the media, this cooperation “on a daily basis” is not particularly visible, nor spectacular, but for us in associations it is very valuable. The meeting in Zagreb, thanks to excellent HURA hosts and colleagues from other countries who attended, significantly contributed to strengthening connections between associations, and has contributed to our efforts to try and implement projects important to us together.
Tomorrow’s theme: How important are festival awards and what do they mean for creatives?