Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
Stefan Ivanović, Account Planner at the agency Direct Media Beograd, is a devoted husband and a gamer. He studied at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences and is a respected athlete of the Republic of Serbia. On these foundations he began to build his professional career in marketing in one of the most successful media systems in the region. In little more than three and a half years of work in Direct Media, Stefan has had the opportunity to work with leading clients from many industries, to expand his horizons and experience by working with different teams within the agency, to adopt the professional standards of this company and also create his own authentic work system, which certainly brings results. The project that best speaks to his qualities, commitment to innovation, strong leadership, and results, is the project of the Virtual Banker for Telenor Bank. Using augmented reality technology, together with an impressive team of collaborators, a virtual banker was created – a lifelike copy of a famous Serbian actor – but not only that, this virtual banker has also appeared on the show Veče sa Ivanom Ivanovićem (An Evening with Ivan Ivanović), thus entering the history of the marketing and advertising industry in the country, the region and beyond – as the first ever. This project represents Stefan’s marketing philosophy, which combines innovation and creation on the one hand, and math and analysis on the other hand, because, he says, they can’t and shouldn’t be without each other, especially in difficult economic times. Winning international medals in karate showed him the way to the top, which he wants to conquer once again, but this time in the field of marketing, with Direct Media.
MEDIA MARKETING: As someone who had won medals at world championships, as a valued athlete of Serbia, and as someone who has a degree in organizational sciences, you had the opportunity to pick and choose what you wanted to do. Why did you choose the communications industry and why Direct Media agency?
STEFAN IVANOVIĆ: Thanks to this “previous life” of mine, I had an advantage over my peers only to the extent that I could have an idea of, and the freedom to choose what I liked, confident that I would continue where I left off with my sports career and studies thus far, because that’s the only thing that brings results (in any sense of the word). Love and commitment, nothing else. And as for Direct Media – well, it’s a logical choice if you want to be the best and work with the best, right? :)
MEDIA MARKETING: What do young leaders need to learn and take on from their older colleagues?
STEFAN IVANOVIĆ: One thing that should definitely be taken from senior colleagues is the postulates of business and conduct towards colleagues and associates. Each organization has its own unique genes of communication and good practices which should be transmitted from generation to generation. It’s madness to continue without those grounds and to demolish what has been built for years and brings results. I can only say that for these exact reasons I was lucky that my first job was at Direct Media.
MEDIA MARKETING: And what should be discarded from that legacy?
STEFAN IVANOVIĆ: Lack of enthusiasm and those two famous words: NO and MAYBE. I’m more for “YES”, and “OF COURSE, LET’S FIND A WAY”. Luckily, there are almost no such people in Direct.
MEDIA MARKETING: You have been with Direct Media for three and a half years. Is that enough to fall in love with this job?
STEFAN IVANOVIĆ: I am an advocate of the idea that experience is not measured by years, but by actions, achievements and mistakes. In that regard, the previous 3.5 years were enough for me to pass through the journey from love to hatred and back again several times over. The most important thing is that I always go back to my initial enthusiasm. I believe and know that marketing is the love of my business life – after all, they say that you only truly love once in a lifetime. :)
MEDIA MARKETING: You led the team that created the virtual banker for Telenor Bank, for which Direct Media won the Gold Sampler. How was the idea for this project created and how did you implement it? How many people were involved?
STEFAN IVANOVIĆ: Virtual banker was definitely the project that marked the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015 in my professional life. So many dogmas and fears had to be discarded (bear in mind, this was the first time this kind of project had ever been made in the region, in Europe and even beyond). At one time I even wondered whether we would really succeed in turning the idea, which had huge potential, into its worthy execution; an execution that doesn’t accept the current state of affairs. You know that on paper and in your head everything looks better and easier, and whoever tells you they don’t have doubts in themselves, have never really believed in themselves! But, the TEAM was who managed to overcome all the difficulties and make something truly worthy of attention and admiration. When I say team, I mean TEAM, in every respect – both quantitatively and qualitatively. A few dozen people worked on the project at one time, and believe me when I say this: around the clock. In the end, Sample and Cactus awards (and I hope the list won’t end there) have made the end of 2015 equally beautiful and exciting, and have rewarded all the hard work and the pushing of boundaries – both those in our heads, and those of the entire market.
MEDIA MARKETING: What would be your advice to your peers? To join you in this industry or to try to find a better job?
STEFAN IVANOVIĆ: I would advise them to do what they love. It really doesn’t matter if it’s this industry or not. This industry offers a dynamic career and represents a point of convergence of art and science, and it depends on each of us what we will actually get from this industry. If you give love, you get love…
MEDIA MARKETING: For a certain period you strived for medals, today you strive for customer satisfaction. What could you transfer to younger colleagues from your own experience of getting to the finish line (both in sports and business)?
STEFAN IVANOVIĆ: The road to success is always the same – bumpy, and it requires love, sacrifice and dedication. At the end of that road, the sky’s the limit, and before that, the limit is only in our minds.
MEDIA MARKETING: How do you envision the future of the communications industry?
STEFAN IVANOVIĆ: Man and his needs at the center of it all. And more. More than ever before. One-on-one communication driven through the digital environment everywhere, not just on computers. Information, learning and adapting everything to the individual, not to target groups as such.