Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Asja Dupanović
Ljubica Jokić graduated from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences in Belgrade. Already during her studies, she attended workshops and lectures by media agencies, which encouraged her to apply for the position of the media planner assistant at the Zenith agency.
From the very beginning, according to people at Zenith, she has shown great organizational skills as well as a healthy dose of positive stubbornness and persistence in solving new tasks. Shortly after mastering the media planning skills, she entered the communication with clients and is great at it as well.
She’s one of the rare people in the industry who say they have quite enough free time. Find out how come, in the interview below.
MM: Are you in the communications industry because you just have to do something or because you love this job?
Ljubica Jokić: Initially, it was probably because I had to find a job. I was still in college and knew what advertising is only in theory. But I was lucky. Now I’m here because I really love it and the biggest proof of that is the fact that I still have no problem with Mondays.
MM: What attracted you the most to these waters? Research shows that young people today avoid working in advertising. They think it’s aggressive and misleading.
Ljubica Jokić: Maybe I’m biased, but I really don’t share that belief. Today we have a range of options and choices at every turn, and advertisers are trying to show us the benefits of their services or products. Sometimes they do it in such an interesting, unique and witty way that I feel really proud to be part of that story. I started working in the media agency by chance, but I’m still here because every campaign is a special story, and no one in this business can say that it is monotonous.
MM: You are in charge of media plans for which clients? How big is the responsibility for a young person to manage their budgets?
Ljubica Jokić: It most certainly is a big responsibility, but I’m not alone. I work in a great team of people with different levels of experience and we work on campaigns together – we advise each other about budgeting and all other steps along the way. At the moment, I work for Ferrero, Raiffeisen Bank, Intersport and Coty.
MM: What does your average workday look like?
Ljubica Jokić: It depends on the stage of the campaign. Sometimes my entire day is spent in communication, either via mail or by phone, and sometimes I have a quieter day, which I spend among spread sheets, databases and various presentations. Both have their own advantages, but what is important is that these two modes of work regularly switch, so I can keep loving Mondays. On the other hand, my working day is not just a “working day”, but also the morning coffee with colleagues on the terrace, sharing lunch, socializing, and many other things that make up our everyday life, and that’s just as important for me as the work itself.
MM: What should the young leaders learn and adopt from their senior colleagues?
Ljubica Jokić: There is no single method of work in our business. Advertising is constantly changing and progressing and, of course. we have to follow those changes. What I try to adopt from my colleagues is the way of thinking and looking at challenges. It’s easy to say “think outside the box”, but it’s a completely different thing to apply it in advertising of each of your clients who, of course, all have a different framework from which we want to break out. That’s where the senior colleagues are priceless, and I’m glad to have their experiences on my side.
MM: And what should they definitely discard from that legacy?
Ljubica Jokić: Nothing really. Even those things that were bad must be kept in mind, in order to avoid repeating them.
MM: When we talk about crazy, brave ideas, there is a general opinion that the communication industry is gripped with fear. Agencies are afraid of losing a client, a client is afraid of losing his/her job. How can we conquer that fear, and how much can you, the young leaders, contribute to getting the industry out of this situation?
Ljubica Jokić: A client or business can be lost in a lot of ways and it seems to me that this happens more often when we get used to the routine and do things the same way for years, rather than after a brave idea which failed. Fear will always be there, but I believe there is also that positive fear that leads to both precaution and great things, if everything is done in the right way. We, the young people, help in this sense in a way that we are probably less cautious than our more experienced colleagues, so we balance each other out.
MM: What would you advise your peers – to join you in this industry or try to find a better job?
Ljubica Jokić: I would advise them to try it out and see if it suits them. The beauty of this business is that you know whether it’s something that suits you or not already after a couple of months. If it doesn’t, then try finding a better job for yourself by all means.
MM: What do you consider the most valuable lesson you’ve learned through the years you’ve been living the agency life?
Ljubica Jokić: Expect the unexpected on, daily basis. There are so many challenges that you really can’t know what’s ahead, and you must be prepared for everything. In order to alleviate the uncertainty, the most valuable lesson you can learn is to constantly gain knowledge, which often means stepping out of your comfort zone.
MM: How do you see the future of media space in our region?
Ljubica Jokić: Television advertising will certainly remain in great focus, but precise targeting and personalization will be an indispensable part of any good campaign aimed at reaching consumers directly. This is in one way or another already a part of many campaigns, but I believe it has only just started. More and more attention will be paid to adjusting the message for the target group, rather than just sharing universal content. Of course, Digital is the best medium for this, and the best thing about it is that we can constantly test, optimize, and find the best ways to achieve the goals of our clients.
MM: How much free time do you have, and how do you enjoy spending it?
Ljubica Jokić: I have two types of free time. First is the free time from work, which I spend with my family, and the other is my own personal free time, which I spend reading books on the terrace. I believe that I have enough of both, and I try to keep it that way.
