Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Asja Dupanović
Melita Božič was nominated among the young leaders of the communications industry of the Adriatic region by Ljubljana’s Pristop agency. In one of the most powerful agencies in the Slovenian market, Melita works as the Account Director. Her determination, motivation, responsibility, perseverance and focus on goals led her to head the projects of the agency’s key client.
MM: How did you decide to work in the communications industry? What attracted you the most to it?
Melita Božič: I’ve always been good at recognizing the areas and things I am interested in. If I exclude the childhood dream of becoming a photographer who travels the world, communication is the field which always attracted and interested me. I could say that I have always felt that the challenges of communication will be my mission. J Back then, I used to equate the communications industry with TV ads. I couldn’t even imagine how broad and diverse this field was. During my years of study, I was especially impressed by the possibility to co-create new products, attracted by the influence I could have on human attitudes and inspired by the responsibility to introduce or accelerate positive change – for both businesses and the consumers. When I took the first steps in my career, I simply fell in love with the dynamics, the playfulness and the constant strive for what is new. The fact that my job also enables me to meet wonderful and extremely talented people from different fields, and create daily alongside them, is the dot on the “i”, and is something I really enjoy in what I do.
MM: Why Pristop, are you there by accident or rather a plan?
Melita Božič: It might sound unusual but Pristop and I are somehow destined to each other J Already as a student I had the opportunity to collaborate with Pristop, but I decided back then that I wish to get the basics from a smaller agency. After completing my studies and armed with some experience, I mustered enough courage to join Pristop as a Project Manager. The fact that I joined its team meant that I could learn from the best people in the consulting and marketing-communication industry, strengthen my competencies through the largest campaigns in the region. Although my path took me elsewhere for a while, I returned to Trubarjeva street in 2017, as I realized that Pristop offers the best opportunities for growth and development in South East Europe. Working in Pristop pushes one to step out of the comfort zone daily. Such a challenge is not for everyone, but it is written on my skin.
MM: In one of the best agencies in the market, you are considered to be one of the young leaders of the industry. How much does this mean to you and how does one even achieve something like that at your age?
Melita Božič: It is definitely an honour for me, and gives me additional motivation. At Pristop, I learned to think not only about short-term victories and short-term KPIs but, above all, long-term successes of our clients. Under the title of a young leader, I see, first and foremost, someone who is committed to creating a better future in the industry where he/she works and tries to influence with his/her actions, among other things, the economic development and the quality of life in his/her environment (at least indirectly). A young leader is persistent, open, flexible and does not only strive to fulfil individual, but collective goals as well.
MM: What kind of projects do you prefer to work on?
Melita Božič: Those demanding the most from me. I like to leave the comfort zone behind and explore new paths to solving the challenges of our clients in the most efficient way. Projects in which we collaborate with our clients as close partners and solve not only their communication challenges together, but business ones as well, are the ones I love the most. We don’t only solve acute business challenges in such projects, but open up new business opportunities – both for the client and for ourselves.
I am especially interested in the field of telecommunications, projects addressing social issues and those containing an excess of creative innovation. When all three are combined in a single project, the pleasure is endless.
MM: What is the biggest challenge you face in your workplace each day?
Melita Božič: I once read that managing projects and clients is a skill to influence others by communicating, motivating and supervising in order to make sure that everyone involved is working towards the same goal. Also, I read that an excellent Account Manager, or an Account Director is in practice always more creative than the best among the “creatives”, yet less creative than the least creative “creative”. With each passing year I agree with this notion more. On one hand, the biggest challenge is to establish a partnership and trust between the client and the agency, and on the other, to put all those involved in the process of creating, including the client, on the same boat, and convince them to row with the same speed and in the same direction – maintaining at the same time some level of humour and mental health.
MM: Where do you see the biggest problems in the relationship between the clients and the agencies?
Melita Božič: A classical relationship of a client with one agency practically no longer exists. Today’s relationships are marked by an extremely competitive environment and the fact that contracting authorities cooperate with different agencies in the context of managing the same brand. Managing the projects and the relationships between agencies and the client is thus becoming a major challenge and it is most difficult to create a strong partnership where the agency is not merely a subcontractor, but cooperates with the client not only in the creative but also in the fields of business and strategy. Only in this way can they effectively address not only the short-term business challenges, but also create a long-term competitive advantage for the client.
MM: What do you, young people, bring to the advertising industry? Do you feel more freedom in expressing yourself than your senior colleagues?
Melita Božič: In our line of work, especially in an Account Director position, experience is of great importance and senior colleagues definitely have it in abundance. Their advice is priceless and they are always worth listening to because they can look at the key points of the situation from different perspectives, regardless of whether it’s the strategic considerations or crisis situations that need to be dealt with. Young people can add some fresh outlook and enthusiasm, which, combined with the experience and advice of our seniors, can be the right formula for success.
MM: How do you see the future of marketing communications?
Melita Božič: Creativity, guided by structured and appropriately interpreted data, is the future of the consultancy and communication industries. In any case, we must not neglect changes in consumer behaviour, the advancement of technologies and the different uses of media. All of these are not only part of the future, but our reality. Although television will continue to play a significant role in the design of campaigns, in the future, the creative base of ideas will be even more adapted to the media reaching the user in a more direct way, through their habits and the experiences we offer.
MM: What is your biggest passion outside the agency?
Melita Božič: If I return to those childhood dreams of a photographer traveling the world, this dream still remains and makes me happy. Otherwise, I try to live a balanced life. I use my free time to read good books, socialize with people who are dear to me, enjoy activities in the nature and those accompanied by good food.
