The first half of the 2022 business year and the sales results that Alma Quattro has achieved don’t indicate that a crisis is on the horizon, caused by global events and rising prices. At this company they’re satisfied with their balance sheet, because it appears as though the entire advertising market has resisted all challenges
Here Alma Quattro CEO Sanja Pešić speaks to CorD Magazine about global advertising market trends, the expectations of client, results of the first half of this year, almost three decades of successful work, the company’s Swiss background and many other issues.
Does your broad portfolio enable you to tailor campaigns to suit each client?
– Our portfolio, which consists of classic small and large format advertising media and their digital variants, has enabled us to tailor good campaigns for all clients, both large and small. Global brands continue to maintain an active presence in our country, and we are also delighted by the fact that we’ve also had the opportunity to cooperate with new brands on the market, which raises hopes that the economy will remain stable in the second half of the year.
The general rise in prices certainly impacts negatively on business decisions, but not to the extent that could be expected – if we take into account the historical model of conduct during the period of the sanctions of the 1990s or the world crisis of 2008, which had a marked impact on the advertising market and consequences that we felt for many years later. I believe sincerely that we’ve learnt a lot since then and that these kinds of scenarios will not repeat themselves, and that the market will remain stable and with an upward trajectory until the end of the year. The crisis that emerged during the pandemic showed that out of home [OOH] advertising has a high degree of adaptability and is able to recover quickly.
The crisis that emerged during the pandemic showed that out of home [OOH] advertising has a high degree of adaptability and is able to recover quickly
How would you explain your many years of successful work during what has already been 28 years on the Serbian market; and to what extent does the company’s Swiss background influence that success?
– The Swiss model can teach us a lot. Their work ethic, attitude towards money, towards natural resources and business results represent a model that we should emulate. Serbia and Switzerland are incomparable in many respects, while at the same time there is a lot of room for improvement in order for us to eventually catch up with the Swiss model, which creates many opportunities for us in Serbia. We are of the same belief that, even in the most difficult situations, we all have an opportunity to do at least one good thing that can improve the life of the individual, the company and the community to which it belongs. That can be investing in renewable energy sources, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, recycling materials, disposing harmful waste in an adequate way etc.
Over the course of these 28 years, we have had an opportunity to show that successful business operations are the result of a long-term mindset and planning, sustainable development and smart investment.
Despite the emergence of new communications channels, OOH advertising has continued to record growth over the last three years. How would you explain the great impact of OOH advertising on the decisions of consumers?
– Like all visual media, the influence of OOH is thanks to the fact that we spend a good part of our lives out of the home. The active working population spends a large part of the day travelling from home to work, performing their daily routines. The pandemic intensified staying within local borders and, with travel made more difficult, ever more people are choosing Serbia as their holiday destination. The business world reoriented itself to online meetings, which leaves more time for other activities. Cities are also alive at night, particularly among the younger population, and the messages from our billboards are thus available to a large number of people. All research also shows that people are spending ever more time out of the home.
