Lea Stanković, Digital Creative Manager at Communis DDB

We are still in the midst of an economic crisis, which is reflected hugely on our clients – their business decisions, as well as communication – says Lea Stanković, Digital Creative Manager at Communis DDB.

How do you envisage the business climate for the functioning of agencies in 2016?

– It is, and will continue to be, challenging – Serbia is a small market, budgets are modest and payments are often late. Our industry is very competitive and making things even more difficult is a lack of regulation, especially in terms of bids and pitches. We are awaiting the new Law on Electronic Media, which will set up rules and hopefully create some order in the world of advertising, but there is still plenty of room for improvement.

Which channels of communication could be utilised to improve the efficiency of budgets intended for advertising?

– Effectiveness depends on how certain channels of communication are used. If we send a generic message, which blends in with the majority of advertising slogans or other commercials – then it will not be effective.

Luckily, many companies are aware of the importance of communication in building their reputation and achieving success in business. At the moment, everyone is talking about digital as a cheaper and more effective channel of communication, but the fact is that anything can become effective when used creatively.

What do you consider as being the “golden rules” of market communication?

– Creativity, originality and relevance are elements that are important for every type of communication. All these together should lead to an efficient advertising message.

More and more we hear clients talking about ROI, which represents the basic measurement for every penny invested, even in advertising. Our ROI stands for something else but also ensures that the clients get theirs. ROI, as in Relevance, Originality and Impact, is the basis for the creation of our marketing communication messages.

We at communis don’t rush after the latest fads, but consider the channels we use carefully so that we can provide an integrated and powerful message. That also brought us the agency of the year 2015 award

What are the current issues of the profession and the future challenges that will have to be faced by local agencies in the fields of marketing communications and public relations?

– The economic crisis introduced new rules for marketing. Nowadays it is the procurement departments that play a major role in the process of choosing a marketing or PR agency to cooperate with, and it is people without a marketing background who make decisions about the quality and creativeness of an agency. Needless to say – this is not good, neither for agencies nor for clients.

Secondly, there is content and promptness of reaction, and new solutions agencies have to deliver quickly. Consumers are easily bored and this has led to the shortening of information, which has forced us to become more creative in order to grab the consumer’s attention.

Another big challenge for us is finding young, talented people that want to work in advertising. It is an exciting, creative and rewarding profession, but its downsides often prevail – stressful work, under pressure, with tight deadlines and long hours.

How do your activities differ from those of your competitors and what makes you stand out on the market?

– We at Communis believe in good and different communication and partnership with clients. We don’t rush after the latest fads but consider the channels we use carefully so that we can provide an integrated message, which will be noticed by our specific target audience.

This is not something that just sounds nice. We talk the talk and we walk the walk. The results of our work have been recognised by our clients, but also among our colleagues, who named Communis Agency of the Year 2015, as part of the UEPS annual awards.