Marina Grihović, Director of Headline

“Public relations have a future both in our country and elsewhere in the world, but we all have to be aware that it is necessary to adapt, invest in people and essentially observe the world around us. Our profession is part of globalisation,” says Headline’s director, Marina Grihović, speaking at the start of this interview.

 
Headline offers a wide range of services and PR activities that are not at all easy to implement in the current economic environment, particularly in the media sector. Which of your services attract the greatest interest in the market?

Regardless of our successful years doing business, we have also always followed communication trends. That’s why by entering into a partnership with agency Dkit we also managed to position ourselves on the digital communications market. That is precisely the segment of communications that is most in-demand and which offers a future to all those who deal with communications.

Moreover, I must emphasise that in our conditions for doing business – not only from the perspective of the financial crisis but also the common social problems that we all encounter every day – it is essential to present yourself to clients as a business friend and a pillar of support. And that means not only sticking to the paper on which our services are listed but also that we are advisors in all areas required by the clients.

Communications are all around us, and through different segments, they impact on image and positioning, so we also relate in that way to our clients, regardless of whether they are a local start-up company or a major multinational company.

Like in some other areas of business, the situation here has forced us to educate ourselves more and to operate in broader frameworks than we might have planned initially

Corporate PR is among the most commonly used channels for presenting companies worldwide. How would you assess the situation in Serbia in this regard?

There are no rules, and based on my experience I can say that it varies from company to company. There are even no rules when it comes to dividing between local and foreign companies. Everything depends on the vision of a company, on the ability of management to look at modern operations and market position, but also on the products that a company is actually offering.

I personally think it’s always good for rules of corporate communications to exist, for corporate PR to be developed through various activities. And we always recommend that to our clients.

Which arguments provide the basis for decisions when it comes to selecting media distribution channels for content that you make public?

The answer to this question is both easy and complex. Why easy? A media channel selects itself on the basis of the target group and the message itself. But why do I say that the answer is also complex? That’s because those of us who deal with communications must target very well in order for some company to achieve good results.

One of the best ways is to research market positions and consumer needs. That is what is missing on our market, and which represents the basis for all communication on developed markets. That’s because when experts talk about the future of the PR profession, the first thing they note is precisely market research, which provides the basis for all further development. And the market research segment has never been sufficiently developed in Serbia, because many want to save costs precisely in that segment, without considering that this will bring them much better financial results.

On the other side, thanks to numerous good experts in our field and awareness of the need to monitor and research markets and trends, most good communicators are also good analysts. Like in some other areas of business, the situation here has forced us to educate ourselves more and to operate in broader frameworks than we might have planned initially.