Agency Chapter 4 Serbia, which forms part of the Chapter 4 CEE network and is a partner of BCW, one of the world’s largest agencies, continues to offer exceptional services across the region. Its approach includes collaboration with colleagues from other markets, exchanges of knowledge and experience sharing
Chapter 4 Serbia achieved great success over the past year, by completing numerous projects, gaining new clients, expanding cooperation with existing partners and improving in all fields. Its achievements were even highlighted by European PR recognition.
Entering 2024, the Chapter 4 team – led by Co-founder & Executive Director Milena Avramović Bjelica and Co-founder & Managing Director Tamara Bekčić – is launching ambitious plans, some of which they shared with us in this interview.
The Chapter 4 PR team comprises experts who have extensive business experience. What do clients appreciate in particular when it comes to your agency?
— Milena: We are part of the Chapter 4 CEE network, and additionally partner one of the world’s largest agencies, BCW. This helps us keep track of global developments and trends in communication. It also enables us to exchange knowledge and share experiences through collaboration with colleagues from other markets; to offer different practices and the highest quality to our clients here and across the region. Clients highly value our knowledge, experience, market understanding, analytical skills, proactivity and creativity. We also desire to constantly improve our understanding of our clients’ industries, their challenges, competition and more. A proactive approach and observing the bigger picture contribute to the quality of our work with clients. Quality can be measured in many ways. Long-term partnerships are one of them, and we are proud of our successful partnerships with clients and colleagues who have been members of our team for many years. Even when they are no longer team members, we remain friendly and support each other professionally. Quality is also reflected in industry awards that serve to highlight good campaign results and successful client collaborations.
Taking a broader perspective, you combine public relations tools with other areas of communication and marketing. What do you think is the advantage of such an approach?
— Tamara: We see this integrated approach in practice as the present and future of communications. In contrast to the previous decade, when communications were fragmented and based on topics, target groups or communication channels, the pandemic showed us a different path and acted as an accelerator for increasing the internal and external integration of communication.
We are aware that the silo principle doesn’t contribute to efficiency, so the emergence of a “mixture” of communications is a logical strategic partnership between teams that ensures a consistent narrative and timely communication through all channels and with all target groups. Integrated communication supports companies’ business plans and enables dialogue, which is crucial to the survival, success and growth of companies.
Your industry demands continuous work, dedication, learning and the nurturing of creativity… It seems demanding because you must always be ready for action, but it is also precisely this dynamism that drives you and makes you successful…
— Milena: That’s right, our profession is highly dynamic and that’s also what makes it the most interesting to me – the fact that you’re constantly learning because you gain clients from various industries. In order to provide clients with high quality advice, you must learn as much as possible about that industry in order to be able to suggest the best communications channels and tools. Every day is different for us. No matter how many projects and events we organise or communication materials we write, we always approach each new one with equal enthusiasm, and every activity is a new challenge for us. We want to show that there’s always room for something different and better, and that’s what makes our profession so exciting.
Tamara, you are participating in this year’s 21st International PRO PR Conference, which will take place in Belgrade from 14th to 17th March, with a lecture entitled “(New) PR Quality”. What is this new PR quality?
— Tamara: It is a great pleasure to participate in the 21st International PRO PR Conference and to speak about quality in the profession and how its perception is changing. This conference, entitled “New Directions, New Challenges”, is unique in that it is held in a different country each year and will this year be in Serbia, in Belgrade, which is very significant to all our colleagues for whom this important gathering will be even closer.
Awards highlight campaign results and good client collaborations
Many factors influence transformations in public relations – from geopolitical circumstances, the economy, new technologies and creativity, to generational shifts and the needs of users and consumers. We all want our companies and brands to be seen in the right way and the best possible light, and quality PR campaigns and communication can truly achieve that.
Your team is accustomed to receiving awards and recognition, but you don’t hide that the European Excellence Award carries a special honour. Tell us more about this award, which is given for outstanding quality and creativity in communications.
— Milena: We are fortunate to have had a very high-quality and cohesive team since the agency’s inception, and I am very proud of them. Thanks to the creativity, hard work and ideas of the entire team, we have been winning awards consistently. We have been declared Agency of the Year by international juries twice in Serbia and once in Eastern Europe, and we have also won awards with all the clients with whom we’ve had longterm collaboration.
We also won this year’s socalled European PR Oscar – the European Excellence Award. Two projects for two of our clients, Pepsico and Galenika, made it to the finals. In competition among over 700 top European projects, we brought the highest gold medal home from Berlin. We are truly very satisfied with everything we’ve achieved as a team.
You had another successful year in 2023. What did you wish for in 2024; can it be even better?
— Tamara: In a business sense, 2023 was a good year for the Chapter 4 PR team. We won new projects, gained new clients, expanded our cooperation with existing partners and worked to contribute to the development of the profession and our progress, both individually and as a team… Our successes were crowned with the European PR recognition that we received in December. My wish for this year is for us all to be well, first and foremost, and to strive for continuous enhancement compared to yesterday – to grow, overcome challenges, demonstrate innovation in dealing with changes, and push boundaries. I wish us all many good questions, decisions and team success.