How the Brački pupoljci’s communication campaign amended the law
This Truly Matters/Nešto zbilja važno. This is the exact name of the campaign that CTA komunikacije did together with the Association of Parents’ with Children with Disabilities Brački pupoljci. A single desire was behind all the communication activities – to change the law amendment.
At the time the Association Brački pupoljci had seen ten years of unsuccessful struggle aimed to provide free ferry transport from all Croatian islands and unhindered access to therapy for children with disabilities.
Although at one point it seemed that the goal would never be achieved, the well-coordinated team of Brački pupoljci and CTA komunikacije convinced them otherwise. During 2020 the campaign received a series of national and international communication awards.
The CTA komunikacije CEO Gordan Turković points out there were many obstacles on their way to the goal, but none of them big enough to prevent the pure altruism.
Lifeline
“In fact, most people primarily perceive islands as carefree destinations of their summer vacations, forgetting that there is life there throughout the year. In winter, you are often cut off from the mainland due to bad weather, and you may need an ambulance at that very moment.
Imagine what it is like to live on an island as a child with disabilities, and not have adequate health care institutions for your much-needed therapies. Therefore, the dependence of these island families on the mainland is even greater, and the cost that exceeds 3,000 HRK per month for a ferry is simply unsustainable”, Turković explains the origin of the problem.
It was necessary to impose on the media a topic that was entirely unrepresented and to inform as many people as possible on this situation thus creating pressure on the government to finally pay attention to the Association and its demands.
Our interlocutor adds that it was necessary for the government to understand that these children and their parents’ basic human rights were being violated. It was a difficult task. Alongside the Association and Gordan Turković firmly stood Mate Mladina and Gina Damjanović, as well as Valentina Mezdić, Eli Čerkezović and Petar Tanta of CTA komunikacije. A combination of their selflessness and effort managed to achieve a goal unattainable up to that point.
“Once we finally managed to make the topic more visible in the media space, the most important thing was to quickly expand the support base, as well as to put continuous pressure in order to break the deadlock. Both national and leading Dalmatian media have played a key role in this. Numerous citizens soon joined through social networks. For a campaign with a budget of 0 HRK, entirely depending on the organic reach of the message, this was important, as well as the support of celebrities that spread it on the Internet” Turković said.
CTA komunikacije team agrees that Nešto zbilja važno campaign, was also an emotional weight. To many families they were a lifeline and from that perspective the responsibility was even greater.
Failure, however, was never an option. They hope that the campaign has proven to all marginalized social groups that they can fight for their rights.
Plethora of awards
The campaign resonated strongly and the awards that the Association and the agency received show that they have done an extraordinary job. By the end of 2020, the campaign won as many as five awards: the Croatian Public Relations Award, the Grand PRix of the Croatian Public Relations Association (HUOJ), as well as four major international awards.
It was awarded the most prestigious global PR award Golden World Awards for Excellence of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) and three other prestigious communication awards: two European Excellence Awards won by NGOs and organizations and a special jury award for the best campaign in Europe among 350 finalists in 60 categories, as well as the Eventiada IPRA GWA award in competition with Eastern European countries, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Central Asia.
This makes Nešto zbilja važno one of the most awarded communication campaigns in Croatia and beyond.
“I believe that this victory and the law amendment, as well as the award of the communication profession at a global level, have confirmed that the values that Brački pupoljci represent are universally recognized and that no child with disabilities should ever be denied the opportunity for a normal life. This will truly matter forever!”, concluded the CEO of CTA komunikacije Gordan Turković.
Although the agency has been operating only for two years, they have already managed to make commendable social changes and expand their team. They have used the flexibility and speed of their work that they have as a small agency, in the best possible way. They progress every day while enabling their clients to grow through various projects, too.
Source: Poslovni dnevnik