One of the new emerged communication agencies, the CTA komunikacije can boast with this year’s Grand Prix award of the Croatian Public Relations Association (HUOJ) for after only a little more than a year of their existence. They have recently expanded their team so we have talked with Velimir Hlupić, their Head of Digital Marketing who described his work path to marketing and why he has chosen CTA komunikacije precisely to continue his career.
You did not start your career in the digital marketing, could you tell us more about how you got here?
Unlike many colleagues in the industry, my start was in sales. At the beginning of my studies, I got a job at the call centre of a telecom and gradually made my way to the position of team leader. I observed how big marketing campaigns look like in practice and even then it was clear to me that sales do not work without quality marketing, and vice versa. My first contact with Facebook was in mid-2006, when it was still a complete novelty for everyone. A few years later came the fascination with YouTube and then other social networks. Google, with all its tools, is a story unto itself.
What prompted you to make the final career change?
I saw working in digital marketing as a natural continuation and rounding off a story I had started a long time ago. I was always irritated and surprised that in large systems members of different teams work in isolation from each other, and my own frustration with such an approach, and the problems in business that arose, motivated me to always try to see the problem from different perspectives, as a whole. Little by little, I educated myself, learned independently, followed the development of new technologies and upgraded the set of tools necessary in modern digital marketing.
I am constantly striving to improve in the field of design and programming because I am deeply convinced that it is necessary to have at least a basic knowledge of related areas that together with digital marketing form a meaningful, efficient and effective whole. I am grateful for having the opportunity to work in a team with people who share such an approach to work.
You have recently become part of CTA komunikacije. How did the process of getting used to the new team go?
I became part of this great team at a time when we all started working from home through various video call services, and getting used to this was challenging the first few days, but we quickly adapted to this way of communication and the work continued without any difficulties. We clicked just as quickly as a team.
The vision of the agency, presented to me by Gordan Turković and Petar Tanta was key to my decision to join the CTA team. We quickly realized that we have the same desires and a similar way of working – we give our maximum to every assignment we get. They immediately gave me my creative freedom, so, for example, the proposal to use the most famous social network in Korea, KakaoStory, for a potential client was not problematic at all.
I am also extremely proud that just last week the agency received the Grand PRix of the Croatian Public Relations Association in the category of Institutions, Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations for the campaign This Truly Matters conducted with the association Brački pupoljci, which only confirmed my decision.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your business?
Many businesses and industries have been affected by the emergence of the coronavirus and the consequences it has had on the economy and living habits. In marketing and public relations, at the moment, it is certainly a challenge to run advertising campaigns. Everyone, both agencies and brands, needs to be much more creative, but also more sensitive to how the entire society breathes. We have adapted, refined, or even moved some of the projects planned for the current period and, together with our clients, found ways to get out of this even stronger. We have preserved their trust, and that is the most important thing.
Are there any new trends in the communications industry that are of particular interest to you?
At the moment, my focus is Tik Tok as a rising social network. It is a platform that has been well accepted by younger age groups, but I do not think the format is the best for older generations. In the next few months, we will see how thing are going to play, but knowing the trends in this industry I would not be surprised if a new social network appeared, winning over the fascination of the audience.
Source: PR Glas
