9th regional forum IZAZOV 2023 (powered by Štark)
The lack of young talent (38 percent), trust at all levels (32 percent), as well as market transparency (26 percent), are the key challenges that will mark the year 2023, according to the latest research conducted by the Marketing mreža. The research was conducted on the occasion of the 9th Regional Forum of Communication Leaders - IZAZOV 2023, which was held on April 4 and 5 in Belgrade and organized by the Marketing mreža. Respondents also stated that the most dominant trends the profession will face in 2023 will be the fight with AI (33 percent), content personalization (37 percent), and integrated communications (26 percent). As many as 70 percent of respondents are fully ready to face such challenges and new trends, while 11 percent of them say they are not ready.
This year's event was opened by Nataša Šarčević, Director of Marketing and Innovation at SPP Slatko i slano, and Vladimir Ivančev, Director of Sales at SPP Slatko i slano, Atlantic Grupa, who spoke on the topic of why changes are important for mature brands. The conversation was led by Luka Đukanović, Marketing Manager at Atlantic Grupa.
In addition to the keynote panel, this year's forum covered various topics, including the direction of the market in 2023; the impact of inflation and crisis on certain industries and product pricing; strategies for increasing sales and reducing costs through brand collaboration; the influence of domestic brands on Serbia's branding globally; the role of individuals in the advertising industry; the sustainability of advertising and combating greenwashing; leveraging AI technology for business optimization; challenges in creating and implementing ESG strategies; and the implications of hyperproduction.
Aleksandra Sekulić and Danijela Grbin from the Direct Media agency discussed the state of the marketing communications market in the region. Ana Đurić Konstrakta, the special guest of this year's forum, engaged in a dialogue with Darko Soković, Managing Partner of Strategy & Development at the Propulsion agency, on topics such as fake news, social media's influence on the spread of unverified content, sensationalism, populism, and the responsibility of brands in media and digital literacy.
A special segment of the forum facilitated dialogue between agencies and companies through interactive workshops, speed dating meetings, and team-building activities focused on TikTok content creation. Over 400 companies and agencies from the entire region attended the forum, including Forma Ideale, Carlsberg Serbia, Coca-Cola HBC, Mastercard, Ananas eCommerce, Infostud, Zlatiborac, NLB Komercijalna banka, Telekom Srbija, Lidl Srbija, and others.
For more information about the forum, visit the website, izazovforum.rs. The gold sponsor of the IZAZOV 2023 forum is Štark, the silver sponsor is smartpoint adria agency, and the bronze sponsors are Lidl Serbia and Telekom Serbia. The forum is supported by the agency Propulsion and endorsed by Ovation BBDO, DPC Networks, AlmaQuattro, Info Media Group, Two Rivers, Chapter 4 PR, Fusion Communications, Direct Media United Solutions, 365ads, Novaston Marketing Consultancy, and other sponsors, including Forma Ideale, Carlsberg Serbia, Coca-Cola HBC, Mastercard, Ananas eCommerce, Infostud, Xiaomi, Zlatiborac, and the Dolce Gusto brand.
Source: Marketing Network