Great changes have been happening in the way in which PR functions. New communication channels have emerged, technology is developing, the fourth industrial revolution is taking place, the media are going through a big transition and modern communications are more complex than ever before. Bearing all of this in mind, PR experts now have a more dynamic job to do and their profession requires innovation and functional changes.
We have asked the members of the Managing Board and the Court of Honour of the Serbian Public Relations Society (DSOJ) the following question:
- The Society (DSOJ) has reorganized and new members of the Managing Board have been appointed. Which goals and activities do you consider the priority in terms of promoting your profession and the Society’s role and what has been accomplished so far?
Jelena Šarenac, Chairwoman of the Society’s Managing Board: New members of our Managing Board were appointed in December 2015. All of us have years of experience in the communications sector but we come from different business segments which is why we can look at the challenges and resources associated with our profession from different angles. Our Managing Board members are – Marija Beslać, Nordeus, Dušan Stojaković, Hemofarm, Tamara Koštro, McCann Belgrade, Branka Conić, New Moment, Slavica Civarić Kostić, Faculty of Organisational Sciences, Gordana Bekčić Pješčić, an indepedent consultant, and yours truly, who works for Henkel. The Society’s Secretary, Ivana Mijatović is an important member of our team and her commitment and entrepreneurial spirit are at the core of all of our activities. Our approach to the Society is constructive and creative while our goals are focused on assembling our peers, improving the Society’s work, and networking with our colleagues in the region and the world. Our goal is also to promote the PR standards through certification of PR professionals. In line with our networking plan, our Society has recently become a member of the ICCO, a very influential and important organisation of the national associations of communicators and consultants from 48 countries. Thanks to this strategically important step, our members are now a part of the global Society of professionals, are allowed to use the ICCO logo and watch online lectures given by the most renowned PR experts.
Slavica Cicvarić Kostić, Member of the Society’s Managing Board: Our first steps were closely related to the Society’s very foundation. We have continued with the good practice of holding thematic lectures, workshops and panel discussions. This year, we have a brand new name for our activities – How2PR, and we are trying to present current topics that are interesting to PR professionals. We have been investing a lot of effort in networking with other colleagues and associations. We have also established a cooperation with the Mixer House cultural institution which has been our partner in staging the Society’s events. Furthermore, we have talked about establishing collaboration with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and have been maintaining frequent contacts with our colleagues from the Croatian PR Society.
Dragana Roter, Chair of the Society’s Court of Honour: In the time that we live in, when the truth is hard to reach and being tolerant is difficult, reputation is painstakingly built but easily compromised. That’s why the Society’s Court of Honour which, apart from me, has two other experienced PR members – Milica Slijepčević, PhD and Vedran Ivanković – is committed to fighting for the integrity of public discourse and encouraging dialogue within the profession and in the community. By advocating ethics and professionalism in PR and the media, we have been highlighting the cases of violation and non-compliance with the guidelines outlined in the Society’s Code of Professional Ethics and this was mostly relating to dubious tenders for acquisition of PR services and deceiving messages about product properties. We are also advocating fairer competition in the world of communcations to be enforced by regulation in the shape of „The Guide to the Selection of the PR Agency / Consultant“. We are currently preparing the classification of PR jobs and recommended pricelist of PR services.
Tamara Koštro, Member of the Society’s Managing Board: The Serbian PR Society is one of the oldest professional assocations in the region. Hence, it doesn’t come as a surprise that, this year, we successfully organised the 19th annual competition with the PRiZNANJE Award for the successful contribution to development of PR profession in total of 16 categories. This year, we had an impressive 87 applications in all categories which is an exceptional result considering that this is the highest number of award candidates in the last 7 years. By promoting the best PR examples at the competition, the Society wants to inspire communicators (be it individuals, agencies, corporations, public sector representatives, academia or the media), and, by doing so, contribute to development of the overall PR sector.
Miloje Sekulić (E-PR Director and Partner, Homepage), this year’s recipient of the PRiZNANJE – Srđan Đurić Award: Winning the PRiZNANJE Award, given by the Serbian PR Society, was one of the crucial moments of my career. The award rounds off a period of 15 years spent on promoting Internet in communication. PR profession in Serbia is undergoing a huge transition which is mainly due to the fact that technology has enabled a direct exchange of thoughts, ideas and content between individuals, and that, thanks to this technology, we have all become a medium unto our own. A gathering of YouTubers in Belgrade several months ago in front of thousands of fans speaks volumes about this claim. Another positive aspect is that some communicators have already recognized their own potential and fully embraced it by bypassing the traditional media which are not consumed by their young fanbase. Faster the PR people accept this new reality, better they, their clients and profession will fare. This award could be yet another incentive to focus more on the mentioned diretion and this is where the Society gives a great contribution to the development of PR profession.
Borislav Miljanović, PhD (Director, Represent Communications), this year’s recipient of the PRiZNANJE Award for the Best Large Agency of the Year: We have made it to the finals of the PRiZNANJE Award with a total of 9 projects that we drafted together with our long-term clients. We implemented some of these projects internally and some with our partners. This award went to the best of the best. And Represent Communications, as the Best PR Agency of the Year, stands behind all of them. I am very happy and proud to receive the PRiZNANJE Award because it just confirms that my team and I have done a good job. It means that all our effort and fight, as well as occasional risks that we took, were worth it and that we are worthy of the trust of all of our long-term and new clients. These awards are all the more important because, through this traditional contest, the Society showed and presented the best of the Serbian PR world which the PR profession should embrace as good practice. We should all continue in this direction and demonstrate the improved PR profession and practices next year.
Mirko Mandić (Director of the SVA Agency), this year’s recipient of the PRiZNANJE Award for the Best Small and Medium Agency of the Year: I am very pleased with the fact that the Society recognized the results of the campaigns that we had created and that, by giving us this award, they have set new standards because the awarded individuals, campaigns and agency are a mirror reflection of the values which the society and our profession promotes. Hence, I believe that our profession’s influence will continue to grow. We, at the agency, were not exactly on the same page when it came to the reasons why we got the award for the agency of the year. Some believe that it was our creativity that got us the award, some that it was our strategy. It is in my job description that I should think differently so I’ll say that it was our commitment to clients, brands and the public on a daily basis for the past 26 years that made us award-worthy. I believe that it is also about the influence that we are creating whether we are talking about the campaigns in public interest, like the campaign #biramzivot (#ichooselife) thanks to which the number of traffic accidents involving youth went down by 50%, or it was big brands or maybe visibility projects that we did for the EU. Secret is the result that we deliver.
- How important is it to implement communication standards, on one hand and certify PR professionals, on the other? What is the Society’s plan in terms of promoting professionalism, media relations and the profession itself?
Branka Conić, Member of the Society’s Managing Board: The media and PR professionals are the two sides of the same coin. Sometimes the differences between the two seem far greater than what they really are but, in all actuality, we have the same goal which is good, attractive and objective news that should intrigue the public. In the next period, the Society plans to organize a gathering for journalists and PR professionals with the end goal of establishing better relations and better understanding of the profession’s different requirements, as well as establishing certain rules regulating the relations between our colleagues and the media.
Dušan Stojaković, Deputy Chairman the Society’s Managing Board: The media are on the crossroad of sorts as a result of the emergence of the digital communication channels. Sensationalism in the media is now counterbalanced by transparency of digital channels and social networks. On the other hand, there is a prounounced need for improving the media and PR professionals. Today, almost everybody thinks they are fit to be either a PR specialist or a journalist. The Society’s role, as the only professional PR organisation in Serbia, is to, above all, protect ethics in communications and in the media, moral values and professionalism. Further from that, one of the missions of the Society’s new Managing Board is to implement certification which would validate the level of professionalism of communications specialists in accordance with the regional and global practices. We find the know-how and experience of our regional colleagues, who have already ventured into this area, very useful.
Marija Beslać, Member of the Society’s Managing Board: Following global trends, development aspects and communications phenomena poses a special challenge for the Society. Both the Society and the PR profession have to actively develop, reposition and occupy the place they rightfully deserve. It is very important to view our profession as an integrator of different business aspects, functions and segments, both internally and externally. The time when PR was a separate segment from marketing, HR and business development and vice versa is almost gone. Everything is interconnected and this generates an important competitive advantage for the companies if done properly. The future is pretty tangible because it is focusing more on experience as opposed to just providing information. The best communcation will be the one that is the most immersive, engages all senses and connects to our emotions on the deepest level.
Gordana Bekčić Pješčić, Member of the Society’s Managing Board: For the past eight years, the Society has been organising the PRilika International Conference which takes place at the end of year and which, in the last four years, had around 2,000 professionals from the country, the region and the world attending. Apart from having an interesting programme, the conference provided the ideal moment for the colleagues to join forces, get to know each other better and establish contacts that will be useful in the future. This year, we are going to have many interesting speakers, inspirational lectures, best practice cases and dynamic workshops. Some regional colleagues have already confirmed their participation. We know that we are going to socialize a lot and gain new inspiration and knowledge from the lectures that are important for our profession. We are also confident that all participants will grow both as individuals and as professionals. I hope to see you at PRilika2016!