Skopje, 8 April 2012 (MIA) - It could be said that Macedonia is a brand, however it needs to be completely defined in order to identify the country's uniqueness. The process of branding is long and it takes years, but the hardest part comes after you've created the brand i.e. to maintain it, to meet expectations, says the CEO and creative director of advertising agency "Idea Plus Communications", Ivo Laurencic in an interview with MIA.
Ivo Laurencic is the man responsible for laying the foundations of advertising in Macedonia in the early 1990s.
"Yes, it could be said that Macedonia is a brand, but it's not defined. What's the uniqueness in brand's communication - cultural heritage, food or maybe wine and we can also mention handball and basketball recently. What identifies Macedonia the best, what makes her special. The brand cannot be everything, it must be focused," says the advertising guru.
Laurencic - one of the pioneers of advertising not only in Macedonia, but also in the region and beyond, deems that a great progress has been made in Macedonia in the field of communications in general, not only in marketing and advertising, since its early days till now.
Macedonia, he says, stands side by side with neighbouring countries and others all around the world according the the quality and production of advertisements. There are excellent campaigns in the world, but there are also average and/or less than average campaigns. "The situation is the same in Macedonia."
"Let's not forget, Macedonia is a small market, global or regional campaigns are adapted quite often. This means that there is a limited space for creative and production achievements of our teams. And even in such circumstances, the results are great. Macedonia is not lagging behind neither in production nor in technical aspect. However, people must be trained, to be further educated. Success doesn't come on its own, he stresses.
Despite being an advertising mastermind, film lies in Laurencic's heart. Since he knows the cinematic expression in creating a successful ad i.e. an advertising campaign as an separate aesthetic form, it allows him to think in big pictures.
Earlier this year, he received a life achievement award by Buba Mara Radio on its 15th jubilee. "The award means a lot to me, because my work in this country was recognised, beyond my commercial works," he notes.
Asked about his future challenges, Laurencic says he would love to brand the Macedonian pepper or perhaps to pen a book titled Skopje Downtown... "Commitment to and persistence in what you do," he says when asked to reveal life's greatest wisdom.
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