Grand PRix won by Mario Petrović, Heineken, Media Val, agency 404, Valamar, Lipa

The Grand PRix ceremony of the Croatian Public Relations Association demonstrated that the standards in public relations in Croatia are rising year after year. The jury of the 11th Grand PRix expressed particular satisfaction that creative and innovative projects are coming from various stakeholders in public communication – from state authorities, the non-governmental sector, and companies of all sizes.

Mario Petrović, CEO of Millenium Promotion and Chairman of the Board of the Edward Bernays College of Communication Management, was awarded the Grand PRix for professional development.

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– In addition to his professional and managerial contributions to the field, Petrović is also active in the scientific area by publishing scientific papers and participating in professional conferences. He also deserved a special award from HUOJ for merging the concept of higher education and practice. This concept directly affects the competitiveness of public relations professionals when entering the labor market, emphasized HUOJ President Ana Tkalac Verčič.

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Upon receiving the award, Petrović stated that public relations professionals need to become even more actively involved in transferring knowledge to younger generations.

– By sharing, we multiply. This is the motto we should adhere to in relations with other agencies, clients, colleagues, and students. Over the past eighteen years, public relations have undergone tectonic changes. The profession has grown from a small, mostly unknown field into a large and professional one. Now, on the brink of 2020, public relations in Croatia are experiencing a full take-off. We were once the spearhead in this part of Europe, and today we are much more than that. Croatia can now be compared to Western trends, and the professionals working here are truly individuals who know their job, said Petrović.

The good spirit of the Split port declared Communicator of the Year

The person who is not professionally engaged in communication but stood out in communication last year is Ante Mrvica. The retired employee of Jadrolinija, whom citizens have nicknamed the Good Spirit of the Split ferry port, received the Grand PRix for Communicator of the Year.

– Mrvica is a living manual of good communication. Communication should be just like his – reliable, simple, and direct with everyone – from passengers to journalists. We would like him to be a role model for everyone who does jobs similar to the one he performed until his retirement last summer, said Krešimir Macan, president of the jury of the 11th Grand PRix of HUOJ.

>>>Krešimir Macan, president of the jury of the Grand PRix HUOJ award

At the ceremony, short films were presented about thirty-one projects that made it to the finals of the Grand PRix selection. Ten of them received awards.

The Grand PRix for public relations in state authorities was awarded to the State Bureau of Statistics with the Statistical Olympiad. In the category of Grand PRix for public relations in the non-governmental sector, the award went to Lipa, the taxpayers’ association, with the campaign Property Tax.

The Grand PRix for public relations for large commercial companies was won by Heineken Croatia and Media Val with the campaign Croatian Barley for Karlovačko beer. The award for public relations for small and medium-sized enterprises was received by Croatian Radio Karlovac with the project New Look of City Media.

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The Grand PRix for socially responsible business was awarded to Valamar Riviera and agency 404 thanks to the donation program A Thousand Days on the Adriatic Sea. In the category of Grand PRix for internal communication, Heineken Croatia and Media Val won with the project Office Guru.

Agency 404 declared the best

The Grand PRix for the best adaptation of a global campaign was awarded to Dialog Communications, which created the adidas Runners Zagreb campaign for adidas Croatia. The Grand PRix for political communication was awarded to agency Vajt and HDZ Zadar with the campaign Branko Dukić – For Zadar Every Day!

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For digital communication, Coca-Cola Adria and 404 were awarded with Shake & Take 2.0. The best event organized last year was the interactive exhibition Croatia is Croatia, created by Millenium Promotion for the client Croatia Insurance.

The best agency of the past year was declared to be agency 404, which successfully combines public relations with digital marketing and social media.