The second part of the Marketing & Sales by Numbers conference began with the topic of TikTok, which perfectly transitioned into a panel on media buying trends that are also facing challenges brought about by TikTok and artificial intelligence, among other factors.
TikTok’s reputation until recently was primarily based on being a social platform for short-form entertainment content aimed at a younger audience, but this established perception of the platform is changing rapidly. TikTok has become an indispensable platform for brands looking to reach a broad and engaged audience, and the creative formats offered by the app, along with influencers, can significantly transform marketing campaigns. Starting in July, advertising on TikTok will become essential for anyone wanting to stay ahead of the competition, and Marijan Palić, a digital marketing expert, delivered a presentation in a packed hall, stating that it is becoming increasingly difficult to gain followers and that audiences have become very selective about the content they follow. On the other hand, he emphasized that it is currently easy to achieve a large number of views, followers, and sales on TikTok.
– What TikTok does, like all other social networks, is reduce your reach, and this can already be felt, and it will increase reach for those who are willing to pay for it – said Palić.
According to estimates, there are over a million users in Croatia who encounter ads daily while using this platform, so TikTok will seek to capitalize on this, and the advertising formats on TikTok are varied. Some of them include in-feed ads, spark ads, top view, branded effects, and branded hashtag challenges.
The digital marketing expert, at this year’s ninth edition of the Lider conference Marketing and Sales by Numbers, advised attendees that it is not necessary to be present on all social networks but rather to adapt to their strategy and work cautiously on it.
– In all of this, the most important thing is to be authentic, creative, to follow trends, and to collaborate with people who are already on the platform – said Palić.
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After this extremely interesting presentation, a panel on media buying trends followed. While one year it will be said that radio is dead, another year that print is dead, and a third that television is, Hrvoje Odak, Head of CRM & CX at RTL Croatia, states that television is definitely not dead, and the fact that 75 percent of users of RTL’s streaming service VOYO came through RTL television confirms this. In other words, it is not about ‘dying’ but simply about adapting formats to the audience, and VOYO is a good example that the audience will pay for a subscription to quality content.
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This was confirmed by Vedran Vereš, a board member of Telegram Media Group, which is recording subscription growth, and regarding advertising, Telegram insists on quality.
– For native projects, it is important that the article has its quality, that it is interesting to readers, and that the brand name is not in every other sentence – says Vereš.
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The digital marketing director of Real Group, Maja Šplajt, also spoke about good native articles, noting that there are many digital media in Croatia with exceptionally quality native teams. However, returning to television, no matter how much it is said that television may be weakening, the greatest reach, Šplajt believes, can be achieved through television channels.
– The synchronization of online video and television is visible in the Croatian market – she said, noting that it is important to distinguish what content goes on portals, what goes on television, social networks, YouTube, and so on, thus presenting a space for playing with content quality.
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Head of Marketing Digital Unit at Peugeot, Citroën, and DS Automobiles Lucija Knežić believes that established methods and strategies are changing, and television and online video content are ideal channels for cars, which are dynamic products and can best showcase specifications in such formats.
– Video and television are channels that allow us emotional storytelling – says Knežić, who also mentioned that DS Automobiles uses micro and even nano influencers who are not influencers by profession, have their own jobs, which has its advantages and disadvantages.
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Real Group also uses micro-influencers due to their authenticity and credibility, and users trust them, which is reflected in the positive consumer response, says Šplajt.
Of course, no topic can pass without a question about the impact of artificial intelligence, and as Vereš says, it can help in certain segments, but the content itself will remain with people, i.e., journalists.
– We position ourselves as a provider of premium content, and AI cannot replace our journalist – states Vereš.
Odak confirmed this, noting that RTL is the first television in Croatia to announce a competition for the position of ‘head of AI’, which did not come about because it is now trendy, but because machine learning and artificial intelligence have become part of companies’ operations.
Finally, returning to TikTok, where young people today seek information the most, Odak claims that one must be cautious with it.
– Of course, we will all be on TikTok, but we need to find a place for it in the media mix – stated Odak.
Šplajt says that TikTok has been talked about for years, but soon there will come a point where organic growth on social networks, including TikTok, will decline, so more budget will need to be allocated for TikTok, but the question remains what the results will be.
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