Mateja Mahnić (Flaster): This Year We Have Already Surpassed Last Year’s Results and Made a Leap Towards Global Business and New Markets

For the past three years, cars with prominent advertising visuals have been driving through the streets of Zagreb, as an opportunity for a new way of advertising brands in our market, backed by the innovative marketing company Flaster. This startup was co-founded by Luka Glavaš and Filip Carić despite the obstacles during the coronavirus pandemic, and today they are more than successfully operating in the markets of Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, merging online and offline advertising and offering clients measurable results of marketing campaigns. Mateja Mahnić, recently appointed country manager of Flaster for Croatia, reveals what Flaster plans in the upcoming period for Croatia, as well as some new markets, what the relationship of Croatia in the region is, what their priorities are, and she shared what motivated her to join the Flaster team.

How would you describe your experience working at Flaster, from the beginning of the year when you joined the team to now when you are taking on the position of Country Manager? What challenges have you faced in your new job?

– As a platform for measurable mobile advertising that quickly became recognizable for its innovation, Flaster immediately presented itself as a challenge and a great opportunity to apply my long-standing experience in large international companies. From day one, it has been a real dynamic ‘ride’ for me – everything has been focused on rapid learning, adaptation, and continuous action. In startups like Flaster, I like the speed of decision-making and adapting to market trends. Corporations are somewhat slow, while startups are like Formula 1.

What are your current priorities at Flaster, what do you focus on the most in your work?

– The priority is primarily the satisfaction and trust of brands and partners who continuously increase the scope of campaigns by activating more cities and surfaces. In four years of operation, we are proud to collaborate with over 60 regional and international brands.

At the same time, my goal is to strengthen the visibility of the Flaster brand to increase recognition and achieve new collaborations. Currently, over 300 Flaster cars are on the roads, and my goal is for that number to be five times greater. I am focused on scaling the business and continuous revenue growth, which will result in strengthening the team, new hires in strategic positions, with the importance that all team members live the Flaster brand.

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Flaster Loreal

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What are your strategic plans for Croatia? How do you aim to strengthen Flaster’s position in the market?

– This year we have already surpassed last year’s results, and we have made a leap towards global business and will soon surprise with new emerging markets. In the upcoming period, we will place a strong emphasis on positioning the Flaster brand as an OOH medium that has unlimited advertising surfaces, which gives us the opportunity to operate without limits. By introducing additional mobile formats, we want to become a leader and a synonym for measurable mobile advertising.

Flaster, with a very competitive and quality environment for outdoor advertising, not only sets new standards in advertising but also initiates a true revolution of innovations that strengthen our position in the market. We want to make outdoor advertising accessible to all brands and companies with additional attractive digital formats aimed at target groups.

What is Croatia’s role within the region where Flaster is present? What specific challenges or opportunities do you notice in the Croatian market, and how do you respond to them?

– Besides Croatia, Flaster is present in Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We first test all innovations, new products, and processes in Croatia, and depending on their success, we then reflect them in other markets.

As an innovative medium, the biggest challenge we face is changing the perception of advertising on taxi cars, but already with the first test campaign and insights into metrics from the Flaster platform, such as the number of contacts, heat maps, and coverage of cities where the campaign was launched, we become a no brainer medium for numerous clients.

By being present in three countries within the region, we simplify the international presence of brands, making us unique. From unified creative to consolidated reporting with quick campaign activation, we maximize the ease of media purchasing processes for our partners.

Can you share an example of a successful campaign or project in Croatia that has particularly helped Flaster’s growth?

– First of all, it is important to emphasize that we have a personalized approach to each client, which means we agree on specific campaign goals and propose creative solutions to activate the campaign as successfully as possible on the roads of each city.

I would highlight the collaboration with a personal care brand that wanted to launch a new line of deodorants. Over a period of three months, we distributed 15,000 sprays to a carefully targeted audience. During that time, over 160,000 kilometers of driving were recorded just in Zagreb – which is equivalent to making a trip around the country four times. The results were impressive: we achieved over 3.5 million contacts.

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Luka Glavaš, Mateja Mahnić and Filip Carić, Flaster

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Recently, you launched additional activations within the cars; can you tell us more about that?

– Flaster is a unique medium in this regard because it connects ATL and BTL activations within the mobile advertising surface (taxis). Inside the car, we create a 1-on-1 experience between the passenger and the brand. For example, during the summer months, we activated a campaign with a local beverage brand where we introduced and shared a new flavor of the drink with each passenger. In this way, we created a surprise & delight moment and instantly connected the passenger with the brand.

This year, we also launched online activations within the cars – gamification, such as surveys, questionnaires, personalized games that passengers access via a QR code linked to a digital platform. Each of these activations is measurable, and passengers are rewarded with a product, coupon, or discount within the car.

Also, how do new trends and technological developments in marketing affect Flaster’s business?

– The key is to be ready for change and react quickly – that is what makes us different as a startup. Flaster relies on innovative technologies and tools such as heat maps and real-time impression tracking, which allows for more precise and flexible campaigns. New trends in digital marketing, such as personalization and data-driven approaches, enable us to offer clients concrete, measurable results, which sets us apart in the market. Our digital solutions revolutionize the way media is purchased, providing brands with instant and extremely high exposure in the outdoor environment.

What are the biggest changes you expect in the Croatian advertising market in the coming years? How are you preparing for them?

– Flaster offers a unique concept of OOH advertising that no one currently has in the areas where we operate. Digitalization is definitely a trend that will continue, and there will be more and more adjustments to user preferences in real-time. I see a significant shift towards automation and artificial intelligence in advertising. We are preparing for this through investments in new tools, team training, and constant trend monitoring. It is also very important for us to remain flexible and quickly respond to changes in consumer behavior – that is our strength as a startup.

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Mateja Mahnić, Flaster

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Content created in collaboration with Flaster.