With its expertise and problem-solving skills, which was a daily practice even before the COVID-19 crisis, Poslovni.hr reports that the Manjgura PR agency achieved record results.
Although the pandemic also hit the communications industry for a year, it is no secret that the services of versed communications experts have been more in demand in some segments than ever before.
One of the leading Croatian PR agencies, Manjgura, ended 2020 with great results and revenue growth. However, Manjgura is deserving of success “in a year in which no one was intended to succeed.” The agency is already well-known for its dynamic work environment, in which many are surprised by the variety of everyday challenges and necessary competence.
As Katarina Leko, the director of Manjgura, points out, the world seemed to have stopped. However, things still had to work – only in crisis conditions that grew into everyday business instead of rare occurrences.
“Looking for ways to continue our business as successful as possible in new circumstances, and with intricate planning and challenges in everyday work processes, today, everyone must continuously communicate with the market and stakeholders.
For a year now, ways have been sought to remain present in public space, to convey essential and current messages to customers, partners, suppliers, and investors, to encourage the public and help those in need, but also to reposition brands and address the market in the ‘new normal’ circumstances.
With reinforcements in the senior team, organizational and managerial changes in the agency, we were able to respond to the increased demand for the services we provide but also expand the offer of integrated services in communication management,” says Leko.
In previous years, Manjgura was mostly associated with political campaigns, but today they have the most considerable turnover in the health sector, tourism, and advising strategic investors.
Even in the year in which they achieved record results, with 100% revenue growth, the share of turnover generated through services in the private sector completely dominated. Only about 10% of turnover was generated by the provision of services in the public sector.
As an agency specializing in crisis communication, Leko points out, Manjgura did not have to specifically adapt to the mode of work in which it is planned and operationalized from today to tomorrow because problem-solving is part of their job.
Executive director Anamarija Hrvoić Đurić explains that part of the everyday tools, such as organizing events for the public and the media, disappeared overnight, and they needed to be creative in achieving the set goals.
“For us, the organization of events in previous years was more the exception than the rule, so we largely continued with regular business, but also expanded the circle of clients who needed a different approach to communication,” said Anamarija. She adds that other tools have been given priority, so the agency has launched several Viber communities to accelerate communication and exchange information with people in the field.
“From several local chat communities to the large Total Croatia Travel Info project, where we provided thousands of tourists with updated information every day thanks to which they could come to Croatia without hindrance, our Viber chatbot was the first tourist chatbot in Croatia,” said Hrvoić Đurić. Part of the engagement is always focused on socially beneficial projects such as Croatia Against Cancer.
“With the patients’ association, we conducted a campaign that resulted in the adoption of a long-term national strategy that should save tens of thousands of lives that are currently destined to be lost due to cancer,” explains Katarina Leko.
Senior advisor Maja Pekeč came with 15 years of experience from the public sector, breaking the myth about the usual rule of transferring agency people after gaining experience in the client ranks.
“If we follow predefined patterns and do not allow a departure from the usual, we cannot expect a different result. We are often unaware of this rule, both clients and agencies.
Since I can look at the client-agency relationship from both perspectives, I know that we can offer clients solutions that are often, I would say, pioneering because such an approach is exactly what I missed when I was a client,” said Pekeč.
Although Manjgura’s team usually has about ten people, they are always looking for new colleagues. “Always, even when we don’t have an open offer. You happen to recognize talent, a set of character and professional qualities, and you see an opportunity to develop or launch a project or collaboration with that person that you have long desired.
We do not run away from the fact that we work a lot, but smartly and creatively. In small companies, every contribution is seen, and few omissions remain hidden, which is why the value system and responsibility towards work are especially important to us.
We work in almost every sector, so even though each of us is an expert with our own specific ‘superpowers,’ we can only demonstrate them with a team that we get along with and that keeps pace,” says Leko.
Learn more about Manjgura from the official website.
