Nina Trumbić is a Project Manager for a very diverse range of clients – from Hrabri telefon and Jägermeister to Iskon and Atlantic Grupa. She also takes care of the most demanding client – Señor. She is said to have a nose for industry trends and knows about every possible app there is. If they were to print new business cards, Nina’s title, they say, would be The Coolness Consultant. In her spare time, Nina successfully DJs at Radio 101 and at parties under the name Nifty Nina. Regardless of whether you are looking for a recommendation on how to make a kick-ass digital campaign or are trying to find the best place to go clubbing, Nina is your girl.
You have been with Señor from the beginning. In a very short time, the agency became one of the creatively most recognizable and most original in Croatia. Can you describe this development in a few words?
Yes, I’ve been with Señor almost from the very start. I think the agency existed for a year when I joined. It’s very nice to be a part of such a success story, looking forward to new clients and new challenges. Señor really achieved a lot in a short period of time, but we never experienced rapid growth internally. We worked on attracting quality people and gradually putting a good team together. Anyone can learn the ins and outs of the industry, but that won’t take you very far if you don’t have the right attitude and determination. I think it’s good for Señor to grow at a slower pace, expanding the team gradually. The team, after all, is our biggest asset.
What is it that you point out to clients as Señor’s greatest competitive advantage?
We have a different approach, and thus bring different solutions to the table. We like to ask (a lot of) questions, explore every possible solution and create on the basis of our findings. We care a lot about generating ideas, but we also want to control the execution process to the very end. On top of that, we love challenges and creative freedom. With this comes great responsibility, which we offer in return.
You led projects for various clients. How do you manage to transform yourself from a client like Jägermeister to a more corporate one like Atlantic Grupa in no time?
As opposed to a corporation, the biggest advantage of working in an agency is precisely this possibility of jumping from one industry to another. You have the opportunity to work for a whole range of different brands, to look at a much bigger picture and even apply insights from one industry to another one.
Of course, some clients suit you more than others. Jägermeister, for example, is definitely someone I can relate to more because I’m more familiar with the target group and I’m grateful to the agency for entrusting me with this client.
When you look back, what’s your fondest memory, which project first comes to mind?
I’m not good at looking back, I always prefer focusing on what’s coming, but I won’t reveal what Señor is up to at the moment. I don’t want to spoil the surprise (laughter). My favorite projects are those that positively influence someone’s behavior or attitudes, as well as those in which brands strive to create a new market category.
Say it out loud is a project I would single out as the most special to me so far. From the challenge of how to advertise advertising space, through planning, setting up the website, waiting to see how the public will react, to the very results themselves.
How do you see the role of young people in the advertising industry? Can you move it forward? Do your senior colleagues allow you to express your enthusiasm…?
Advertising is one of those industries that values youth and young people drive the industry forward. In Señor we listen to other opinions, we learn from each other and do not have this typical senior – junior relationship. Everyone contributes and that courage and openness to change is appreciated, and it obviously works.
… and the clients?
We might be lucky, but most of the clients we work with give us a certain amount of freedom. Anyone who doesn’t value enthusiasm shouldn’t work in the creative industry.
I would definitely like to see more trust from the clients – not only towards the agency and the creative proposals, but towards the consumers too – trust that they will understand and accept something new and different. Change cannot happen without this trust.
You DJ on Radio 101. Is your relationship with the radio a serious one or is it just something to fill up your free time?
Well, the radio is a long-lasting love affair, for sure. It is what I played with as a little girl, when I still didn’t know about creative agencies. I love radio because of the ease of transferring information, but also because of the proximity to the audience. You’re always in somebody’s ear. :)
DJing on the radio wasn’t enough for you so you created Nifty Nina’s parties. What do these parties look like?
They have been around for a long time now. It all started somewhere around college, a few of us started organizing parties. I don’t do them as often now – somewhat due to my age and somewhat due to my work. And still, even after all these years, before a club or festival performance, I feel the occasional jitters and I can appreciate that now. It shows me that I care.
It may seem incompatible with the work I do, but working with brands and performing on a stage has its similarities - you need to know how to recognize your audience, how to approach it, how to win it over and inspire people to come again.
This interview was originally published by Media Marketing.