The end of the calendar and business year once again provides an opportunity to speak with leading figures from marketing, media, and PR agencies about the goals achieved in the previous year, plans for 2026, and the “environmental factor” in which those plans must be realised. This time, the spotlight is on Iva Kaligarić, CEO of the agency Señor. The interview was conducted by Nenad Danilović, Editor-in-Chief of Advertiser Serbia.

Please give an overall assessment of your agency’s performance during 2025.

From a business perspective, the year was not an easy one, but creatively it was very successful. Among this year’s work, I am particularly fond of the communication platforms #perfecttome and bonbon - make it yours, as well as projects aimed at empowering society.

We developed the #perfecttome platform for our new regional client, Atlantic Štark. Working on Smoki is a true privilege, but also a responsibility toward a lovemark that has been with us our entire lives, as well as toward an ambitious and inspiring client team. Their vision, knowledge sharing, constructive feedback, and learning through research further motivated us and drew us deeper into the business.

Hrvatski Telekom, with its brands bonbon and Iskon, is our long-standing client. Regardless of the mutual trust and more than a decade of collaboration, we continue to exercise our telecom thinking every day in order to surprise with fresh ideas and new perspectives in a category that is highly competitive and advertising-saturated.

I am glad that regional leaders from various categories entrusted us with important assignments that were closely followed not only by marketing teams, but also by company boards. Challenging projects motivated us—repositionings, rebrandings in key business years, and the establishment of long-term communication constants that carry relevant emotion and value for both consumers and clients, without limiting our creativity or satisfaction at work.

In addition to commercial projects, we devoted part of our time to culture (Don’t Forget to Leave a Review, Asparagus Bear), social inclusion of the elderly (#oldfriends), empowering parents in education (A Shoulder That Understands You), and, while parents were learning, children became our assistants in education (Fables That Protect Nature). Educational materials are available for free on our website, and sharing them helps both nature and society.

In addition to others, this year we also devoted some time to ourselves. We celebrated a milestone anniversary with our traditional Intimno ruženje party (colleagues from the region are invited to join us on the next one!), and to mark ten years of knocking people’s socks off with creativity - we launched Fussnota, the world’s first niche perfume for feet.

We look forward to presenting fresh developments in new market categories soon—stay tuned!

How would you assess business conditions during 2025? Were they better or worse compared to previous years? What marked your agency’s operations in terms of external conditions—economic, social, and political?

The situation was constantly changing, which is something we’ve been practicing for since 2020. This year, we were not dealing solely with professional issues; global cocoa prices, the effects of inflation and war on tourism, and the impact of artificial intelligence on healthcare all directly influenced our work and financial results. At times, it felt as though pressing global issues were seeping into our briefings and brainstorming sessions at our Zagreb address, creating additional pressure in an already tense economic and political climate, while we would much rather focus on the more beautiful side of our work—creativity.

Fortunately, having gone through earlier global financial crises as well as the more recent health crisis, we have become more resilient, and a broader view of business today gives us higher-quality insight needed to solve client challenges.

Was 2025 marked by significant problems that affected the entire marketing communications industry? Do you see any positive developments in how the industry functions?

The industry was cautious, consumers increasingly informed and demanding, and marketing budgets under pressure. That did not stop us at Señor from creating interesting and bold creative work. Looking ahead, I see even more room for expression than before, even under limited production conditions, while paying close attention to the legal and ethical aspects of using artificial intelligence.

Which trends in marketing communications most shaped your agency’s business during 2025?

One very current trend did not shape our business directly, but it has begun to influence it positively. The communication clutter driven by AI slop.

The need for higher-quality content in smaller quantities aligns with our philosophy of work. From the very beginning of Señor, we have aimed for sustainable communication with as little mass production as possible.

To what extent do you personally, as a leader, use artificial intelligence in management processes? Is your agency strategically committed to introducing AI into management and projects?

In research and analysis, reliable tools with quality information sources save me time, allowing me to free up space for working with people, developing strategies, and refining creative processes.

How challenging was 2025 for your agency in terms of talent retention and team building?

We have a stable team of talented and well-coordinated professionals, although there can never be enough designers. The biggest challenge came from the state, which encourages designers to go independent through low-cost flat-rate sole proprietorships.

Our focus was on continuous qualitative growth. We accepted projects we believe in and that align with our values and affinities, rather than those that bring money and would require overnight hiring. Finding the right people has always been a process for us, never a blitz project. This year, we thought more closely with our clients, investing in fair relationships where mutual respect and differing opinions are valued.

We expanded our areas of interest into culture, which our team is particularly fond of, and established new creative collaborations regionally, with a focus on your market.

What are your expectations for 2026 regarding business conditions in the field of marketing communications?

I hope the market will continue to reward agencies that build strong strategic and creative foundations, act responsibly toward the profession and people, and are always ready to take a step forward.

The text was originally published on the Advertiser Serbia portal.