In the previous almost a month and a half, domestic companies which were supported by Erste Bank through creating TV and online advertising campaigns for their brands and products, have observed a number of positive effects arising from such type of support, most notably with regard to the improvement of product sales and the expansion of their business.
The current pandemic situation has influenced the economy as well – numerous domestic companies were affected as their operation has slowed down and they are now attempting to find a way to adapt to the situation. That is why support and solidarity with the economy are of utmost importance. Apart from the credit support for company liquidity, Erste Bank provided advertising support to a number of its micro and small business clients in May and June of this year, all with an aim to help them increase the visibility of their products and thus improve their business. TV and online commercials were created for them, and advertising space for approximately a month and a half was rented. The majority of these domestic firms highlight the greater recognition and visibility of their products and brands as one of the key results of the television and online campaign, which had a significant impact on the improvement of their sales, but also on further expansion of their businesses.
Nikola Stanišić, entrepreneur, Stanišić Bio
“Consumers have started to devote more attention to our products and brand thanks to the campaign, and sales have increased in some of our facilities. In our region, television advertising remains the most influential type of advertising, so this campaign has helped us achieve greater visibility on the domestic market,” says Nikola Stanišic, a 26-year-old entrepreneur and founder of the company “Stanišić Bio” based in Veternik which produces premium spreads from forest mushrooms under the brand “Šumska Tajna”. This authentic product is marketed abroad as well.
Young Ana Dolovac has founded “Dolovac Organic” in 2018 with an aim of offering healthy, organic products to the consumers. She is successfully leading the firm while being only 26 years old. She points outes that the reaction of her fellow citizens and consumers in general has been very positive: “The effect of the campaign has been considerable so far. Primarily my fellow citizens, but everyone else as well, began to recognize our brand and purchase our products more often.”
The founder of “Dogma Brewery”, Vladimir Stojković, a young technologist, stresses that the campaign influenced the increased brand awareness in Serbia, and that he expects the real results to be visible in the coming period due to the current situation, both with regard to new cooperations and the growth of sales of quality craft beers they produce.
“Dolovac Organic”, a family farm based in Futog which produces organic dried fruit rolls and juices, as well as Belgrade-based “Dogma Brewery”, were contacted by certain retail chains as potential new partners that can help them place their products even better.
Dražen Tolevski, sales and development manager at the company “Stotex” from Stari Banovci, highlights the higher visibility of their textile products intended for households and hotels, but also the greater recognition of the firm. According to him, the business expansion they have in mind will now be easier as well, since they believe they will become more recognizable as an employer. This firm mostly employs women, and therefore has a significant social role in addition to the commercial one.
On the other hand, the “NS-Steel 1989” company from Veternik was contacted by former clients with whom they had not cooperated for a long time.
Ana Dolovac, the founder of “Dolovac Organic
“We also received many positive reactions on social media, where people noticed our new product, a machine for cleaning filters, which reduce the emission of harmful gases from motor vehicles. Its sale stagnated during the state of emergency, but now it has begun again, and the advertising support has significantly contributed to it“, says Saša Vranješ, the director of the company which was founded more than three decades ago as a small metal processing shop.
Nowadays, “NS-Steel 1989” has established cooperation with renowned companies from the oil, agricultural, process, chemical, food and other industries, both in our country and in the region.
Igor Denić, the director of “DCP Hemigal”, a company from Leskovac which has been producing and marketing cosmetic products such as the popular “Pavlogal” and “Konjski balsam” on the markets of Serbia and the region for a quarter of a century, highlights the positive reactions of the consumers, but also points out that a significant number of them began to link to a great extent not only these, but also other established company products, to the “DCP Hemigal” brand.
The TV and online campaign providing support to domestic firms is just one in a series of steps Erste Bank is already taking and will continue to take in order to provide support to entrepreneurs and increase the visibility of their products and services. The initiative will also continue after the TV campaign ends, and other companies will be highlighted through various forms of promotional support.
Video stories of entrepreneurs and general information about their companies are also available on the Erste Bank website: http://bit.ly/VerujemoUPravuPodršku.