We will not forget the last day of the festival for a long time, and without a doubt, we have strengthened the belief that DK Festival brings the most interesting speakers to the stage — but also gathers the best of the national industry.
Over the next ten years, science will be focused on researching memory, declared one of the world’s leading neuroscientists, Moran Cerf powered by Hrvatski Telekom, an expert in unconscious, but perhaps precisely because of that, crucial consumer behavioral processes, during his Saturday lecture as part of DK2024, a well-known communication festival held this year on 11—14 April in Rovinj. Studies by this globally renowned scientist, described by the father of modern marketing Phil Kotler as the leader of a new generation of marketing leaders, shed light on our decision-making processes for local communicators and the steps through which they can be influenced, including predicting human interests and affinities.
Photo: Matija Habljak/PIXSELL
At DK Festival, it’s never boring — and this time, we decided to examine why, as a society, we are so hungry for spectacle, with the founder of the notorious American Fyre Festival, Billy McFarland, in conversation with Davor Bruketa. McFarland launched a music festival in 2017 that was grandiosely promoted as a unique luxury experience and the dream of all partygoers in the Instagram era, endorsed by celebrities like Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner. However, it turned out to be one of the biggest scams of today. It’s known that at this stage, we don’t shy away from uncomfortable topics — and Fyre Festival is precisely the kind of case study we can examine from its spectacular beginning to its disastrous downfall. That’s why it served as a scandalous yet inevitable arena for discussing the importance of transparency in marketing and communications, remarked Bruketa.
Photo: Emica Elvedji/PIXSELL
On Saturday, the 360 stage of the grand festival hall hosted the brilliant Eugene Cheong powered by ENNA with his inevitable talk titled Ten Things, presenting a treasury of unique thoughts and insights resulting from his life experience in creative communications. Our job is to convey emotion, not just present mere facts. To converse with human beings, we must master the language of emotions, Cheong argued. He is also the recipient of numerous prestigious recognitions for his creative work, one of the pioneers of the Asian Creative Revolution, and a prominent figure at Ogilvy for many years, leaving us speechless.
Photo: Matija Habljak/PIXSELL
Photo: Matija Habljak/PIXSELL
On the third day, joined us Ruby Rare, a creative, educator, and expert in fluid communication among individuals — especially brands, teaching them how to communicate more confidently and inclusively, and Marnick Vandebroek, a globally awarded speaker, author, and communication trainer who transforms companies, managers, and leaders into communication masters. In three festival halls dedicated to local experts, various topics were discussed — including digital ones like IAB Croatia’s PPP: Is AI Tripping?; efficient communication and analytics in large international markets in Is Bigger Better? by IAB Croatia; insights into the Croatian digital market in The Bigger Picture: Insights from IAB Croatia’s Online Media AdEx; all the way to regional reviews of creativity in Meet Your Neighbours: The Balkan… Oops, We Mean CEE Markets Snapshot, and many others. Additionally, IAB’s new Online Media AdEx and new guidelines Attention, now! were presented.
Photo: Borna Jakšić/PIXSELL
We bid farewell to our DK community, thanked all speakers, panelists, partners, and friends of the festival and the media, and congratulated the competition winners, closing the festival doors — until next year. Anđela Buljan Šiber, a member of the Organizing Committee of DK Festival, commented: We have had three unforgettable days behind us, and Saturday’s quality content was just the icing on the cake. Every year we think about how to surpass the previous edition — I’m afraid that we have a very tough task ahead of us for 2025 because this year’s festival was top-notch.
Photo: Vana Katančić
For those who couldn’t join the grand celebration of the communication industry this year, it will be delightful news that online tickets, allowing access to the content of the main hall for 30 days after the festival ends, are available at https://danikomunikacija.com/tickets.
Featured photo: Borna Jakšić/PIXSELL