Digital projects: more than communication, more than IT

Do you still remember, comrades 

I stumbled into advertising completely by accident, at a time when roadside billboards were rare, print ads were the most widespread form of advertising, and we still had the economic propaganda program on television. When they introduced me to the work of an advertising agency, I could not imagine everything they did, let alone what my role would be. But it sounded appealing, and as a student I quickly found my footing in the new environment. 

Three decades have passed since then. I have spent most of those years in various advertising and communications agencies, where I quickly moved from the role of copywriter to the role of manager, and later project director.  

At first, everything was analog. We delivered print ads to media houses on graphic films, and only later on external drives. We did have the internet, but it took some time before we could start uploading ads via FTP to media servers.  

At that time, mainly domestically based, technologically advanced companies and corporations had their own websites. But shortly before 2000, the Slovenian digital landscape began to change rapidly. The first search engines in Slovenian appeared, along with portals that enabled digital advertising. The ads were static, reached about a quarter of the population, and users were primarily young, urban, and tech‑savvy. In 1999, we got the first domestic online store, which showed that it was possible to connect the web directly to sales. 

First steps into the digital age 

I attended my first training sessions that involved the web in 1995, and at that time more or less everything was new to me. At the agency, we followed developments, admired the first online campaigns of foreign partners, but some time passed before we had our first client who understood the growing power of the web.  

Advertising agencies, which began to appear here at the decline of socialism, were organizations that helped companies not only in the field of advertising, but also with shaping an integrated communication strategy, building brands, and understanding the market. Agencies were among the first to recognize the potential of online advertising. 

The key advantage of agency professionals was that they knew how to listen to clients, understood them well, and, thanks to the trust they enjoyed, could more easily persuade them to adopt new communication tools, whereas the geeks who could actually do it mostly lacked the skills and capabilities to "sell" their know-how to companies. Thus, agencies were most often the bridge between innovative technology and clients' business objectives.  

 As development progressed, things changed 

At first, a basic understanding of the web was enough, as online advertising was fairly simple as well. But as the digital ecosystem grew, things changed rapidly. New formats, new platforms, and increasingly complex tools for measuring results emerged. Consequently, the first digital departments and specialists focused exclusively on web projects began to emerge within agencies. 

As the web developed, clients' expectations naturally grew, and they soon were no longer satisfied with simple websites. For building more complex websites, online stores, and advanced solutions, the knowledge and experience of agency professionals eventually no longer sufficed. As a result, the process became fragmented and protracted, with numerous communication gaps, as information flowed from the client to the agency, then to external vendors, and back along the same path. 

Some technology companies quickly realized that, with a different profile of talent than they had hired until then, they could reach clients and win business directly. In addition to traditional developers, they needed people who understand user experience, digital strategy, and clients' business goals. New forms of collaboration and competition began to appear in the market. 

Technology companies that recognized the opportunity and adapted became key partners to businesses in their digital breakthrough, as without intermediaries they were able to implement innovative web solutions faster and more efficiently. This enabled the companies they worked with to transition to the digital environment more easily and to establish a direct link between strategy, development, and marketing communications. 

The Intersection of Reliable Technology and the Power of Communication 

During that period, I also worked at an agency specialized in digital marketing. Large clients understood well the advantages of a well-considered online presence. With regard to communication projects, our support was reliable, and our proposals for incorporating state-of-the-art technology solutions that appealed to target groups were on par with those seen globally. We received awards at festivals. The gap began to appear with complex web projects. 

Advanced projects require stable platforms, powerful databases, and integration with various external systems. In addition, important aspects include personal data protection, ensuring cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, and the ability to scale solutions for long-term growth. 

If in the past the main requirement for a website was fast responsiveness and an attractive presentation, over time the requirements shifted to questions such as: How do we protect users' data? How do we ensure uninterrupted operation with several thousand concurrent users? How do we prevent outages that would jeopardize operations and trust? 

Answers to these questions require not only expertise but also time. Communications and marketing agencies chronically lack it. Everything should have been done yesterday—preferably the day before. And just as geeks once lacked the ability to listen to and understand clients, today agencies lack an understanding of developing advanced technology projects. 

After many years in advertising and communications agencies, I joined a fast-growing high-tech company. The experience and insights I have help me understand clients, and an awareness of the complexity of developing advanced projects enables me to understand projects end to end: from shaping effective communication to technical implementation and long-term sustainability.  

Today, I see the greatest value for clients precisely in the interweaving of two worlds: the creativity of marketing and the reliability of technology. Digital projects are no longer merely a communications channel or a technical solution; they are becoming a core strategic platform for the company. They are expected to build brand awareness and credibility, deliver a consistent, best-in-class user experience, and meet the highest technical and security standards. Companies that successfully blend the creative energy of marketing with technological reliability not only gain a competitive advantage in engaging customers today, but at the same time build a flexible digital environment for the future.