Many people know Ladislav Brat as a staff member of the most popular Slovak radio broadcasting automotive programme "Road bend! Watch out! " Yet his carrier took a bend in the nineties. The former radio reporter became a publicity pioneer of the new times in Slovakia history. Together with his broadcasting colleague Laco Ocko they founded the B.O.A.T. publicity agency as early as 1990. They operate presently under a modified name of B.O.A.T. Publicity and rank among the most renowned advertising agencies established at the Slovak market. We discussed the topic "B.O.A.T. Publicity - yesterday, today, and tomorrow...!" with Laco Brat.

Over the past twenty years you carried a mike in your coats of arms. But working in the area of publicity means a shift to a different sphere. Why did you decide to leave the senior reporter position of the prestigious and popular programme and make a step into the dark?

Just about everybody has a dream of beating an unknown track, people don't like permanent positions. I did not want to get into the rut, and I was also aware that spending those past twenty years in one editorial room is above any standard. Being in our programme gave me excellent ground for the new branch in Slovakia: working with the text, sense of music, production refinements, and first of all the ability to organise work and people with no undue preparation. Improvisation is a gift. You can improve it only through experience and we were broadcasting 365 days a year. In other words, whatever happened, at 13.05 the red light went on and we were on air. Beautiful feeling, great responsibility, and also excellent training.

Together with Laco Ocko we started to innovate our programme because we wanted to avoid the rut. It was immediately after the 1989. Subsequent establishment of new private companies called for an increased communication and we responded. We were producing promotion shots, preparing publicity discussions, reports, and jingles. As a consequence, we also tried to look for new clients. There was a wishy-washy publicity department in the Slovak Broadcasting and we were, in fact, making up for it during the first several years. And successful we were.

In June 1990 we founded B.O.A.T. and started to operate as a broadcasting publicity agency. That's how our nine years of history started...

The first success came soon...

We started to hire new personnel and expanded our activities. We learned from foreign literature, and from the everyday experience we learned even more. We were strongly motivated: we were the first to start in the history of Slovakia, and this feeling was fabulous. It was definitely our strong point that we were on good terms with the top managers in the automotive field, where we operated for years. We made good use of these relations. But always to the benefit of all parties involved. "The tactfullness was, is, and will be one of the key words of our philosophy.

In 1991 we became founders of the Association of Publicity Agencies (ARA) in the former CSFR as one of three Slovak agencies. After the separation of the country we co-founded the KRAS, Slovak Publicity Agencies Club, aimed to associate the best and largest full-service publicity agencies, established in Slovakia. The B.O.A.T. Publicity has always been represented on the KRAS board and I was its chairman in 1996-1997. Social acceptance and creative competition awards were not our most important success indices. It was our chief success to bring our agency gradually to a professional level. This was also reflected in the satisfaction of our clients. Our first major clients were the Slovenska poistovna insurance house, Matador Puchov rubber works, OMV Slovakia, Slovakofarma, Izomat Nova Bana, etc.

In contrary to other publicity agencies the field of automotive remained our hobby. In 1993 we created a specialised Media B.O.A.T. - a radio broadcasting team to produce automotive programmes. At first they were broadcast on radio, and later we proceeded to printed media and even a TV programme Motorama for the Markiza TV station. We still produce this programme. And since all these programmes were custom made, we tried to add the commercials, classical sales promotion shots, and mainly articles and discussions of publicity nature.

In the KRAS capitalised billings the B.O.A.T. Publicity has always been among the top six. And yet your agency only operates with Slovak capital, it is not a part of any international promotion network, nor does it represent any foreign agency. Didn't you have enough luck or you chose not to make any fusion?

I must admit, that at first we were considering this quite a few times. But the negotiations with foreign partners diverted us soon. We were too poor a bride and all the groom needed was a cheap servant to keep house. We had a different idea: to grow professionally, transform our agency into a professional body, increase our turnover, to become a bride with a dowry, although not too rich. This worked, and we got to enjoy the life of an old maid, so to say: we make decisions on our own behalf, which way to go, who to address or not, the independence of our agency simply became a part of our company philosophy.

Of course, this approach has its strong and weak points to tell the truth. The disadvantage is in problems in obtaining the European and international know-how, our staff would learn faster if they were trained in parent companies abroad. We are missing also advertisement shots supplied by renowned European clients or companies based in Europe.

And the advantage? There are quite a few. Not only being independent and maintaining our own capability to decide on our development. Our greatest advantage is the knowledge of domestic environment and the opportunity to make relevant adjustments in our production: creativity, advertising activities, lobbying, media interface. Some of the prestigious world agencies cannot do more than transform the shot to Slovak language and place the order for a TV commercial. It is attractive, I must admit, but on the other hand, our staff had a hand-on experience according to the client's expectations. Hard work is the best lesson for them and in learning they are gaining more advantage compared to other agencies. Of course there are excellent renown full-service agencies in Slovakia. We are pleased that the B.O.A.T. Publicity as a local Slovak agency is among them.

From what you said it is evident that you placed your bet on the Slovak clients. Wasn't it too risky decision?

Yes, to an extent it was. This became evident especially after 1994, when we lost a few important Slovak clients. The reason was not in their dissatisfaction, but in allocation of clients to the agencies on a political principle.

Who are your clients today?

Our oldest client is the OMV Slovakia. When we started, they had four pumping stations across Slovakia. They have over 60 today. Our chief company slogan is:

"Our image? Your success!"

If the client is growing, if his services or products are doing well, we grow with him, and not only in increasing sums for promotion orders. The trade name is the most important. Its value, strength, image. If you can participate in building such a trade mark, you cannot be a mediocre agency. This is a good feeling. We gained this feeling also due to OMV and other clients. Among our present clients is the Kooperativa insurance house, Skoda and Seat importer Skoda auto Slovensko, Oriflame, TEL Mineralwolle - dealer of isolating construction material, BVV Brno, Car trade fair Nitra, Quatro Slovakia, Yokohama, the tire dealer. Our new client became this year SCP Ruzomberok pulp and paper mill. It seems that we will set foot also in the Harmanecke papierne paper mill, we are struggling to get Panasonic and VUB is our latest acquisition. Our agency is adequately growing. We have six own graphic shops already and some more are under way, we are also increasing number of accounts and there are already over 40 people on our payroll. Of course, this is not much compared to the US agencies, but our position in Slovakia is quite prominent.

Standardisation of the Slovak publicity market has become a key word lately. Do you think that the Slovak publicity approximates to the international standards?

It certainly does, but I am not quite convinced that the rate is relevant. During my "chairmaship" I co-operated closely with EAAA - the European Advertising Agencies Association. Slovakia is a standard member. I believe that the EAAA contacts will help us accelerate the rate of development, that had been so slow until recently. This can also be confirmed by Mr. Males, an executive KRAS director, who participates at all the European meetings. It is extremely important that currently we can present the Slovak commercials also abroad. Certainly, you may object by saying that we have not too many success records, which is true. We have succeeded in minor creative competitions, e.g. in Portoroz. Yet there is also other evidence that the road we took leads in the right direction. I personally value one of the most prestigious world competition, EFFIE, the advertisement efficiency competition. KRAS was licensed for this competition and this year will be the first annual event. Another confirmation of the subsequent standardisation of the Slovak publicity market is a more thorough adherence to ethic values in the commercials, namely by the KRAS agencies, the new co-operation with the periodicals publishers, the clients, the Promotion Council, etc. There is a growing number of positive examples, although the negative ones are still in majority. But not even Rome was built in one day!

We started with B.O.A.T., its history and present times. What about the future?

Our goals are not small. These are not expressed only as 1999 capitalized billings figures, where we anticipate to go over one billion, not only in the number of priority clients, but mainly in maintaining a good reputation in terms of work and people. I like to say that B.O.A.T. Publicity is a long-distance runner. Certainly, short-term gains are a pleasure, they support your self-esteem and motivate you. What counts, though, is that your reputation is the same next year and in ten years` time. Even if we won't be here any more the agency should go on. This is no pathos, it is my ambition. After all, Martina, our older daughter, is our media planner, and Daniela, the younger one, studies publicity at the Commenius University. It is a good feeling that there is someone to take over, just as I did when I became a junior reporter 30 years ago drawn by the example of my father.

When we started in the field of publicity some ten years ago, quite a few of our colleagues suspected that all we wanted was to earn money and live better. That is important, too. But finding the feeling of self-realisation is even more important. This is why we in B.O.A.T. use another slogan as part of the agency philosophy: "Being successful is not our sign of egoism, but a criterion of internal commitment!"

Slovak Trade FORUM