20 Oct Are albanian marketing agencies ready for big markets?
Approaching the end of a dynamic decade, marked by extraordinary developments in the technology and communication field, many opportunities have become tangible and real even for the Albanian people. Access to information and therefore to education, makes us world citizens as much as our fellow citizens of developed countries. Such development does not exclude our opportunities to compete and win in markets and industries unimaginable prior to this decade.
More specifically, Albanian marketing and communication agencies, which are part of an industry with little to no history, which first started developing in the 2000s in Albania, has, in such a short time, seen an unimaginable development. Following several years of a chaotic market with no play rules, as in many other economic areas during Albania’s transitional period, the industry has self-regulated through competition and the quality demanded by big markets.
The development of local talent, the introduction of foreign agencies and experiences in Albania, the employment of a new generation growing up with technology and information, has brought about the apparent blossoming, whereby many Albanian agencies provide the same services and quality as their international counterparts. Services have increased and perfected, thus providing full coverage of a business’s needs.
Business and consumer research, knowledge and survey mechanisms are already in place, as is the provision of solutions based on their needs. According to this research, local businesses are not increasing their marketing budgets and the Albanian consumer remains low in number. Since the domestic market is not big enough for them, then why not have Albanian marketing agencies become significant players within big markets?
What should satisfy us as part of this industry, whereby every single specialist and company is a factor of such great change, is the opportunity to finally expand our mentality and ambition to compete in European and global markets.
In an industry that first seeks the brain, ideas and lastly experience in order to finalize a quality service or product, we should be more optimistic because regardless of the business location, through the means of technology, markets have no boundaries. And this is even truer more than anywhere else for the creative industry. Albanian agencies are worthy not only to compete but to become the industry leaders in the Balkans. There has been a professional upsurge of Albanian talent for design and digital marketing, actually, even more than in other Balkan countries whose industries have been more developed than ours. In Albania, for example, in order to decrease traditional marketing costs, there has been a need for faster digital development, even faster than in North Macedonia, Montenegro, or Serbia, as the only way to the future.
And since the groundwork is already a reality, let us hope that the next decade will find us in these markets.
Gerton Bejo
Founder & CEO of Vatra Agency
Tirana / Pristina / Skopje