In recent months, the market has seen steady growth in investment in advertising, and experts say it is significantly higher than the pace of recovery from the pandemic. How do you explain this fact?

Months after the initial shock of the pandemic, it is still clear that it is through advertising that the sustainability and profitability of the business is ensured. We observe a unique combination of cyclical, organic and structural factors that determine the pace of the market.

Faster-than-expected economic recovery, the need for brands to connect with consumers, growth in the e-commerce sector, accelerated deployment and improvement of marketing approaches during the pandemic in small and medium-sized businesses and the direct-to-consumer sector continue with full speed. This further stimulates investment in advertising.

The main drivers of the market's growth rate are concentrated where the focus of bTV Media Group is - presence in high-quality video content and building an emotional connection with people. In 2021, we meet the needs of our partners by enriching business communication solutions and increasing our investment in content by about 30%.

What do brands focus on one year after the start of the pandemic?

Excellent advertising needs an excellent media environment. In the struggle to remain relevant, brands prioritize a presence in a reliable environment with clearly measurable results. That is why we at bTV Media Group - the most trusted and strong media brand in our country, a generator of innovation and a favorite content of the public, provide such a context for the messages of our partners.

In a world of multi-layered media consumption, for the brands, as well as for the media, the priority is the connection with the consumers and their needs, and respectively the retention of more than the visual attention. The size of the screen and factors such as duration and strength of presence, technological capabilities, interweaving of means of expression and interaction with the human senses determine whether an ad is actually seen by the audience and whether it is successful. And the user consumes content across different platforms, in parallel with other activities. We all know that you can't offer your product to someone who hasn't even noticed it.

The criteria for the quality of media positioning are becoming higher and higher. We are entering a new media landscape in which brands know much more about which consumer attitudes can be useful to them and what and how they should change. They are increasingly improving their work with emotional stimuli to connect with the audience and ways to move from passive to active choice and decision. That is why our team and I are constantly upgrading our portfolio of first-class, innovative advertising solutions for an effective and visible presence. Visibility beyond the conventional, in the emotional world of our content, in the moments when the audience's attention is most actively engaged.

How does bTV respond to the pace of business recovery and the advertising market, respectively? In what direction is your advertising policy developing?

The audience wants more and more entertainment. In the year that the world closed, the television screens in every home continued to shine. In line with the pace and needs of the audience and business, we will offer more entertainment in all its forms - adventure, tradition, romance, entertainment, sports. Each of our strong titles spills over into digital and radio environments with additional integration capabilities. The portfolio of audience favorites will also be enriched - established opinion leaders with a strong connection to the audience, who can be useful to both established and new brands.

We continue to improve our communication solutions using the superpowers of the multiplatform world of bTV Media Group, as well as the latest technologies.

Our special team is dedicated to the brightest and most creative solutions, united under the brand boost. reach beyond. They allow you to use your favorite media brands and people beyond the platforms of bTV Media Group - in other channels, on social networks and at points of sale.

As the media driving the innovations in the industry, we will soon announce more interesting opportunities for high visibility advertising.

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In the past year, we have seen a record growth in digital advertising, but television has remained a leader in attracting advertising budgets. How long will this trend continue?

What the past year has proven worldwide is that television is here and will remain. In times of difficulty, people turned to her as a bearer of the familiar and trusted source of information and entertainment. The screen was on in almost every home, which for advertisers means security and contact with the widest audience. Its forms, mobility in consumption and the ways of interaction with the content are diversified. Increasingly, borders are crossing, and people's connection to content is growing stronger. This means only one thing - new opportunities for advertisers, which make the reality of our latitudes even more interesting.

How can smaller businesses on a budget benefit from the benefits of TV advertising? Is there a change in the types of ads that work best for brands in the current situation? What is the most effective advertising mix and how has the concept of effectiveness changed since the pandemic?

Answers to these and other questions can be read in the entire interview with Dessislava Proeva in the new issue of Manager magazine.

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Dessislava Proeva has been Sales Director at bTV Media Group since January 2018. With more than 20 years of experience in the field of media and sales. She is a longtime member of the jury of Effie Bulgaria, as well as part of the international jury of Effie Europe. She knows the effectiveness in all of its forms. She graduated from the University of Saarland, Germany, where she obtained a master's degree in business administration with a focus on information systems and controlling. She has passed a number of specialized trainings and seminars on current trends in media sales and advertising.