NEM Zagreb 2025 Unveils Full Agenda - AI, Creativity and Marketing in the Spotlight

NEM Zagreb 2025: The Agenda Marketers Can Actually Use

NEM Zagreb just dropped its full program for December 8-9, and it's built for the moment we're in: AI meets creativity meets monetization. If your job is to grow attention and revenue across TV and digital, this is worth your calendar.

Think of it as a two-day filter for what's real, what works, and what to test first in 2025.

Why marketers should care

• Clear view of how AI is being used in script development, testing, and performance prediction (so you can move faster without guesswork).
• Practical debates on video ads across linear TV, TikTok, Meta, and YouTube on TV screens-budget decisions get easier.
• Vertical storytelling and micro-dramas-what formats actually hook people and how to adapt your creative.
• Broader distribution strategies as TV and YouTube collide-how to keep reach and frequency under control.
• Neuromarketing insights you can plug into briefs and brand campaigns right away.

Agenda highlights built for marketers

• Video Ads: Linear TV vs. TikTok, Meta and YouTube on TV - a straight comparison of strategies and spend logic across channels.
• Leaders on AI: Opportunities and Challenges - where AI is helping today, where it's risky, and how to set guardrails.
• From Broadcast to Algorithm: Why Every TV Station Needs a YouTube Strategy (Aleksandar Ašković) - what "TV thinking" must change for digital to work.
• Distribution Strategies When TV Meets YouTube (Guy Bisson, Ampere Analysis) - practical frameworks for reach, monetization, and content windowing.
• The Vertical Revolution: Micro-drama - how short, vertical formats win attention and why pacing matters.
• Original TV Series Formats and Adaptations - great for brand-content partnerships and format licensing plays.
• AI as the New Creative Partner in Video Creation (Sami Arpa, Largo.ai) - using predictions and audience insights to reduce wasted creative cycles.
• Inception: The Art of Planting Ideas (Dalibor Šumiga) - how triggers and memory work in real buying behavior.
• A Band for a Brand (Q&A with John Altman) - lessons from composing music for 4,000+ commercials.
• Ludwig (Q&A with Kenton Allen, Big Talk Studios) - what makes a modern hit travel and how to pitch it.
• Glina: A New Chapter (Dariusz Jablonski) - co-production dynamics with Apple Film Production, SkyShowtime, and TVP.
• Streaming monetization and AI (Harmonics) - new ways to package inventory, measure value, and drive yield.
• Europe's Creative Sovereignty in the Age of AI (EIT Culture & Creativity) - ethical AI ecosystems and data control.
• Slick & Quick: How CEE Countries Differ on Netflix? (Lühr-Martin Lemkau, Slick Strategy) - audience behavior you can borrow for media plans.
• Croatian Creativity with International Potential and Future Projects from Croatia (HDNP, SPID) - fresh IP and collaboration options.
• Real-Time Virtual Production by stYpe (Josip Čajić) - live workflows that slash production time.

Turn sessions into next-quarter moves

• Creative testing: Use AI tools to pre-test scripts and key visuals before production; kill weak ideas early and scale winners.
• CTV strategy: Treat YouTube on TV screens as its own channel with different creative cuts, frequency caps, and MMM/attribution rules.
• Vertical formats: Build micro-dramas with a story beat every 2-3 seconds; write hooks first, then plot.
• Neuromarketing: Map triggers (novelty, social proof, contrast) to scenes and on-screen text; measure lift with simple experiments.
• Budgeting: Rebalance spend between linear, CTV, and vertical placements based on incremental reach, not CPM alone.
• AI policy: Set a lightweight playbook-approved tools, data handling, disclosure rules, and review steps-to keep teams moving fast and safe.

Who you'll hear from

• Sami Arpa (Largo.ai) on AI as a creative partner.
• Dalibor Šumiga on neuromarketing and behavior design.
• John Altman on brand music that sells.
• Kenton Allen (Big Talk Studios) on building exportable hits.
• Dariusz Jablonski on premium crime IP and co-productions.
• Guy Bisson (Ampere Analysis) on TV-YouTube distribution strategy.
• Industry leaders from broadcasters, streamers, and tech.

Networking that actually helps

• Welcome drink hosted by A1 International Business.
• Coffee breaks and a HAVC-sponsored lunch.
• NEM Zagreb Christmas Party sponsored by Pickbox.

Short version: two days to pressure-test your 2025 video plan, meet partners, and pick up playbooks you can apply the next morning.

Get ready

The full agenda is live on the official NEM Zagreb 2025 site. If your team is leveling up skills ahead of the event, this resource can help: AI Certification for Marketing Specialists.