Interview with BalticBest jury member Giedrė Ona Šileikytė, Founder and Executive Creative Director at autoriai (LIT), is conducted by Hando Sinisalu.
How is your agency different from the others, and why should I choose you?
We’re probably the only agency in the Baltics that works only with purpose-driven brand campaigns. And by that I don’t mean only the governmental or non-profit NGO sector – we do a lot in healthcare, pharma, FMCG, and for other big brands that need meaningful and purpose-driven communication. Usually, our campaigns touch deeply, even when they’re super entertaining, and introduce absolutely new topics to society, as seen in our recent campaign “Kisses don’t age”.
If you need a campaign that resonates on a profound, emotional level, that’s when you come to us. We don’t do classic product campaigns, we don’t do sales campaigns. What we do is a little weird, a little crazy, unexpected – and deeply human.
We’re a boutique creative studio. Next year will be our 15th anniversary. I’m the founder and creative director, and I’ve chosen to keep the scale small enough that I can stay involved in every project creatively.
How many people are in your agency now?
Six full-time, but we work extensively with freelancers. And not just from Lithuania. We recently did a huge tender with collaborators from Amsterdam, Berlin, and New York. We build international creative teams tailored for each project. I’ve recently worked with people from Brazil.
So you keep it lean – low fixed costs, then scale with freelancers as needed?
Exactly. I can’t imagine growing to a size where operating costs would become overwhelming.
You mentioned a strong presence in Lithuania’s cultural scene – what kind of work do you do there?
A lot with the cinema industry. Lithuania’s film scene is booming – Lithuanian directors are casually winning at Sundance, Locarno Film Festivals, getting selected for Cannes and we do global creative strategies for film launches. My background is in film – I studied philosophy, but I worked with SCANORAMA, one of Lithuania’s major film festivals before starting the agency. We also work a lot with universities, museums and cultural institutions.
How do you find freelancers, especially reliable ones? That’s always tricky.
I’ve actually had more issues with local freelancers than international ones. In bigger markets, the competition is intense, and freelancers are usually more disciplined. When you hire someone internationally, it’s often for a set time period – they prioritize your project and become part of the team. It’s a different mindset from hiring someone for just a task.
How did you build your freelancer network?
It’s not random. I follow credits on campaigns, dig into who worked on what, and build a database. I have Excel folders with categorized talent—by skill, region, by tone of voice. I also rely a lot on word-of-mouth from colleagues abroad. If I need a British copywriter, I’ll ping a friend at a Polish agency and get a trusted recommendation.
You mentioned participating in a tender for Go Vilnius – how did that go?
We were ranked second. It was a complex but crazy inspiring process as we collaborated with KesselsKramer and a team from New York. But lowest price scams and wars are still a huge problem in Lithuania. Local agencies often submit bids that are unrealistically low. We’re currently in discussions with lawyers about fair tendering practices. If I’m bringing global talents to local campaigns, the process should reflect international standards.
What are your thoughts on campaigns that work globally but struggle locally – like the controversial Vilnius campaign?
That campaign was well-received internationally but missed the local context. It’s easy to forget how sensitive these issues can be. A joke that works abroad might touch a nerve at home. We’ve spent years trying to shed the “Eastern European” stereotype. Locals need to feel proud – not insulted – by the way we’re portrayed.
How do you manage long project cycles with a small team? What about cash flow?
We’re not a factory. We craft projects over months, sometimes even six months. We’re not in it to maximize profit – we’re here to make meaningful work. Our revenue supports our team, our freelancers, our office, and good coffee. That’s enough.
You mentioned that you’re the most expensive in the market – how does that align with winning public tenders?
The term “expensive” is relative. If you compare us to a simple short term sales campaign for bananas, then yes, we may seem expensive, because we focus on long term goals and value and work with clients who need higher impact.
What’s your view on AI in the creative process?
I use AI a lot. It has replaced the role of junior creatives for me. I use it to explore ideas, generate slogans – it’s a great starting point. But it’s just a tool. For emotional, cultural, or political work, you still need human insight. We work with universities, the healthcare industry, and on topics like death. These projects demand time and depth that AI alone can’t provide.
What trends do you see in the advertising industry right now? In Estonia, at least, the industry isn’t in great shape. It’s not growing, and successful companies like Bolt or Wise don’t use agencies – they build in-house teams. Local telecoms streamline everything to cut costs. What growth opportunities do you see for agencies?
I totally agree – it’s a tough time. Businesses want things faster and cheaper, and they don’t see as much value in agencies anymore. I understand where they’re coming from. Here in Lithuania, we lack talent. Advertising isn’t “cool” anymore – young people would rather work at unicorns like Vinted, Nord Security or Hostinger.
For the first time, we’re not competing with each other – local agencies like Not Perfect or Milk. We’re competing with global talent. Everyone can hire anyone from anywhere now. So why would a company choose a local agency over a global expert?
We started something called the Craft Academy to explore this. I invited Vinted’s global brand manager to talk about how they approach craft. She said they invest deeply in it – nine months on brand campaigns, step by step, with global talent. Their creative team in Berlin is world-class. Why would they look to Lithuania, where there’s nowhere to learn this level of craft?
And it’s not just agencies we’re competing with – it’s social media, influencers. Brands can get video content quickly and cheaply, sometimes with an A level celebrity involved, for something like €5,000 – which is nothing compared to agency budgets. It gets clicks and views, and it’s “good enough.”
But what’s the long-term value? Can you build a brand on a series of social media reels? I doubt it. More and more budgets are going to social and influencer content, and agencies are shifting from creators to managers – managing influencers and other content providers.
The biggest issue, though, is that young people no longer want to work in this industry. It’s just not sexy anymore. Everyone kind of knows it, but no one talks about it. It’s the big elephant in the room. If we want to change this, we need local leaders to start speaking up. I still honestly think advertising is cool – it’s so interesting and so full of purpose.
And finally, can you share a book, podcast, or blog that inspired you recently – something for our readers?
It’s funny – it’s not a book or podcast. What really inspired me recently was Lorde’s comeback. The way she relaunched herself – with low-key content, live appearances in Washington Square – it was so smart. The way she built her brand through that return was incredible. That’s how I think we need to approach advertising now.
Another example is Addison Rae. She started as a TikToker with millions of followers doing fun dances. Now she’s performing at Coachella with ARCA. They rebranded her from this pink, bubbly image to a dark, stylish pop star. That transformation is branding genius. It shows how powerful social media is – but only when used strategically.
I don’t usually read books about advertising or branding. I prefer to read fiction or just stuff from contemporary art, fashion, architecture, psychology or culture in general – things that inspire thinking beyond our field. To be honest, since it’s summer and I am trying to work on my first garden ever – I’ve been reading lots of Piet Oudolf and I’m pretty sure you will see some of his influence in our latest advertising work.
BalticBest 2025
You can find rules HERE.
Submission deadline: 08.08.2025 -> extended until 12.08.2025 5 PM (Estonian time)
Shortlist published: 19.08.2025
Live judging and awards announced: 27.08.2025
