White Square, one of the internationally recognised international creativity festivals, continues to call for entries. Every year more than a thousand cases from more than 35 countries are evaluated at the highest level by international jury. To inspire representatives of the creative industry around the world to submit their best projects for participation in White Square Festival 2025, we continue our series of interviews with members of the Festival jury. Today we have Tsanka Krusheva, Creative Director of The Huts Group, Bulgaria, answering the interview questions. One of the most awarded creative directors in Bulgaria, she has 18 years of experience working with global brands such as Coca-Cola, Mastercard, KFC, Nestlé and HBO. Her work has been recognised several times at international creativity festivals including Golden Drum Festival, Epica Awards and Clio Awards. However, her most treasured achievement remains the Cannes Lions Festival Bronze Award, the first in the history of the Bulgarian advertising industry, for a project for Mastercard in 2021.
When did your journey in the creative industry begin? What inspired you to choose this career? Are there any stories or moments in your career that have had the greatest impact on your professional growth?
I first got into the creative business back in kindergarten, where my main goal every day was to come up with creative ways to avoid drinking the cup of milk I hated. It was a mandatory task in communist Bulgaria at the time—no milk, no progress. But the real tipping point came later when I read The Tipping Point. I was fascinated by how a simple idea could hold so much power and wished to turn this into my job.
Your projects have been highly appreciated at prestigious international festivals of creativity. Which of your projects do you consider to be the most successful and why?
The most successful project was the Mastercard campaign 'Fly with a Book,' with which my team won the first Cannes Lion in Bulgarian advertising history.
In your opinion, how do the participation and winning of creativity festivals influence agencies and representatives of the creative industry?
In a time when AI is evolving rapidly, anything that celebrates creativity—especially emotional storytelling—becomes even more valuable. Festivals, in particular, continue to be one of the greatest champions of creativity.
You have a high professional expertise in the field of creativity and experience of being a jury member of many international festivals, and this year you will be evaluating the entries of White Square Festival. What evaluation criteria are the most important for you? What new ideas would you like to see in the entries of White Square Festival?
My highest scores always go to the most sophisticated ideas that manage to appear the simplest. With consumer attention spans at their lowest, and everyone striving for simplicity, many ideas get lost in the sea of sameness. I believe that those who succeed in evoking deeper emotions and thoughts, while keeping things as simple as possible, will win both the hearts and minds of consumers.
How do you approach the creation of new ideas and projects? Do you have any certain methodologies, techniques, or lifehacks that you use while working with your team? Can you highlight the key factors that help you create effective projects and build long-term relationships with the brands' target audience?
In a world where the line between truth and fakeness blurs, and everything feels like shifting sands, the first task is always to find solid ground—an undeniable truth. That alone is half the battle won.
What new trends and tendencies do you think will be actively seen in the field of marketing and communications in 2025? In your opinion, what innovative approaches and strategies will be able to attract consumers' attention and create a sustainable connection with brands? Are there any examples of companies in your country that are already implementing such tools and can be a reference point for others?
I'm tired of forecasting and chasing trends. When a client says, I want us to be trendy, they don’t mean blending in—they mean standing out. The real way to be ‘in’ is to set the trend. And the most powerful tool for that? Intuition—especially when it’s paired with something that challenges conventional logic.
What are your hobbies and passions that fill your life with inspiration? Do you have any special books, movies, music or travels that form your creativity and influence your approach to work? How do you integrate these hobbies and inspiration into your daily practice to create something unique and memorable?
I have two kids, and their free spirit is one of my greatest sources of inspiration. The most important lesson I've learned around them is that entertainment is the key—the easiest and most effective way to get someone engaged. Even the most reluctant people will take action if they’re having fun.
The Jury of White Square Festival Jury is being actively formed and will be announced in March, but their participation has already been confirmed by the brightest people with invaluable experience in judging prestigious international creativity festivals and numerous awards around the world, representatives from more than 35 countries.
To submit your entries, go to the White Square Festival's official website and choose from 247 nominations covering the entire spectrum of the communications industry. Discounted entry fees are available until March 3, 2025. The final deadline for entries is April 28, 2025.