The launch of a new postcard about Malta is usually a run-of-the-mill news story. However, the Malta Interactive Postcard, launched last week, is a different kind of postcard. Charlot Zahra spoke to Aleksandar Sakota, Director of High Creative Ltd, about the Malta Interactive Postcard

It has all the look and feel of a traditional postcard – even the space where to write the address and a message for the recipient on the back. But if you turn it to the front, a small CD-ROM wrapped in plastic shows up. Here is the Malta Interactive Postcard in all its glory.

When I spoke to Aleksandar Sakota at the launch of the Malta Interactive Postcard last week, he struck me as a gentle, young man, who was very keen about his latest project.

Mr Sakota explained how the idea of an interactive postcard about Malta came out when he visited his family and friends back home in Belgrade in November 2004.

“Many of them asked me if I had any footage and/or pictures of Malta. After I came back to Malta, Rade Santrac, the other director of High Creative, and I spoke about making a multimedia presentation of Malta.

“First, we checked if there was any type of multimedia presentation already available on market. We realised there was nothing on the market that offered a full package multimedia presentation. That is when we started thinking seriously about producing a ‘one of a kind’ multimedia presentation.”

Mr Sakota said there were different elements that were included in the Malta Interactive Postcard.

“The Malta Interactive Postcard consists of general information about Malta. Everything that visitors would need to know about the place they are visiting.

“In the CD ROM, there is information on 15 major museums, seven major attractions, all land and sea activities, as well as five songs in the audio section, four video clips, 70 photos, 36 panoramas in 360 degrees and general information about Malta in five different languages – English, German, French, Italian and Dutch,” he said.

How were these different elements collated together into a single coherent product? I asked.

Mr Sakota said it would not have been possible to produce the Interactive Postcard without help from the Tourism and Culture Ministry and the Malta Tourism Authority.

“All information, which we accumulated for the Interactive Postcard, starting with the text on five different languages, photos, videos, etc. was easy to acquire, because of the willingness to help us of the Tourism Minister and other officials from Malta Tourism Authority.

“Once we had content for the Interactive Postcard, the next step was to combine all the material into a ‘one of a kind’ multimedia presentation, where we thought about usability for the end-user, making it user-friendly for not only computer wizards but even for ordinary computer users. Luckily Mr Santrac has an enormous experience in marketing, while I have over 11 years of experience in different multimedia projects.”

The project took seven months to be finalised, said Mr Sakota.

“If you take into consideration that the first time we spoke about the Interactive Postcard was end of 2004, and that we actually started working on the Interactive Postcard some time in April of this year, one can say it took us seven months to complete the project.

“Most of the time was spent securing our intellectual property and legal rights. We registered the patent locally and we also had submit for international patent of Interactive Postcard through Patent Corporation Treaty in Geneva.

“All work was done in-house, except the design of the multimedia presentation, which was done by highly reputable art director Miroslav ‘Commy’ Miljenovic, who is currently working for international advertising agency Leo Burnett in Belgrade,” he said.

The Malta Interactive Postcard is a high-tech product, yet it has a classic look. The reason for this, Mr Sakota said, is that they always wanted to produce a quality product.

“We would not compromise on anything that would work ‘half way’ or, as people say, ‘It does the job’. For us, quality is the number one priority, and with this approach, everything else just falls into place.”

Because of their commitment to make a “one- of-a-kind” product, the target audience is wide, explained Mr Sakota.

“Tourists of all ages, anybody who knows how to use simple websites, would be able to use our multimedia presentation. Students who are learning English language in Malta could send to their family and friends, a complete presentation about Malta.

“One interesting fact, which lots of my Maltese friends are informing me about, is that there are more Maltese people living abroad than in Malta. The Malta Interactive Postcard is an ideal gift for Maltese relatives and friends living abroad. I am sure that they feel nostalgic like myself, and Maltese people living abroad would appreciate receiving the Malta Interactive Postcard more than anyone else.”

What makes the Malta Interactive Postcard so different from the traditional postcard, yet so similar, I asked Mr Sakota.

“This is an interesting subject. It is well-known that sending postcards is a personal thing. Whenever I receive a postcard, I always smile and thoughts pass through my mind – ‘I have real friends who are thinking about me’. This was a very important aspect for us when we were thinking of inventing the Interactive Postcard. We wanted to keep a powerful traditional feeling of postcards and incorporate digital media information of the 21st century.”

High Creative Limited is a fairly new company, consisting of two directors, Mr Santrac and Mr Sakota. Mr Sakota said he was lucky to have met Mr Santrac and get involved with him. “His experience in marketing and creativity are simple priceless, while I have experience in incorporating different medias into ‘one-based’ multimedia solution. Combining our values and experience was an advantage to produce Malta Interactive Postcard.”