Manuela Necula, Ogilvy: Clients are still careful about each step they take

Manuela Necula, Ogilvy Group Romania CEO, a major communication group domestically, says there is high pressure on ROI (return on investment) as clients are careful about each penny they take out of their pockets. “Looking at advertising breaks of the first few months, we can notice the balance between image campaigns and tactical ones seems better than in 2009. Clients, however, are still very careful with every step they take. ROI pressure remains as high as before,” says Manuela Necula, 41, who has been running the Ogilvy group since 2005. As regards 2010, she says it is a tough year, and the battle between communication market players will be fought over market share as clients’ budgets are smaller or equal to those of 2009 at most. Necula maintains that the group’s clients had different strategies during 2009 and those who continued to invest in communication stood to gain. Ogilvy Group Romania now includes 48 clients in its portfolio and manages over 90 brands. Last year was not an easy one for the communication group that, in the wake of international realigning, lost several important accounts.