Local brands are catching up

Local brands have started to compete with their more illustrious international counterparts. Names such as Arctic, Dorna, Murfatlar and Dacia have come to make a similar impact on Romanians as Ariel, Coca-Cola, Nokia or Mercedes do. Building a strong brand is one of the main challenges that marketers and advertisers in the specialist Romanian sectors face, given that the brands have passed the stage of being a mere image of a product, to that of objects to be admired and desired. “What significantly differentiates Romanian brands from international ones is not just the budget, but rather the human resources component,” describes Iulian Padurariu, Managing Partner of Trout & Partners. In order to succeed on a market that has achieved a competitiveness level similar to that of western societies, experts recommend choosing niche fields. “Niches save the day as far as results are concerned,” says Felix Tataru, general manager of the GMP agency and president of IAA (International Advertising Association) Romania. ZF