Roxana Memetea (DDB & Tribal): There is a growing emphasis on the power of emotion to create a strong connection between brand and consumer, even with a slight hint of "nostalgia"

2023 was a very dynamic and full year, until its end. But what should we desire from this year’s reality? BR sat down with Roxana Memetea, Managing Partner at DDB Romania & Tribal Worldwide Romania, in another series of interviews and talked about the Romanian marcomm industry, its evolution and what to be expected from 2024, at the same time not forgetting to touch the trends and agencies’ side as well.

By Romanita Oprea

How was 2023 from a business point of view?

I’ve been pondering how to answer this question because honestly, 2023 was a wild year, with its ups and downs. We had both won and lost pitches and, absolutely incredible moments where we celebrated our achievements on the stages of the most important creative festivals in Romania and worldwide, such as Cannes Lions or Effie Romania & Europe. We faced many challenges related to inflation and rising costs, putting pressure on profit margins. Constant adaptation was necessary, and real-time strategic decisions became crucial to juggle profitability and competitiveness simultaneously. But the greatest achievement of 2023 is represented by the two awards at the Cannes Lions festival for the “UnExaminable” social campaign, contributing to DDB Worldwide’s title of “Network of the Year,” and securing two gold awards for the same campaign at Effie – Best of Europe.

What were the most important changes & novelties in the agency in 2023?

In 2023, the keyword for us was CREATIVITY. We emphasized and invested heavily in creative resources that could make a difference, and I’m thrilled that our efforts translated into results. We had a highly dynamic year with numerous creative campaigns for our clients, which were recognized and awarded for both creativity and effectiveness.

At DDB, we developed and implemented a series of employer branding campaigns with outstanding results in both brand metrics and HR objectives. This success encouraged us to establish a specialized strategy-creative team focused on employer branding campaigns, adding a new product to the agency targeting HR departments alongside Marketing. We also initiated a collaboration with HR Portal, analyzing employer branding campaigns globally, exploring strategic approaches from both HR and communication perspectives to emphasize the necessity and importance of such campaigns within companies.

At Tribal, we focused on creating an integrated digital product that shifts our focus from social media maintenance to a comprehensive product encompassing strategy, data, and creative content development. We have the opportunity to work on a large and complex project – the McDonald’s app – where this year, we focused heavily on segmentation, personalization, customized content, and loyalty. Another significant update was the decision to grow our programing department, as we seized opportunities to engage in complex digitalization projects, platform development, and comprehensive maintenance for our clients digital products.

What do you offer differently than the competition?

The quality of our agency’s product today is excellent; our mix of customer service, strategy, creativity, and digital expertise is extremely competitive because we have a team filled with valuable individuals. We are a united team, passionate about what we do, with big goals and ambitions. I believe this truly makes a difference in front of our clients and potential clients. The beautiful chemistry among us, combined with our openness to innovation, evolution, and our ability to adapt to challenges and changes, is evident and palpable. Like in any team sport, when you’re in great shape, you feel it, and it reflects in each individual’s confidence in the output and in achieving good results.

Generally, it was a very intense year in the marcomm industry with many projects and campaigns until the last days. Was it the same for your agency?

Certainly, yes. To be completely honest, in over 24 years of working in this industry, I don’t recall ever closing out the year at such a dynamic pace right up until the last day before the holiday. We didn’t even seem to realize it was the end of the year and time for holiday wishes! Another interesting fact: we had numerous pitch invitations in December, with debrief meetings in the last week before the holiday and presentation meetings in the first two weeks of the new year. Also in 2023, we take pride in the largest number of major campaigns developed locally for McDonald’s brand, for whom we filmed, developed, and implemented many visible and appreciated campaigns, both locally and internationally, at an intense pace, obviously.

What about the pitches you entered?

Initially, at the beginning of the year, we attempted to accommodate all the invitations we received. I admit we had some unpleasant experiences with proposals offering very low costs, which unfortunately cannot be supported by a company that invests in the quality of the environment and the team. Therefore, we made the decision to attract as much new business as possible from existing agency clients and chose those pitches where we identified both creative and financial opportunities that could support the agency’s cost structure.

What do you wish for 2024?

I’m confident that in 2024 we will reap the rewards of the reputation and recognition we built last year. I really wish to continue elevating our appetite for quality, creativity, and results to the next level. I aspire to further develop the fusion between creativity and technology. Imagine a new stage between creativity and artificial intelligence, a perfect harmony where technology becomes the indispensable partner of creative processes. Certainly, the opportunity will be linked to redefining structures and processes, developing new visions that blend human abilities with the advantages of technology, likely opening doors to innovation. And most importantly, we aim to maintain our investment in teams and talents to pursue bold visions and capitalize on the opportunities we have.

What did clients want the most in 2023? Do you see any changes in their approaches?

The major challenge in 2023 was the desire to have as many valuable ideas on the table and to integrate them under a strategic and creative red thread. The evolution of digital has greatly blurred the boundaries between different specialties (media, PR, digital, BTL, influencer marketing), and obviously, things are getting more complicated for clients. The ideal scenario is to have an integrated proposal that follows the various consumer touchpoints and aligns with the overall communication umbrella. However, in reality, it’s very difficult for this to happen when a good idea can emerge from any medium, context, new technology, etc.. Both agencies and clients are searching for a functional algorithm so that what happens in various digital executional environments or experiences is aligned with the positioning and creative and visual direction of the brand.

What do you consider to be the latest trends that are arriving in the marcomm industry and why?

Although we didn’t expect it, the biggest trend we’ve seen both within the agency and at all the international conferences we attended is somewhat of a return to core values, to the brand and its power. In a world where things are evolving at a dizzying pace and consumer attention is increasingly limited, there is a growing emphasis on the power of emotion to create a strong connection between brand and consumer, even with a slight hint of “nostalgia.” Of course, the execution and approach vary and are adapted to the digital environment we live in today.

Where do you believe to be our industry’s main problems and how can they be changed?

The biggest problem today is that we’re losing talent, and we’re not attracting young people to this industry anymore. Unfortunately, advertising no longer holds the charm it once did; young people have many options and feel that it’s a field where they work a lot without great satisfaction. There seems to be a lack of passion for advertising and the glamour that once accompanied it. We face significant competition from influencers, major tech companies, and they are industries with higher financial power. The recent pressure on fees and costs hasn’t helped improve this aspect. Somehow, I feel that creative work and creativity, in general, are not valued as they should be, and perhaps we all need to seriously consider this and try to change certain things. Let’s try to adhere to some pitch rules, set realistic expectations on both sides, have clients understand the added value brought in the strategic, conceptual, and creative areas, and agencies be fair and invest in delivering added value. What saves us is that the passion still exists, and once someone catches it, they can’t get rid of it!

How much of an important role are still having the consultancy and the strategy in 2024?

Most of our clients highly value strategic input from us; they want and appreciate the presence of a strategist at the table, and beyond that, they feel the need to involve them at a business level, not just for campaigns. And that’s wonderful because this is where a strong agency makes a difference. Even though there’s still a perception and mindset that strategy isn’t necessary, that in the end, the idea makes the difference, I’m glad that, for the most part, we’ve moved past that. Strategic consulting plays a key role and determines the agency’s output on a project and, consequently, the proposed solutions and results. I’m glad we have a fantastic strategy department highly valued both internally and externally.

What are the trends in media in 2024, from your point of view?

Predicting specific trends in media for 2024 is challenging as it depends on various factors such as technological advancements, cultural shifts, and global events. I think advertising will be more personalized and interactive maybe with the raise of AI, social media platforms will evolve with a focus on privacy and combating misinformation and probably virtual reality will become more prominent.

What do you believe to be the main DONTs in 2024 and why?

We are in an extremely unpredictable business world, where changes come at a dizzying speed. I still rely on flexibility, creativity, and innovation combined with resilience and adaptability. The big “don’t” is not believing in the real-time changes in the industry and not adapting to them.

What drives your daily passion for advertising?

As I mentioned earlier, I still have the bug! I’m someone who enjoys challenges and new, innovative things. I’m not afraid to pave the way if necessary, and this field offers me plenty of satisfaction in that regard. There’s never a dull day, situations that don’t push you out of your comfort zone, and believe me, after so many years when I feel like I’ve seen it all, there’s always a day that proves me wrong. And that doesn’t frustrate me; on the contrary, it keeps my passion alive for this super smart, dynamic, young, creative, and cool industry.

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