Tereza Tranakas (Oxygen): Creativity is the superpower of the future

Oxygen is one of the leading communications agencies on the market, with offices in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca. BR sat down with Tereza Tranakas, CEO Oxygen, and found out more about how the agency’s first 15 years unfolded.

By Romanita Oprea

How would Oxygen’s first 15 years look in numbers?

Fifteen years from our establishment, I am grateful and happy to see our hard work and determination bringing us to a leading position in the market, as an independent forward-thinking communications agency with offices in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca.

In terms of numbers: we are the only agency with two offices – Bucharest & Cluj-Napoca and a Sustainability department, a super team of 70 passionate and creative communication professionals, a diverse client portfolio comprised primarily of tens of large multinationals from various industries as well as local clients, and turnovers of EUR 7.5 million for 2022, placing us among the leading integrated agencies on the market.

What are the most important of those numbers, in your opinion?

I always say this business is about people – it’s about building long-term relationships of trust and reliability both internally and externally. To this end, I would like to acknowledge those special people behind the brands and companies we represent, who believe in Oxygen. And last but not least, to thank our leadership team who works relentlessly by my side to grow the business and who stands by our clients.

How do you prepare yourselves and your clients for the future?

We as businesses and as humanity have many challenges ahead – environmental crisis, depletion of resources, food safety, geopolitical tensions, migration, pandemics. All this will influence human behavior and change the way we do business.

We get excited about the impact of technology, data and innovation, but the ability of the individual to look at all that in a creative way is key. I believe that creativity is the most powerful tool to solve problems and find solutions. It’s the superpower of the future. The fact that we have this creative and strategic mindset in our DNA makes our business unique and resilient.

What is the role of the agency in this context?

Agencies are thriving in times of uncertainty because we are used to these kinds of challenging environments – we’re always in a problem-solving mode. We harness the creative powers of our diverse people at Oxygen to solve problems for our clients and to make us all future-proof. Together, we can actually see that the problems and challenges can be a good source of growth.

What we need moving forward into the unpredictable yet exciting future is to think like a startup in terms of agility, looking creatively at problems, responding rapidly and in real time, dealing with failure, considering sustainable practices from the go, empowering people, creating a culture of growth and innovation where people are included and feel safe.

This year you also celebrated 5 years of Oxygen Cluj-Napoca as well as 15 years of Oxygen Bucharest. How are those years seen from your point of view?

Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca are two very different markets in terms of mentalities, way of working and kinds of services that are most demanded. We have grown both offices in a steady way along the years, building strong relationships of partnership and trust with our clients and local partners. While we’ve overcome many challenges in the past, as I am a forward-looking person, I will say our aim is to continue our momentum and maintain a leadership position on the market as an independent agency.

Last year, Oxygen became the first integrated communications agency in Romania to offset its carbon footprint and become carbon-neutral. The agency also launches a new department providing companies strategic consulting and communication services on sustainability. How have those actions panned out so far for you?

Sustainability is one of the priorities at Oxygen, and we’ve taken significant steps in order to reduce year on year our carbon footprint and take actions together with our team. It’s about practicing what we preach.

At the same time, we have founded our Sustainability department that advises clients on all steps to becoming more sustainable – from the audit, to the strategy development and all the way to the implementation and communication of its commitments. We have several such projects in the works.

What are the differences between what you wanted 15 years ago and what you want now for Oxygen?

Fifteen years may seem like a long time, but it feels that it passed in the blink of an eye. Business is a marathon and not a sprint. I always wanted to build a healthy and sustainable business that will maintain its relevance in time. Our strategy has yielded results, now being among the leading agencies in Romania.

How is it to be a female entrepreneur in Romania in 2023?

I believe Romania is a good place to have a business, and offers many possibilities for growth and development. I am happy to see that there are many women-led businesses here that are thriving, as we are an open and inclusive society.

What should potential clients know about you when thinking about inviting you in pitches?

That we go that extra mile to solve their problems and challenges using the power of creativity.

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