Startups looking to shape

Startups looking to shape local post-pandemic office market

Offices in Romania have generated nearly half a billion euros in deals in each of the past few years, but startups are betting on a more flexible workplace and technology that puts landlords in control of their building data.

By Ovidiu Posirca

The adoption of flexible work has taken off in recent years

PropTech, the field that encompasses all innovation in real estate and construction, aims to improve efficiency and facilitate all activities related to the property sector. Startups looking to tackle complex issues in real estate had already raised more than USD 12 billion between 2020 and 2021, according to the 2021 PropTech Annual Barometer. The pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of the property ecosystem, introducing new ways to design offices, sell homes or boost energy efficiency in commercial buildings.

“Even if the corporate innovation adoption process tends to be long-lasting, I am happy to say that developers are increasingly open to using innovative solutions proposed by startups. Two years after the pandemic started, real estate companies have it clearer than ever that digitalization and Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) goals are key to a successful, sustainable future,” Bogdan Nicoara, CEO & Cofounder at Bright Spaces, told BR. The Romanian startup has digitalized more than 464,515 sqm of commercial spaces since its creation in 2019 and recently opened its first international office in London.

PropTech innovation can be broken into three main opportunity channels that cover information, transactions, and building management.

Technology allows everything to be digitally recorded and retrieved online, from public records to office lease data, including real time heating system temperatures for every building. Furthermore, people have gotten accustomed to using secure online platforms to get mortgages, explore office floors for lease, and sell properties. Buildings can be fully managed using digital apps, enhancing the efficient consumption of resources.

Nooka Space, a startup developing microoffices that can be leased for short periods using an app, believes that hybrid work arrangements will shape the future of the traditional officer sector.

Sergiu Babasan, country manager at Nooka Space Romania, suggested that the local coworking spaces market is still underdeveloped.

“There is high potential for growth in this segment, especially as hybrid working becomes the norm and companies look for the right solutions to meet the needs of today's employees. Moreover, the crowding of urban areas and the growing need for employee flexibility are conditions that create the right environment for the development and success of coworking services,” Babasan told BR.

The startup aims to reach total investments of EUR 2 million by the end of this year and to add more compact office spaces near residential projects. In fact, housing developers could add micro-offices in the mix of facilities offered to residents in a bid to adapt to emerging work arrangements in a post-pandemic economy.

The concept of the metaverse is also turning into a driving force in the way we approach work, according to Nicoara. In his view, we will soon be able to mix remote and office work in a more immersive way than ever before.

“Imagine being in Bucharest and taking part in a meeting in your company’s office in London, but not through what has already become a traditional tool¬—Zoom—but through a virtual reality tool that transports

Bogdan Nicoara, Bright Spaces Ciprian Pasca, PropTech Romania

you to that office. And you will actually be able to whisper something to the colleague sitting next to you without everyone hearing what you are saying,” the Bright Space CEO explains.

In the meantime, Bright Space’s team has been working both remotely and from the office. Nicoara says he is building a flat organisation driven by responsibility and goals, not by standard schedules.

Ciprian Pasca, co-founder and president of PropTech Romania, says that the high share of remote working during the pandemic pushed entrepreneurs and property players to use all the tech available in the quest to offer the user the best possible experience.

“Fortunately, the trust, impact and popularity of startups is growing in Romania and more partnerships are seeing the light of day, but the process is still far from running at full speed - compared, say with UK, Germany or France, not to mention the USA,” Pasca told BR.

TECH COMPANIES DRIVING OFFICE DEMAND IN BUCHAREST

While healthcare and pharma companies were leasing offices at a rapid pace throughout 2021, when the health crisis was at its peak, this year has seen a strong resurgence of demand from tech companies.

Companies in the IT&C sector had a share of 32 percent in Bucharest’s office leasing market in Q1 2022 and generated 93.6 percent of new leasing transactions in regional cities such as Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, Timisoara, and Sibiu, according to data from Fortim T.A., a member of the BNP Paribas Real Estate Alli-

ance. Firms in the sector, which record over 10,000 annual hires, want the best offices with high-end amenities and sustainable certifications in order to attract the best talent.

Despite the transition to remote or hybrid work in some industries, Bucharest’s office stock could reach 3.5 million sqm next year from 3.27 million sqm at the end of Q1 2022. But the new supply could still prove insufficient for large companies looking to expand and relocate to new buildings, say representatives of real estate consultancy CBRE Romania.

PROPTECH FINDS COMPETITIVE GROUND IN EUROPE

year in 2021, when it accounted for around 20 percent of global PropTech investment. It included EUR 3.8 billion worth of venture capital investment across more than 200 deals, which was up 350 percent compared to 2020, according to data from PitchBook.

This means that the property startup market in Europe is growing faster than the one in North America, according to Miguel Nigorra, partner and co-head of the Europe team at Fifth Wall, a real estate-focused VC firm.

“The European market is still in the very early stages of digitalization and tech adoption, and the amount of deployed capital is likely to double in the coming two years. There will be multiple opportunities for investors who are focused on Europe, especially those looking to establish long-term relationships with startups,” Nigorra wrote in a piece published on propertyweek.com.

European funds hold a leading share on funding in early rounds. Investors on the continent led 77 percent of seed fundings in Europe’s PropTech market, 68 percent of early-stage fundings, and 49 percent of late-stage fundings, according to Crunchbase. Romanian firm Bright Spaces is also growing on the European market and planning to expand its digital property showcasing platform across the office, residential, retail & logistics segments. “This year, we’ll focus on Romania and on growing our UK portfolio, while also keeping an eye on markets such as Hungary, Poland, Germany, and France,” Nicoara said.

Elsewhere, PropTech Romania is looking to launch this Autumn Proptech Fusion Accelerator, the first corporate & startup open innovation program targeting the CEE markets.

“I believe this area will evolve, because people have tasted the benefits of remote work and no longer want to go back to the static, always in one place, work. We discovered that working can be fun, that we can have the flexibility to travel more, spend more time with our friends and families and be more in control of our schedule,” concluded Pasca.

Gaming industry engulfing the world with new and exciting developments

The global gaming industry was worth USD 10.5 billion in 2005. Just 15 years later, in 2015, its value had gone up to USD 155 billion, and it was no longer dominated by portable hardware and consoles; it had evolved to a multi-platform powerhouse. By 2025, analysts predict that the industry will be worth more than USD 260 billion.

By Aurel Constantin

Streaming services and mobile gaming will become very important revenue sources

Video games today are hosted on a variety of screens, with mobile gaming growing every year. The industry is in fact immense, larger than the film and music industries combined. And even if it doesn’t get as much attention as the other two, there are more than two billion gamers across the world—a quarter of the global population. This is the reason why games are now being turned into movies. Examples like The Witcher or Warcraft (inspired by the World of Warcraft game) have proven that the success of such projects is almost guaranteed by the fact that players are keen to watch films about the games they love to play.

There is no surprise that non-traditional gaming companies like Meta, Apple or Google are looking for ways to get into the industry. They are also looking for ways to make video game streaming as easy as listening to songs on Spotify or watching movies on Netflix. In 2016, Meta started the development of a gaming development platform together with Unity Technologies. Google launched Stadia, a cloud gaming service that allows users to play streaming games at a very high quality. The platform is available through the Google browser on any device.

The goal of these companies is to allow players to stream games without needing a console or a computer. Eventually, purchasing physical video games will become a rare occurrence. Subscription streaming is the way gaming companies like Ubisoft and Electronic Arts are making most of their revenues. It is a model that allows game companies to

have revenues throughout the year, which wouldn’t happen in the era of physical games, which would mostly be bought during holiday seasons.

MICROSOFT AND ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

Tech giant Microsoft is one of the biggest players in the gaming industry. Its Xbox console is still fighting Sony’s PlayStation for the lead on the global market. Revenues from its gaming division reached USD 15.4 billion in 2021, almost 10 percent of the company’s total revenues of USD 168 billion. But gaming revenue went up by 33 percent compared to 2020, while the overall revenue was up by just 18 percent.

Most of the division’s revenues are coming from sales of the Xbox console, which means that revenues and profits decline in quarters when new editions of Xbox are not released. Microsoft is a very important player on the gaming hardware market, but it relies on companies like Activision Blizzard for the actual games being played on its consoles.

In January 2022, Microsoft announced that it would buy Activision Blizzard for USD 68.7 billion, a 45 percent premium on the gaming company’s price after the announcement was made. It was a smart move for the tech giant: this way, it is acquiring a content provider who is responsible for some of the biggest games in the industry, such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Diablo. Activision, a California-based company, is also a leader in mobile gaming after the acquisition of King Digital Entertainment, the maker of Candy Crush, one of the biggest revenue drivers in the mobile ecosystem.

The acquisition provides a shortcut for Microsoft to improve its content credentials and access valuable intellectual property. Some of the content will probably become “exclusive” to the Xbox console. The move could bolster subscriptions for Game Pass, Microsoft’s gaming subscription service that allows players to play games across platforms. Yet investors are not too happy, since the acquisition may get a regulatory blowback stemming from the fact that both companies are leaders in their respective industries. It remains to be seen whether the transaction will be given the green light by regulators or whether companies will be forced to make certain changes, such as selling certain divisions to third party organisations.

VIRTUAL REALITY

Other companies, like Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, are pushing for technological changes in the gaming world. Virtual reality is here now, and many are trying to find better ways to use it. Meta purchased Oculus VR in 2014 for USD 2 billion and it is now trying to use it for the Metaverse and for video gaming. The Oculus Quest 2 is Meta’s latest offering of the product.

As the world moves to new experiences and the time spent on phones is increasing,

streaming services and mobile gaming will become very important revenue sources. And gaming companies are looking for any way to boost their revenues right now. A good example is the demand for vintage games that has convinced companies like Nintendo to re-release old games like the Nintendo Classic Mini and Nintendo Switch.

MOBILE GAMING

The mobile gaming industry was positively impacted by the covid-19 pandemic, so it saw high revenues in 2020 and 2021. As the world started to return to normal, the industry saw a 6.2 percent drop in revenues in the first quarter of 2022. According to the Mobile Gaming by Sensor Tower report, the industry had revenues of USD 21.2 billion in the first quarter of the year, below the USD 22.6 billion in Q1 2021. This was the first-ever year-onyear decline for the mobile gaming industry, after it had reached record revenues in the first quarter of 2021.

But even when compared to Q4 2021, Q1 2022 brought a 2.8 percent drop in revenues. And the problem is that the decline may continue in the coming period, at least until gaming companies find new products that gamers can be convinced to buy.

It is interesting to see what paying gamers are using in terms of operating systems. Apple’s App Store is bringing around 61.3 percent of all income, while Google Play is responsible for the rest. During Q1 2022, mobile users spent USD 13 billion on games on the App Store and USD 8.2 billion on Google Play. Google Play experienced a larger drop in revenues in the first quarter of this year. In Q1 2021, its mobile gaming revenues reached USD 9.4 billion, while the

App Store’s went up to USD 13.2 billion.

And while Google Play revenues dropped 13 percent, the App Store’s fell by only 1.5 percent, highlighting the difference between their users’ incomes. iOS, the

Apple operating system, is being used by 25 percent of all smartphone users (1.25 billion people). Meanwhile, Android, the operating system behind Google Play, is being used by 75 percent of users (around 3.75 billion people). Still, the gaming industry is making more money from iOS users. Google Play’s share in overall mobile gaming revenues was 41.6 percent in Q1 2021. During the past quarter, it had shrunk to 38.7 percent.

But the gaming industry is looking good overall, with more people playing games and creating demand for immersive entertainment. Users are also looking for easier ways to play games, without being tied to a computer or console. Mobile devices have allowed companies to attract more people by creating easy and fun games like Candy Crush or simple puzzles like Sudoku. And even if some of these games are free to play, gamers must still watch some ads during gameplay, so they’re paying for it one way or another.

How influence has reshaped B2B marketing and employee advocacy

Strategic social media is essential for driving B2B sales, according to Forbes, with 83 percent of executives that choose a vendor on their company’s behalf saying that they used social media in their decision-making, and 92 percent of that segment saying that social media had influenced a purchasing decision. In such situations, the quality of the content is what makes all the difference.

By Romanita Oprea

Ena Karabelas, Chapter 4 Romania

According to Ena Karabelas, former executive director at Chapter 4 Romania, the advent of social media has changed the types of content we consume, as well as when and how we consume it. At the same time, it has also democratised access to information and has allowed literally anyone to become a publisher or influencer. This means that, over the past few years, the effectiveness of traditional information and advertising channels has decreased. At the same time, consumers’ trust in their peers has increased, and people are more likely to make decisions or commitments based on what they see happening inside their networks, across social media. “While this has largely been the norm for B2C brands, it also holds true for B2B now. And considering the fact that a buyer’s journey is longer and more complex in a B2B environment, building trust through believable, knowledgeable influencers becomes extremely relevant for bottom line success,” Karabelas argued. Therefore, she notes, “the challenge, on the local market at least, is that the number of B2B influencers is still very limited, and so there are equally limited opportunities for projects with viable ROI. The glimmer of hope on the horizon, however, is that this situation is changing and that we are seeing more active voices emerging, on traditional B2B platforms like LinkedIn, but also on more B2C-oriented channels such as Instagram—which suggests that interesting things will be happening in this field in the coming years.”

In turn, Octavian Ciprian Gheorghe, creative director & head of social media at gmp PR, believes that in B2B, an influencer who is relevant and potent in terms of delivery can really have an impact. The reputational transfer can be a big plus; he has seen influencers performing very well either as speakers, content creators or consultants, depending on the context. It’s a smart asset to have. As per employer branding and internal communication, he and his teams have seen some creators and celebrities getting some good and honest results. “We’ve promoted internal apps and various messages through them, we’ve collaborated with food influencers, artists, stand-up comedians, and the list goes on in terms of options for creating relevant content. We promote long-term collaborations and keep a close eye on influencers’ activity. So, every time we meet up with them, we know the chemistry is there. We really believe in understanding them and their worldview and we try to get past preconceptions and see them for who they really are, as well as respect their content. A state of presence in every collaboration and honest communication are key,” said the gmp PR representative.

FOSTERING LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS

When it comes to building relationships with influencers, Ena Karabelas thinks that while one-time campaigns can be effective in boosting brand awareness and product sales, if the aim is to build trust and advocacy, longer-term, always-on partnerships are the way to go. And building such a relationship

requires time and dedication, just like it does with any other type of stakeholder. Whether you are working in an agency or on the client side, you need to keep relationships alive and constantly stay in touch with the influencers who are relevant for your area of expertise. “It’s great to share news of your company and keep them informed, answer any questions or curiosities they might have, and just keep the conversation going even when there aren’t any projects on the horizon (or no budgets available). Consumer and business influencer marketing have several similarities, but there’s also one major distinction to note. B2C influencer marketing is primarily transactional, whereas B2B influencer marketing is primarily relationship-based. B2B influencers are more concerned with being viewed as reputable, trustworthy, and knowledgeable by a rising following than with earning a certain amount of money for a certain number of Instagram posts,” the B2B and technology content marketing enthusiast explained.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT INFLUENCERS

How can specialists ensure that they choose the right influencers? According to Zenmedia, an influencer with expertise in your niche market can talk with authority and make a more significant impact on their audience— your customers. And that’s precisely what you want; that’s the influencer you want to reach before your competitors do. “The kind of influencer you should want for your brand is one whose opinion matters to their following. They are experts in their field, and their statements carry meaning, which is excellent for your brand. You should be confident that whoever you choose is reaching the exact people who are most likely to engage with your brand and make a purchase. Influencer marketing will work for B2B companies, but it all depends on credibility and relevance, not follower count (sometimes that data can be bought and presented artificially). While it does play a role in your influencer selection, a large following means nothing if only a few are engaged,” Zenmedia specialists wrote.

Furthermore, just as you want experts who know what they’re doing, you also want to make sure your chosen partners are the best fit for you. There are three extremely important aspects in choosing the right influencer for your brand: reach (how much overlap there is between your audience and their followers and how well-known they are across the industry and whether they are engaging with their following and vice versa); resonance (how much weight their opinion carries, whether people actually care about what they say, and whether they tend to lead and shape industry conversations); and relevance (how relevant the influencer’s areas of expertise and interest are to the topics you want to discuss with your audience).

For Ena Karabelas, there is only one answer, and it starts with the same letter: research. According to her, just like in B2C influencer marketing, the best way to identify the right partner for a project is to have indepth knowledge of the person’s interests, what their content looks like, who is part

of their community. “The key ingredient to achieving extraordinary outreach is always research. This ensures not just the right fit between the two parties joining forces, but it also helps a brand stand out. Influencers put a lot of value on an interesting brief, so the brand must do its homework before reaching out. For marketers, this means that the outreach effort will be difficult and that there will be no shortcuts. But hard work always pays off,” she added. Transparency is vital as the number of influencers continues to rise, Alexander Frolov wrote for MarketingProfs. To identify the right match for your brand, you must verify the authenticity and effectiveness of any influencers you may be considering. “Fortunately, technology allows for advanced influencer discovery, audience insight, and quality checks. Before getting started, clearly map out your brand's values, personality, audience, and campaign goals. The optimal influencer should be able to educate your target audience about your company and market opportunity, while lending credibility as well as building trust and brand awareness.” At the same time, it’s a clear mix between the relevance of the idea to the campaign and the affinity to the audience, said the gmp PR representative. “We need the client to build relationships with influencers and focus on long-term relationships in order to get better prices and an authentic form of collaboration each time. The pandemic brought a major acceleration to influencer marketing, as people increased their social media screen time and found that influencers were there to greet them with some comforting content. Even though the industry was already on the rise, the pandemic determined clients to take new steps towards digital and influencer marketing campaigns. The budgets went up, the demand went up, and the ways in which we select the influencers has changed. We are now paying more and more attention to the budgets being invested,” Octavian Ciprian

Gheorghe added. B2B and technology content marketing enthusiast Ena Karabelas has a slightly different view, as she says companies are also experiencing reduced marketing budgets, a phenomenon which is likely to continue. In addition to these market developments, marketing teams are under increased pressure to consistently deliver business value and meaningful outcomes. As a result, marketers must accomplish more with less. “These turbulent times present a compelling opportunity to reimagine influencers in the B2B marketing mix and think creatively, strategically, and holistically. Companies can foster high-impact, scalable, and long-term collaborations that benefit the enterprise, the influencer, and the customer by doing so. Influencer marketing is the top marketing trend for this year, according to HubSpot's 2022 Marketing Industry Trends Report. In fact, 61 percent of consumers believe what influencers say about a brand more than what the brand says about itself. Influencer marketing can help many B2B companies increase brand awareness, foster consumer trust, and improve brand loyalty,” she concluded.

Rebranding done right: a guide

TEILOR, Gi Group, Solartium, Euler Hermes, Ciel Romania, Brick Romania, Decor Floor, DABO, Direct Marketing Group, Ograda Cu Legume, SPOR, Sanofi, Mindshare¬—these are just some of the companies that have announced a rebranding process, a new branding architecture or a new visual identity in Romania this year. BR is taking a closer look at what such a complex process involves, and particularly at the roles that strategy, creativity, and innovation play along the way.

By Romanita Oprea

Alina Tudose, consultant

Let’s start at the beginning. What is rebranding? According to brand and marketing consultant Alina Tudose, it may refer to changing or updating a brand strategy based on new market factors, new product development or new business models. It can also be related to changes in verbal identity through a change of name, headline or brand rhetoric, in visual identity, with an updated logo design or a completely new logo, or in communication styles, which can involve adopting a new tone of voice, discovering a new brand platform or using a new communication concept. In short, rebranding can take many shapes. It can represent a sum of strategy + name + logo + communication (this being the bravest and rarest approach of all, covering both internal and external communications) or a more limited mix of the above-mentioned elements, to which an employer branding component may also be added. When should rebranding happen, and when shouldn’t it? According to Bianca Dragu, senior art director at VMLY&R, a rebranding act is a long-term form of communication. It is a public statement of future intentions such as “I’m expanding the business with innovative new services” or “I will be more focused on sustainability from now on.” When a core business change happens, a rebranding is needed to reflect that change so that the audience can acknowledge & understand it. “When a business needs to reconnect with its audience, partners, and investors, it should take rebranding into consideration. When the image of a brand is no longer aligned with its values and not keeping up with the times, there should be a rebranding. Long story short: if a brand is relevant for its audience, for the business model, and for the time, there is no need for rebranding. One cannot deliver a successful rebranding without

Alex Petrescu, VMLY&R merging strategy and innovation. And though there are always multiple solutions for a specific issue, a smart strategy will always make the difference by keeping the creative flow on the right path,” Dragu argued.

Her teammate, VMLY&R creative director Alex Petrescu, added while keeping all that in mind, there is no rule of thumb for deciding when to rebrand. Yet, most of the time, it happens when it’s just a little bit too late. “Rebranding should be linked to being one step ahead of the game. Because doing it only to catch up with your competitors will more or less leave you stuck in the same place—or, even worse, make you invisible. Rebranding must be about added value and about the future. Brand facelifts can rarely be considered to be rebranding actions.” It’s like the logic of a race. From start to finish, you need to tick all the boxes. And sometimes, you’ll find yourself in need of something that hasn't been done before. “Without innovation, the car would be the same as it was in the early days. Getting back to rebranding, strategy means knowing how your brand interacts with the world, at least now and in the near future. Innovation is making sure those interactions won't disappoint,” the creative director explained.

A strategist by training, Stefan Chiritescu, chief strategy officer at McCann Worldgroup Romania and wine marketing doer at Cramele Cotnari, believes that what’s most important is to clarify the relationship between the concepts of rebranding and repositioning, as he has seen many marcomm people using them as synonyms in recent years. Rebranding has become quite popular, especially for brands that want to shed a previously negative image or those that are facing increased competitive

pressure. “Rebranding is simply changing the brand’s identity. It typically includes changing most or all of its identity elements such as name, logo, colours, font and tagline. The identity change may also be accompanied by a brand repositioning. Repositioning focuses on changing what customers associate with the brand and sometimes with competing brands. This usually entails a change in the brand’s promise and personality,” Chiritescu said. And sometimes, the identity itself gets updated or refreshed to reinforce the change in the brand’s positioning. However, most brand repositioning projects do not result in completely changed identities. “That is, the brand name usually stays the same, and so do the other identity elements other than the tagline and perhaps a slight identity system update. So, to go back to the original question, the answer is: it depends on the brand’s objectives. The key difference lies in the complexity of the change that a particular business context requires.?”added Chiritescu.

According to Chiritescu, in many cases, innovation is just a fancy marketing & PR concept, as real consumers expect brands to deliver tangible value, not innovation. That value could be translated in ease of use, a tangible experience that enriches their life, a democratised offer for a luxury product or service, and so on. “I would say that innovation should be a tool, not a goal for a brand. That’s why it should be part of the strategic thinking on brand management.”

In turn, Alina Tudose believes that strategy equals innovation: you need to be innovative to be different and relevant for your target group. “But innovation can go even further: you must be innovative when you need to create a new and ownable brand name or to be different in approaching visual territory. Most importantly, a rebranding process also opens the door to innovation in a company’s products or services. It unlocks a new type of opportunity, by changing what you think is possible and making innovation easier to fit into your business. This is the most rewarding thing for a brand consultant: to see branding innovation transforming a business.”

AHEAD OF THE TRENDS

what is going to catch people’s attention, in order for the companies and brands they represent or work with to be among the first to adopt new trends. “There are short-term trends that are usually more important in communication than in rebranding due to the short interval of relevance and impact. Still,

we’re living in perhaps the most innovationdriven time yet, and witnessing huge technology-based life changes. And digital is here to reinvent all aspects of our life. If we consider this to be a long-term ‘trend’ then yes, it is important in rebranding when it comes to being relevant for the times,” said Bianca Dragu. Since rebranding and repositioning are strategy-led processes in his view, Stefan Chiritescu would avoid thinking about brands in the context of short-term trends. Brands are the most important assets of a businesses, therefore they need a long-term approach.

“You cannot change your brand promise and visual identity once a year without diluting its relevance and memorability,” he noted.

In his turn, Alex Petrescu thinks that trends can be seen as relevant from certain angles, but not from others—and that’s because rebranding means making your brand stand out, yet still making it feel organic, natural. When this is done well, it often translates to setting a trend. Otherwise, you’ve just copy-pasted something from the past. “The most relevant trends in rebranding are mainly about mimicking what somebody liked somewhere else with fine strokes. Taking two steps back, we sometimes see tectonic shifts in rebranding—or we may call them mega trends. But that doesn't happen too often. Like the minimalist design trend in the late 50s, which changed the entire branding landscape.”

According to Alina Tudose, the trend with the biggest impact in Romania is digitalization. “To be digitally savvy, brands need an updated strategy, short, playful names that end in .ro or .com and simplified, bold logos and visual territories. What I think will also soon turn into a trend is employer branding (again!): organisations must revitalise their employer branding strategies to account for hybrid work, working from home or freelancing (in creative fields).”