press conference – The Public Advisors

Campaign: BRIO introduces standardized testing in Romania

PublicAdmin99 — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 09:20:59 +0000

CONTEXT

Almost all countries with which Romania compares itself aspirationally (UK, France, Germany, USA, etc.) have standardized assessment systems, which are sometimes used for high impact (e.g. Baccalaureate) or low impact (e.g. current classroom assessment) decisions. International comparative tests in education, e.g. PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS, ICCS, ICILS, etc., use standardized tests. The major university admission tests are standardized tests. So we can conclude that standardized testing is widely used by all those systems that want to ensure fairness in assessment and control the assessment errors typical of what we call “classical assessment”.

However, in Romania we often hear phrases that label children: “He’s an A student” or “He’s an F student”. This begs the question: what should really matter, grades or knowledge? In Romanian education culture, grades are the pinnacle of a pupil’s progress in school and proof of a teacher’s success. But can we really talk about “progress” and “success” in an educational system where the standard of evaluation is rather subjective, not uniformly applied and differs from school to school, from urban to rural? The answer is that the assessment of pupils must be done objectively, through uniform grading standards, the only way we can have actionable data at both the individual (child) and macro level (classrooms, schools, counties, etc.).

Moreover, the recent pandemic has also shown us the need for digital tools in absolutely all areas. The field of education has been one in which online methods have been used, in a long line of firsts for pupils and parents as well as for educators, to replace physical classes. For a variety of reasons, not all of these have been successful, and repeated changes and approaches have generated a rather adversarial attitude from the general public based also on a major lack of functional digital skills.

Thus, the standardized testing by digital tool that Brio® is performing came on a “no men’s land” of the Romanian collective mind. In general, for Romanians, new things about which little is known generate rumors, dividing society in two: those for and those against.

In short, this is how the Brio® journey began, opening up a new market and building a new product category: standardized and digital educational tests.

Even though Brio® was a virtually unknown platform in the Spring of 2020, with only 12,000 users, it had all the ingredients to succeed: a smart & modern product, the way to get the right people to invest in it and develop it, founders that are expert in education field, who think outside the box, forward-thinking early adopting teachers and a school population with devices at their fingertips.

RESEARCH

According to a Eurostat report on the digital skills of young people in Europe (16-24 years old), those in Romania rank last in the EU.

56% of them have basic digital skills, compared to the EU average of 80%. Romania ranks last in the general population, only 10% of Romanians have superior digital skills (vs. 33% EU average), while 43% have low skills (vs. 28% EU average).

Despite the low level of digital skills, in compulsory education Romania has the highest number of hours allocated to digital competence as a separate compulsory subject in upper secondary education. At the same time, Romania has the best results in the Connectivity dimension, due to the high use of very high-speed broadband and the wide availability of very high-capacity fixed networks, especially in urban areas. The lack of digital literacy in Romania could, thus, be said that is not determined by the lack of access to information or tools, but by the low interest and poor training among all actors involved in the educational process.

Moreover, the PISA results, which show the results of the education system and “what the child learns”, do not look good for Romania: 44% language illiteracy, 44% numeracy illiteracy, 45% scientific illiteracy, the last place in Europe for basic general digital skills among young people. This is the reality in which students learn and the need for rapid intervention to correct the main areas of testing: the ability to understand and operate with texts and numbers.

PLANNING

The BIG and bold idea was to introduce the benefits of digital standardized evaluation to Romania.

The communication campaign was primarily intended for students in grades I-XII, parents, educators, schools and other institutions involved in the educational process in Romania. This universe consists in 3 million students, 210 thousand teachers, 7 thousand principals. The institutions involved in the educational act, targeted by this campaign are: the Ministry of Education and Research and the School Inspectorates.

Investors were our secondary target in order to secure financial support for the extensive needs generated by the development efforts.

Channels: Media: print, online, radio, podcasts, TV; Own channels: website & social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube); Endorsers’ channels: social media, blogs; Direct meetings with authorities’ representatives; Investors channels: business media, equity crowdfunding platforms, investors events.

EXECUTION

According to Anthony Kennada, the 3 ingredients that you need for creating a new product category are: a crazy marketing leader, a ton of money and fearless tenacity and consistency.

Brio® has managed to make a cocktail of these 3. It started with a management team that publicly pushed forward two daring personalities, an expert – Prof. Dragos Iliescu, PhD, one of the most important contemporary names in educational testing worldwide -, and an experienced marketer passionate about education – Gabi Bartic. They were the “crazy” leaders. With them at the wheel, the execution campaign was ready to unfold.

A product of this kind needs years of research before being ready for the public. This is why, in its first years, Brio® needed as many visionary investors as it could get. At the beginning we launched an extensive campaign in order to explain the market what ed-tech means and raise money.

PHASE 1: INVEST WITH BRIO®

Listing the company on SeedBlink, the largest equity crowdfunding platform in the CEE region, was the way to reach potential investors. In 2020, the company’s market value was 2.7 million euros before the first listing. Almost 50 investors were attracted and 285,000 Euros capital was the final amount attracted. In 2022 the company opened to the market for the second time after almost doubling its initial value to 5.5 million euros (post-money evaluation). The second round was led by businessmen Horia Manda and Valentin Tăbuș, partners in AXXESS Capital, who invested 550,000 euros. The two investors were joined by a new round on SeedBlink, of 250,000 euros.

PHASE 2: LEARN WITH BRIO®

The money was used for product development and for multiple programs that were meant to both support the community and increase familiarity of the target audience with digital standardized testing. BRIO® was launched by offering free training testing for the first exams in the pandemic (Baccalaureate and National Evaluation of 2020) adopted by more than 20,000 students and 400 teachers, continued with putting together a coalition (The Alliance for Remedial Education (AER)) with other companies that offer digital teaching instruments, and offering free remedial education for 4,500 students and free digital education trainings for 2,500 teachers from 5 counties. Furthermore, BRIO® initiated the first digital mathematics Olympics in Romania, Brio Challenge, that had four editions until now enrolling 25,000 participants.

In order to generate these results, we relayed heavily on media relations campaigns mixed with special projects in partnership with different types of media & influencers.

PHASE 3: EDU-DATA BY BRIO®

In order to show the target audiences of the importance and the benefits of standardized testing, BRIO® decided to conduct thorough evaluations of the state of the nation regarding different types of literacy of the Romanian school population.

We decided to partner with other private and NGOs and we signed protocols with UiPath Foundation (for digital literacy) and BRD Groupe Société Générale and their program ALFABETAR (for Romanian language literacy).

PHASE 4: AUTHORITIES RELATIONS

In September 2021, at the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum, the Minister of Education Sorin Cîmpeanu said that there are still no dedicated and secure platforms to have a proper, quality assessment in online education. This is when Gabi Bartic writes an editorial in which she points out that such platforms do exist and express their disposal for consultations with the ministry in the field of standardized assessment.

We wanted to make the government act and we did not stop with one Facebook post. We participated at as many public consultations as possible, we discussed with representatives of the Ministry of Education at every public event that was held on our topic. Public consultations on the Romanian Laws of Education were held as part of this project, and Gabi Bartic lead the Evaluation Commitee. Furthermore, in order to reach the institutional target, we organized a series of events in partnership with media.

Our efforts culminated when, at the conference announcing the results of the State of the Nation Literacy Report, Minister Cîmpeanu publicly invited Brio to help implement the first pilot standardized testing program in Romania. BRIO joined Ministry of Education and did the Pilot Testing Program in 526 schools from all around Romania at all levels: primary, gymnasium and high schools with a total of 280,237 tests taken.

BRIO used its platform for the Pilot Testing Program and, at the end, issued a report and handed over all data to the experts of the Ministry. Following the Pilot Testing Program, Standardized Testing was introduced in the new Education Laws starting 2024. The Laws will go to Parliament for voting later this year.

evaluation

Extensive presence in prime-time TV shows, a large number being inquired by the journalists themselves: Neatza cu Razvan si Dani (Antena 1), Vorbeste lumea (Pro TV), Cu capu-n zori (TVR 1), In fata ta (Digi24), Profit News (Profit TV)
All the TV news journals took over the stories in their prime-time news
Public persons expressed their support for Brio®: Tudor Chirila, Vlad Voiculescu, Andi Moisescu, Dacian Ciolos, Catalin Tenita, Cristina Stanciulescu, Dragos Stanca, Vlad Petreanu
Brio® was recognized by Business Magazine as one of the Most innovative companies in Romania

86 mil

Opportunities to see

765

Press materials

Campaign: SIF Moldova devine EVERGENT Investments

PublicAdmin99 — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 08:38:13 +0000

OPPORTUNITY

The new strategic context created by the change in legislation and its alignment with European rules, gives SIFs a wider range of action in investment activities, but also the opportunity for a rebranding that SIF Moldova had proposed for some time.

Created in a society in transition, redefined from the FPP as one of the 5 SIFs, SIF Moldova had unfortunately, over the years, accumulated negative associations in terms of reputation and image, creating confusion in the collective mind by identifying with the Romanian state.

Against the backdrop of the development of the capital market and the performance consistently achieved, the company’s management decided to separate the name from the other SIFs by changing the name, the visual identity, redefining the identity and repositioning. The measures were implemented with the approval of the ASF and thus began an extensive rebranding process supported by a two-year PR campaign.

It was the first time in the history of the Romanian capital market that a SIF changed its name.

RESEARCH

The five SIFs were set up almost 26 years ago during the first “cuponiade” (there was another one in 1995), with the “mass privatisation programme”, namely the forced and ill-advised privatisation of state-owned companies.

The five SIFs received (free) holdings in thousands of state-owned companies. The value of the portfolios amounted, at the time of the 1999 stock exchange listing, to almost a quarter of GDP. Note that Romania’s economy was at one of its lowest levels in recent history.

The evolution of SIF securities from listing to the present is astonishing, with increases of tens of times even after having gone through several crises. The generic SIF category has unfortunately managed to accumulate, over the years, strongly negative associations from a reputation and image perspective.

Even though SIF Moldova has over time achieved positive and different investment performance from the rest of the SIFs, the reputation of the generic category called “SIFs” has constantly influenced the reputation of each individual player. Breaking away from these negative representations and building new representations related to the power to bring value to investors in Romania and beyond is the central goal of the rebranding project.

PLANNING

The main objective, to build awareness of the new brand, but at the same time to move away from the existing negative perception of the category, was extremely difficult to achieve as the new name had to be communicated for a while alongside the former company name.

This challenge was compounded by the setbacks of the pandemic. Given that it was an extremely bold, almost historic move, but also that SIF Moldova could have lost the trust of current investors, the communication strategy was one that reached multiple audiences with tailored messages, on selected channels, precisely to get the right information to all stakeholders:

Messages for current active investors – Adaptability to global investment market trends, stability, experience, courage and investment responsibility.

Potential investors – Extensive experience on the Romanian capital market, best opportunities, very good investment return.

Messages to the BVB and the authorities – Stable and experienced investment company, modern investment company driven by the ambition to become a reputable and respected European player, professionalizing the business environment.

Messages for employees – Stability, experience, growth in strength, precision, courage, responsibility and a rigorous way of acting.

Messages for the general public – Stability, experience, growth in strength, courage and bold decisions, transparency, accountability.

The communication strategy was developed over a two-year period (phase one – communicating the new brand, phase two – reinforcing perception) and included both a classic PR component (press releases with financial results, investments, analysis, pitching stories, media relations, participation in industry events) and a media buying component.

EXECUTION

Several channels and tactics were used to communicate the new brand, precisely to show the transparency of the company and to remove the brand from the perception that SIFs “hide” things, do not communicate, are secretive.

The process of announcing the rebranding was challenging given that it was not an easy brand to communicate. The financial market in which Evergent operates is one with many specificities and is highly regulated.

In this context, the process of announcing the rebranding of EVERGENT, although organised before point 0, involved a large deployment of forces in an extremely short time because it depended on the authorisation by the ASF. Also the communications of entities operating in the capital market must be extremely well supervised by the agency given that the first information of the decisions of the General Meetings of Shareholders is made to the BVB and only afterwards to the media and the public.

”AD HOC” press conference

A moment of such importance that was writing history on the Romanian capital market had to be properly marked in the relationship with the media and partners.

We chose the newly-built hybrid studio at the Radisson, where an impressive 14 /3.5 metre LED screen was mounted to display Evergent’s figures and achievements behind the speakers. The event took place on 8 March 2021 and was a success. Leading general and business publications attended online to announce the rebranding.

TEASING

We have chosen to use the entire waiting period for ASF approval (Nov 2020- March 2021) to place as much information as possible in the media about this company’s performance. We used this period as a “teasing” financial communication. We have thus conveyed to the press information about 2020 financial results, Evergent management and business strategy, private equity segment.

Solid media strategy

We supported this extremely important moment in communication for our client with a solid media strategy. We chose to place the message on the cover of the most read and appreciated business publication in Romania and to present their top 5 business results.

The most important investment company in the capital market needs to build a brand, so the rebranding process and breaking away from the past was essential.

Over the next few months we chose 10 cover stories and other online media materials as part of our media strategy to have constant and effective communication and to create awareness of the new brand.

Change of symbol at the BVB

The change of the stock exchange symbol was also the subject of a special event organised at the Bucharest Stock Exchange when the bell was rung when the EVER symbol was introduced on the stock exchange.

The event was also attended by representatives of the authorities, which shows once again the importance of the company on the capital market.

Media relations

All these tactics have always been accompanied by an extensive media relations strategy. In the first year after the rebranding, 19 press releases were sent out with the decisions taken at the General Assemblies, financial results, Evergent partners, generating around 400 materials and 16 million opportunities to see.

The 10 management interviews in leading business publications brought in around 800,000 unique visitors.

evaluation

Operational results

During the first year more than 500 media materials were generated.

An estimated 30 million unique visitors were exposed to our messages.

Another SIF rebranded itself taking the EVERGENT rebranding as an example.

communication results

19

Press releseas in the first year

400

Materials in the media

16 mil

Opportunities to see generated

10

Management interviews in leading business publications

800,000

unique visitors

CAMPAIGN: NATIONAL DAY OF FIGHTING AGAINST ILICIT TRADE – ACTIV ASSOCIATION

PublicAdmin99 — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 11:09:39 +0000

The main campaign objective of the ACTIV Association is to fight against the illicit trade in Romania. The Romanian Parliament declared 21^st of April the National Day of Fighting Against Illicit Trade. The communication campaign resulted in over 3.5 million OTS and over 345 press materials, out of which 20 TV.

OPPORTUNITY

Romania is one of the countries in the European Union most affected by the illicit trade. In countries where stopping this phenomenon was a zero priority for the Government, it drastically diminished with a positive impact on the state budget. For example, in Bulgaria, illicit trade has declined over the last two years from 18.5% to 6.8%.

Romania imperatively needs the involvement of the authorities in the fight against illicit trade. To achieve this, a voice was needed to present and explain the effects on the population, the business environment and the economy as a whole.

The Association for Combating Illicit Trade „Viitorul” (ACTIV) has assumed the role of facilitator of the dialogue between authorities, consumers and the business environment. Its main objective is to identify the best solutions for fighting this phenomenon, through constant dialogue between the three entities mentioned above.

RESEARCH

We started by analyzing the legislative solutions, programs and projects developed by other countries in this area. We identified the most affected industries, what steps were taken at the legislative level, and which institutions would support the cause.

WHAT IF ROMANIA HAD A NATIONAL DAY OF FIGHTING AGAINST ILLICIT TRADE, A FRAMEWORK FOR THE AUTHORITIES TO GET MORE INVOLVED?

PLANNING

CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVE: To raise awareness among authorities’ representatives on the impact that the illicit trade phenomenon has on people, business environment and state budget.

KPIs:

To engage at least 25 members of the Parliament.
To engage local authorities from half of the 19 Romanian border counties in order to attract as many supporters for the cause.

AUDIENCE:

Core target: Legislative institution (Parliament of Romania),
Secondary target:
- Key state security institutions: (Romanian Police, Border Police, General Customs Directorate, National Authority for Consumer Protection).
- Local authorities: (Prefects, Presidents of County Councils, Town Mayors)
- Institutions with a preventive role: (State Office for Inventions and Trademarks).

IMPLEMENTATION

We needed members of the Parliament to begin to do something about this situation. Raising awareness on a topic means to put it on the public agenda. What better way than to establish a National Day of the Fight Against Illicit Trade? But this could only be obtained if Senators and Deputies would vote in favour of a new law.

PHASE 1 – INFORMATION IS POWER!

In order to gain support of such a legislative initiative we had to inform legislators on the phenomenon and gain them on board. This is why ACTIV held many national conferences dedicated to members of Parliment, Government and Press presenting illicit trade through two sociological studies conducted by the Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy on segments affected by the phenomenon: ordinary people and retail sector. The conclusions scared us:

Romanians are aware of the danger, but if a product would be cheaper, 1 out of 3 would use it.
2 out of 10 retailers believe that their turnover would be double if there was no illicit trade.
28% of retailers mentioned that they won’t denounce illegal traffic out of fear.

PHASE 2 – REVERSE ENGINEERING ENGAGEMEMT

Furthermore we had to get them on board, to make sure that we will have majority at the vote for the National Day.

This is why we begun The National Caravan of the Fight Against Illicit Trade, a series of regional events held in border counties with the aim to present the results of the studies and also gather local facts. We visited Satu Mare, Botosani, Timisoara, Suceava, Iasi, Constanta, Craiova – the counties with the highest incidence of the phenomenon.

ACTIV put at the same table Senators and Deputies from each region and all political parties with prefects, county councilor presidents, mayors, county police inspectorates, heads of school inspectorates, representatives of the chambers of commerce and industry, representatives of the business environment, local police.

Debates resulted in sets of requirements and conclusions about how to better fight illicit trade. They were simbolically assumed by all authorities representatives present under the form of public documents:

THE PACT FOR COMBATING ILLICIT TRADE

The signage was done in front of local press and even though it held no legal obligation, it morally bounded senators and deputies to support more legislative initiatives on this topic. Thus, 25 parliamentarians from various political parties signed the pact and took attitude in public in combating this phenomenon.

PHASE 3: THE DAY!

Olny after this step, ACTIV together with the some of the MPs that signed the Pacts drafted an initiative to make 21 of April The National Day of Fighting Against Illicit Trade.

13 Members of Parliament (MPs) representing all political parties signed the legislative proposal.

We considered the MPs signing the Pacts our ambassadors and we counted on them to vote and to convince other colleagues to vote.

The work was not yet finished as the legislative project was rejected on February 4, 2019, in the Senate plenary.

The law that declares The National Day of Fighting Against Illicit Trade was adopted by the Chamber of Deputies on April 10 2019.

On the 8th of May 2019, the President Klaus Iohannis has promulgated the law that establish officially the 21st of April as „National Day of the Fight Against Illicit Trade”.

This is how the circle closed. We got information on a very serious phenomenon flowing between national and local authorities and we convinced decision makers to create framework for their colleagues in central and local administration to act against illegal trade.

EVALUATION

1

Presidential promulgation of the law

50+

Members of Parliament were involved in direct dialogue with ACTIV about the gravity of the phenomenon in Romania, which accounted for almost 11% of the total number of members of the Legislature.

25

Members of Parliament signed the „Pact for Combating Illicit Trade”

3.555.310

opportunities to see our topic in the media with a total number of press materials of 345 (out of which 20 TV news).

1

National Day declared by the Romanian Parliament

35

Members of Parliament attended the events initiated by the association.

TV

The subject of promulgating the law and the conclusions of regional debates were taken in prime time at local televisions on the day of the event. The subject also benefited from print, radio and online coverage.

6000

The social media outlets Facebook page & YouTube Channel have an audience of over 6000 people.

EVENT: #POSITIVEIMPACT – BNP PARIBAS PF

PublicAdmin99 — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 10:58:20 +0000

The major objective of the event is to raise awareness on the protection of the environment by reducing the carbon footprint and adopting a sustainable business model. The communication idea is represented by #RomaniaPositiveImpact which displays a different approach of a corporate event.

#ROMANIAPOSITIVEIMPACT: SHIFTING TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY- BNP PARIBAS PERSONAL FINANCE

OPPORTUNITY

We live in times of unprecedented change, in an era of digitalization and technological progress. Starting with the homo species and all the way through the cognitive revolution and the evolution of the modern homo sapiens, our dear planet Earth watched us flourish and witnessed our progress. We have come so far, yet we have not considered, not for a second, looking over our shoulder to see how our actions are affecting the environment. Extreme weather phenomenon driven by human-forced global warming are now becoming more and more frequent, reaching high levels of impact; key climate-stabilising systems are starting to fail and their failure will eventually lead to floods, storms, heatwaves and even fires which will cost food supply for thousands of millions of people and economic collapse for those who survive; greenhouse gases are extremely high – currently, in the atmosphere, there are 400 ppm CO2, which is enormous. The last time we had such a quantity of CO2 in the air, the sea level was 20 metres higher and 3 degrees warmer than it is now. The climate math is crystal clear: The world can’t be healed within a couple of years, but we need to get involved and do something to defend it.

In 2017, Romania ranked 8th among the most polluted member states of the EU and in 2019 Romanian cities such as Bucharest, Iasi and Brasov are head of the list when it comes to the most polluted cities of the old continent. We might not be able to do magic and cut pollution down to zero by 2020, but we can combine our efforts and avoid damaging the environment with our negligence.

A modern Captain Planet calling for the Planeteers

In September 2018, BNP Paribas Personal Finance Bucharest aligned to the BNP Paribas Group’s Positive Impact strategy, promoting responsibility and sustainable business as the key factors of protecting the environment. As the term partnership is in the company’s DNA, BNP Paribas Personal Finance came to realize that no company who stands alone can successfully confront climate change. And yes, we can start to be the change we want to see in the world, but it has to be a collective effort; yes, we can make profit, generate economic growth and combat climate change but we can only do so by adopting sustainable business models. We believe that only together we can generate a Positive Impact for Romania and that it why we have gathered under the same roof our partners, employees, NGOs representatives and C-level representatives of renowned retail companies present on the Romanian market – to discuss ideas and give a wake-up call to the Romanian retail environment; to raise awareness on the importance of cutting down the carbon footprint.

RESEARCH

We have started by analysing the company’s actions in the social responsibility field and our new business line dedicated to financing green products, then continued by gathering information about environment-oriented initiatives conducted in Romania, sustainable business models developed by retailers to help reduce the carbon footprint and last, but no least, we wanted to know what do Romanians think about local consumption and if they consider this habit to be one of the means that help protect the environment.

A very important highlight that came to surface after conducting the 2019

edition of the pan-European Survey L’Observatoire Cetelem was that 90% of Romanians prefer local consumption, but only 22% of them are really convinced that choosing to purchase locally manufactured products helps protect the environment.

At a company level, the internal audit showed us that since we have joined the Positive Impact initiative our employees became more aware of what could happen to our planet and its resources. We started making changes in our daily routine: in 2018 we have recycled 7 Tone of paper thus saving 130 trees; in the first half of 2019 our employees managed to plant 500 trees, reduced energy consumption by 35% and water consumption by 11% and cutted down 100% the use of plastic materials.

When it comes to the retail sector and its involvement, we can definitely affirm that retail is engaged and we support our affirmation with the data gathered by our experts at Echangeur: Commitment and trust are now common values of the business environment. Committing to values, to the civil society and to the environment is retailers’ new sustainable business model – because with a population of 8,3 billion people by 2030 we will need 50% more energy, 40% more water and 35% more food. We are currently out of track, so it’s up to the business environment to set an example and start reducing the carbon footprint.

As an overall result of the match Romania versus The Environment we can observe more and more companies getting involved and an increasing number of individuals becoming more aware of the importance of preserving natural resources. But this is not enough! What can we do to generate more engagement and raise awareness about what’s happening?

PLANNING

Audience: employees (senior and C level employees that have the ability to positively influence the members of their team), business partners (C level representatives of the company that have the ability to positively influence the members of their team), NGO representatives that have implemented successful campaigns in the field, C level representatives of the retail sector in Romania that started to adopt and implement sustainable business models (retailers with no commercial relationship with our company, nor with our partners).

The event had one major objective: to raise awareness on the importance of nurturing our planet’s resources and protect the environment by reducing the carbon footprint, all of it while adopting a sustainable business model that will continue to generate profit and economic growth as well as producing positive effects that will later become a heritage of future generations.

#RomaniaPositiveImpact: shifting towards sustainability

was more than a networking and drinks after work event, based on rigorous planning and various components: we chose to communicate through internal channels and direct B2B meetings, going all the way in order to develop new liaisons with representatives of multinational companies in Romania active in the retail sector that we have invited to share their knowledge on sustainability in business, their future plans as well as their strategies, all of these to an audience formed of their competition.

While working on the structure of the event, we decided to divide the evening into three key moments: we had begun with presenting our new Positive Impact strategy completed perfectly with the results of the 2019 edition of the L’Observatoire Cetelem pan-European survey – Act local, Think local! Echangeur expert took the stage to talk about future trends in retail focusing on how Retail is engaged! We saved the best for last and tailored a discussion panel on sustainable business, which was, no doubt, the pièce de résistance of the evening.

IMPLEMENTATION

After confirming the presence of our international and local speakers and Paula Herlo’s implication as moderator, we moved onto the next quest – that of finding a suitable venue that best expressed our ideal of Positive Impact. It was indeed a true adventure, same as is was deciding over the décor elements:

The VENUE: ARCUB – a true expression of recycled architecture
The BRANDING: a 4 sqm preserved reindeer moss and exotic foliage green wall that has replaced the classical branding elements
The BIZARRE: furniture that’s both eco and usable – an eco-corner that displayed two armchairs and a coffee table made of 100% cardboard suitable for sitting not just decorating
The CLASSY and ARTSY: an exquisite art exhibition: The environment – two artistic perspectives on a megatrend – comprising paintings and sculptures of two international artists – painter RONE and sculptor Pierre van Hulle, made entirely from 100% recycled plastic tape and other recycled materials.

EVALUATION

+28%

Attendance rate 28% higher than expected

85

C-level representatives of the company’s business partners

7

Romanian NGOs representatives present in the audience

100%

positive feedback from all participants

87%

of the company’s business partners become more open and interested to promote in-store financial products (with 0% interest rates) dedicated to the purchase of green and energy efficient products

40min

Q&A session preceding the discussion panel – 25 minutes past the estimated time

65

senior & C-level representatives of the company’s employees

10

speakers present at the event (5 international, 5 Romanian)

+92%

more engagement from the company’s employees when asked to get involved in CSR activities

INNOVATION & CREATIVITY

There is no innovation without creativity: #RomaniaPositiveImpact is by nature a creative and innovative communication idea as it displays a different approach of a corporate event. An idea that helped us gather more than 150 people under the same roof and keep them together for almost 6 hours.

Much more, we see ourselves as responsible to have facilitated the path towards a revolution of ideas that heated up the atmosphere with a dedicated panel of discussions on the concept of Positive Impact and Sustainable Business: C-level speakers representing renowned retailers (Carrefour, Kaufland) with no commercial ties to BNP Paribas Personal Finance nor its business partners, alongside NGO representatives (Let’s do It Romania!), a 100 fully-sustainable Romanian start-up (FOLDO), together with BNP Paribas’– the bank for a changing world – Deputy Head of CSR and the Managing Partner of ISense (Romanian market research agency) answered Paula Herlo’s and the audience’s questions on what is a sustainable business model, how companies can become a change agent, why sustainable is responsible and how do you drive positive impact beyond business and still get to be profitable.

CAMPAIGN: #BRINGUSCLOSER – APAN ASSOCIATION

PublicAdmin99 — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 10:53:23 +0000

The main objective of the campaign is to create awareness about the need that all stakeholders should work together to increase the quality of life for multiple sclerosis patients. The campaign for multiple sclerosis lasted for a week and brought together physicians, patients, authorities and the general public.

#BRINGUSCLOSER ON MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS WEEK

OPPORTUNITY

The Association of Patients with Neurodegenerative Conditions (APAN Romania)represents the community offering the opportunity to all individuals affected by neurodegenerative diseases to live their lives to the highest potential and providing the assistance they need until a treatment shall be finally found. APAN Romania represents and defends the rights of individuals with neurodegenerative diseases in Romania. The mission of the association is to provide access to innovative information, educate all stakeholders regarding the needs of people with neurodegenerative disorders and to improve/facilitate equal access to high-quality treatment and therapies in order to improve the quality of life. APAN Romania wishes to become the main voice of the individuals with neurodegenerative diseases in Romania and to ensure that the patients have a strong voice inserting their own goals and priorities.

CONTEXT

There are 700.000 people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in Europe out of which 4000 live in Romania and are part of a national treatment scheme covered by the Ministry of Health. Estimations of undiagnosed or misdiagnosed patients reach 10.000. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic (life-long) disease that affects the central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. MS is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, with the average age of onset 34 years of age. MS affects twice as many women than men. The disease is highly unpredictable and no two patients’ symptoms are the same. While some patients may be mildly affected, in other people the condition may progress more rapidly to different levels of disability. Common MS symptoms include blurred vision, extreme fatigue, pain, spasms, numbness in legs and hands, loss of movement and speech problems.

In Romania, there are only 12 MS Centers, usually located in emergency hospitals, inappropriate for chronic patients. The current organization of the Romanian health system is deficient as number of staff, resources or bad organization. All centers have become super-crowded (getting the monthly treatment from the hospitals means 700 or even 900 patients per center per month, only for home treatment (injection or oral) and this is an uncomfortable situation for both patients and medical staff (not to mention the time, expenses or efforts involved in moving patients from all over the country to these centers). There are solutions to increase the number of centers in Romania through a review of the accreditation criteria and change in the system, but the situation is delayed at the Ministry of Health.

RESEARCH & PLANNING

RESEARCH:

Reference studies in multiple sclerosis research, both national and international
Official data provided by Romanian Neurology Society
Media audit concerning multiple sclerosis neurodegenerative diseases
Qualitative research – focus groups group with neurologists and family doctors

PLANNING: The whole awareness campaign for Multiple Sclerosis lasted for a week beginning with 30th of May 2018 (World MS Day) and aimed to bring us closer: physicians, patients, authorities and the general public. The campaign was a team effort initiated by APAN, with a creative add-on from volunteers from 8 hours overtime for a good cause event, organized by the Bucharest Community Foundation and deployed by the The Public Advisors. The missing piece was the funding (aprox. 5000 Euro) which APAN obtained partially from two pharmaceutical companies: Merck Romania and Roche Romania. The rest of the activities were conducted pro bono by volunteers, members of the association and by the PR Agency.

1. OBJECTIVES OF THE CAMPAIGN: The objective of the campaign was to create awareness about the need that all stakeholders should work together in order to increase the quality of life for multiple sclerosis patients. What they really need is care, both medical and non-medical.
2. TARGET: general public, Romanian authorities, medical representatives, patients and caregivers, media.
3. MESSAGES:

To general public: information about multiple sclerosis, MS patients need to be accepted and integrated in everyday life.
To Romanian authorities: SM patients need more treatment centres and access to new therapies.
To medical representatives (doctors): appreciation for the efforts for being superheroes, caring each of them for a large number of patients. Acknowledgement of the fact that they represent agents of change, they can also help to solve some of the difficulties of MS patients.
To patients and caregivers: APAN accompanies them in their struggle for their rights to receiving the best treatment.
To media: you can help APAN solve some of the difficulties of MS patients by delivering information and messages of the campaigns initiated by the association to all the other categories listed above

1. COMMUNICATION CHANNELS:

The communication channels used: public events, debates with the authorities, events for medical representatives, classic media channels: online, print, radio, tv, social media channels: Facebook pages of APAN and of its members, direct communication: newsletters and leaflets.

COMMUNICATION VEHICLES:

We created a fully immersive and sensorial experience that shines a light on the realities of life with this disease: The MS House. Its purpose was to mobilize general public to better understand MS patients, their families and caregivers. The MS House had a living room, a kitchen, a study room and a bathroom. All rooms had special elements to make a normal person to experience. The living room: A TV displaying half-definition pictures is used to illustrate vision problems. An armchair that’s set very low to the floor demonstrates the difficulty of getting up from a chair due to leg strength issues and fatigue. A sign explains that MS fatigue is like sitting down, and you’re so tired that you can’t get up again. An inflatable mattress is on the floor to simulate how someone with MS has difficulty balancing while walking and may be very wobbly. The kitchen: A heavy coffee mug and an unbalanced tray are used to demonstrate fatigue symptoms.

The study room: A “jumbled” computer keyboard simulates how cognitive problems may make it difficult to find the correct word to use when typing. Ankle weights appear under a sign that says “Don’t drag your feet,” and then describes how people with MS can feel as if they are walking through sand. The bathroom: An infrared heater and a blurry mirror are used to simulate how a hot shower or weather can flare MS symptoms. In its other stages of the #BringUsCloser campaign we also created other communication vehicles: special post cards with “messages from the past” from experienced patients to newly diagnosed ones, coffee cups and Thanks, Doc! balloons for doctors, pamphlets on the disease for patients, caregivers and general public, press releases, newsletters, invites, spiders and roll-ups.

IMPLEMENTATION

STAGES and directions: The campaign was developed on 4 pillars:

1. 1. The first step of the #BringUsCloser campaign was the deployment of the MS Sensorial House in a high traffic area (one of the main shopping malls of Bucharest) during the whole MS week (28th of May -3rd of June 3). Interacting with the house, healthy people experienced the most common symptoms of people with SM: muscle stiffness and fatigue, difficulty in daily tasks, mobility and balance, urinary incontinence, cognitive difficulties, loneliness and anxiety. Visitors of the house also received pamphlets with information about the disease and ways they can show their support.
2. 2. Thank you, doc! – was the pillar of #BringUsCloser campaign addressed to all medical staff that treats day by day MS patients. On the morning of May the 30th, balloon installations forming the phrase TKS, DOC! were placed in the main lobby of MS medical treatment centers. Volunteers offered coffee cups with thankful messages to the medical staff (‘My brain is on good hands’, ‘A good heart cures thousands of brains’, ‘Brains headquarter’, ‘#MS Super hero’, ‘You are my future!’ etc.) and distributed pamphlets to other visitors. Thanksgiving was addressed to neurologists, residents and nurses involved in MS centers from Bucharest. MS patients (members of APAN Romania), family members and volunteers from Oracle (a multinational company that showed its support) acted as messengers of the campaign run at the same time in seven medical centers: SUUBucuresti, SUUElias, SUUMC Carol Davila, Colentina Clinic Hospital, Agrippa Ionescu SCU, Fundeni Clinical Institute, SCP Alexandru Obregia.
3. 3. #BringUsCloser Time Capsule – was the pillar of the campaign addressed to newly diagnosed patients and their caregivers. The campaign was deployed on social media and consists in a series of postcards with encouragement messages written by experienced patients. These people undertook a guided-imagery exercise to go back in time in the period they were first diagnosed and had to address an encouragement message based on everything that they know today to the person they were in the past. That person was usually frightened, unsecure, psychologically broke down and in need for support. These messages should reach newly diagnosed patients of today and show them a positive perspective of the future that they may not envision in the present.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/APANRomania/photos/?tab=album&album_id=648424708838475

4. Romanian authorities and patient association public debate: On the 30th of May 2018 (World MS Day) APAN Romania staff also participated in the public debate held at the Romanian Parliament with the theme: “Reshaping treatment in Multiple Sclerosis disease”. With this occasion APAN transmitted the message the #BringUsCloser message to the authorities. The message was that MS patients and the authorities need to act as partners, as teammates. The authorities have the power to initiate or modify existing laws that could grant patients’ access to more treatment centres and to new therapies. Among the attendees were deputies, members in the Public Health Commission of the Senate and of Health and Family Commission of The Chamber of Deputies, representatives of SNR (Romanian Neurology Society), members of ANMDM (National Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices), and members of CNAS (National Health Insurance House).

EVALUATION

AWARENESS, INFORMATION AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN RESULTS

15 news on national TV

ProTV, Antena 1, Antena 3, Digi, 24, România TV, 35 minutes;

13 radio coverages

including the national mainstream stations: Europa FM, Radio România Actualități, București FM, Kiss FM, Magic FM, Radio ZU, Virgin Radio – 20 minutes;

Articles published on the main national newspapers (online edition)

Adevărul, Evenimentul Zilei, Wall Street, Gândul, Libertatea, Hotnews, Jurnalul, DCNews, Times New Roman ș.a

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

The creative component of the campaign consisted of finding a way of communicating a serious medical message through direct interaction with our targeted audience, and get its attention. So we turned places where our audience use to spend most of the time into effective communication channels – we started with a partnership with the Professional Football League and continued with cinematic activations, gaming events and office buildings.

By using unconventional tactics as turning the self evaluation test into a virtual game we were able to give a friendly approach to a medical issue and encouraged our target to be more open about it.

CAMPAIGN: DON’T TURN YOUR BACK – ROMANIAN LEAGUE OF RHEUMATOLOGY

PublicAdmin99 — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 10:34:31 +0000

The objective of the campaign is to raise awareness for the disease and increase the number of people going to the doctor when they have a problem. A self-evaluation test was designed by specialized doctors based on the symptomatology of the rheumatic diseases. More than 6000 tests were completed online.

„DON’T TURN YOUR BACK ON IT”- ROMANIAN LEAGUE OF RHEUMATOLOGY

OPPORTUNITY

The Romanian League of Rheumatology is a non-governmental, apolitical, social and humanitarian organization that fights against rheumatic diseases and supports people with disabilities. The League is developing the fight against rheumatic diseases aiming to promote the fullest integration of people with physical disabilities into their profession, family and society.

CONTEXT

Although it is considered to be a disease of the elderly, rheumatic illness affects to a significant extent the active population, young people and even children. The frequency of these conditions among young people and the active population has an extremely important socioeconomic impact, musculoskeletal diseases affecting the ability of people to work, sometimes even definitively. They are responsible for half of the absences from the workplace and a three times higher unemployment rate than among the general population. Over 3% of the adult population is affected by inflammatory back pain, and men are especially affected. Inflammatory back pain usually starts before the age of 40 years. Because it can last more than 10 years before a correct diagnosis is made, the disease can get worse. The longer it takes until a correct diagnosis, the more the person is prone to irreversible injuries that may have a negative impact on his daily activities. Therefore, to reduce diagnostic time, going to the family physician and the rheumatologist at the first symptoms is extremely important.

The “Don’t Turn Your Back on It” is a creative and multichannel PR campaign initiative that brings up into discussion the inflammatory back pain and it sets alarm bells ringing among the young public for the first time in Romania.

RESEARCH

Reference studies in back pain research, both national and international
Official data provided by the Romanian Society of Rheumatology
Media audit concerning the inflammatory back pain Qualitative research – focus group with rheumatologists and family doctors

PLANNING

OBJECTIVE OF THE CAMPAIGN: To raise awareness for the disease and increase the number of people going to the doctor when they have a problem. We could generate this behavior only through a main touchpoint of this campaign with the public: the self evaluation test designed by specialized medical dosctors based on the simphomatology of the rheumatic diseases durereadespate.ro/autoevaluare/. After each person completes the test, the website displays one of two options: (1) You are healthy! and (2) You may be suffering of inflamatory back pain. Visit a Rheumatologist!

TARGET:

Main public: men between 15 and 45 years old.
Secondary public: women, interested in health issues.
Influential factors: doctors, mass media.

MESSAGE: Back pain is forcing you down? Don’t turn your back on it! Visit a rheumatologist!

SYMBOL OF THE CAMPAIGN: An oversized stuffed elephant symbolising the burden of the pain and of the affection felt day-by-day by the people who have inflammatory back pain. The elephant can be worn like a backpack, making the person who puts it on to bow down and experience the feelings of those suffering of this illness. We also created the “Elephant Squad” made of teams of 2 volunteers wearing the symbol of the campaign and each carrying with him/her a tablet on which passerbys were able to complete the self evaluation test.

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS:

OWNED:
- dedicated website (https://durereadespate.ro/) & blog posts
- dedicated Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/NuIntoarceSpatele)
EARNED:
- Endorsers: male influencers Cosmin Tudoran (former singer in a famous Romanian band, experienced blogger and vlogger positioned as a lifestyle influencers and expert in wine https://www.cosmintudoran.ro/), Cristian China Birta (No.1 blogger in Top Biz ranking influencers involved in campaigns and expert in beer – https://cristianchinabirta.ro), Toma Nicolau (experienced blogger positioned as gaming communities integrator and football, sports and travel enthusiast https://tomanicolau.ro/).
- Media: constant editorial plan targeting general press, health press, news agencies, radio and TV.
- Events:
  - annual press conferences held by The Romanian League of Rheumatology to disseminate medical rational messages.
  - annual caravans in areas where the target audience spends time,
  - Special projects within a cinematograph network,
  - interactive Kinect app. medical game.

IMPLEMENTATION

The campaign cosisted of a mix of rational medical messsges with emotional approach tactics. This is why annual press conferences on Ankylosing Spondylitis awareness week, media partnerships with most relevant media outlets and a National Sociologic Study were completed with creative tactics like: Annual “Elephant Caravan”, “Free Elephant Rides” campaign in partnership with Taxify, “Video-Elephant burdeon” doodle in cinemas, “Virtual Kinetic Elephant Rides” which all had the participation of the Elephant Squad and of the symbol of the campaign.

Annual “Elephant Caravan” on Ankylosing Spondylitis awareness week

In order to reach the audience, inform about back pain and generate active behavior (visit to the doctor) in those who needed it we organised an annual caravan on the Ankylosing Spondylitis awareness week. During these events, “Elephant Squads” stood in areas identified as hotspots for the target audience: metro stations in business districts of Bucharest at rush hours, shopping centers near tech stores and office buildings with the aim to inform people about the campaign and invite them to take the self-evaluation test. Each year, the street event was teased on social media through video teasers inviting peole to guess wher the “Elephant” will be the next day.

“Free Elephant Rides” bloggers engagement activation in partnership with Taxify

Three A-list bloggers in Romania relevant for the male target audinece (Cristian China, Cosmin Tudoran and Toma Nicolau) were involved in the campaign. In order to increase awareness for the disease, they became Taxify (car sharing app) drivers for a day and offered free rides to all the app users. Bloggers invited users to take the self-evaluation test, posted live statuses on their social media channels and wrote dedicated articles on their blogs. During the activation, a dedicated “Free elephant rides” category was available to all Taxify users.In order to generate active behavior (visit to the doctor) those who rode with the bloggers, took the self-evaluation test and got the recommendation to go to the doctor received extra free rides with Taxify to pay a visit to the rheumatologist.

“Video-Elephant burdeon” doodle in cinemas across Romania:

Taking into concideration that today video content is king and that statistics show that by 2019, internet video traffic will account for 80% of all consumer Internet traffic, we designed a short animation about back pain in which we presented the main symptoms and urge to go to a doctor (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWEoQ6W2330). We chose Cosmin Tudoran, the most involved blogger in the campaign in the previous years, to be the “voice” of our animation. He also shared the animation on his social media accounts in order to create more engagement. The animation broadcasted in all the cinemas from Romania in the Cinema City network. Furthermore, before entering the action movies movies (appreciated mostly by men in our target group), spectators were greeted by the “Elephant Squad” and were invited to take the online test on tablets. This way we were able to deliver the campaign messages in an interactive way, increased the level of awareness of back pain of inflammatory type and contributed to increasing the number of completed self-evaluation questionnaires.

“Virtual Kinetic Elephant Rides”:

Based on the expertise of a kinetotherapist specialised in inflamatory back paine, we created an interactive version of the self evaluation test in the form of a special game that uses the kinect, a motion sensing input device produced by Microsoft for Xbox video game consoles and PCs. Based around a webcam-style add-on peripheral, it enables users to control and interact with their console/computer without the need for a game controller, through a natural user interface using gestures. The user responds using his body parts in an interactive way to the questions that can help him realize if he has the disease or not. The moves chosen by us were the ones used in kinetotheraphy to treat inflamatory back pain. We took the “Virtual Kinetic Elephant Rides” to events dedicated to gammers community. We chose these type of communities because gaming is one of the most common hobbies for those affected by this disease: men between 15 and 45 years old. An example of such an event is Bloggers Lan Party organized by Tom Nicolau, previously involved in our campaign. It is a Romanian gaming event reserved for bloggers, vloggers, social media opinion makers. During the event, bloggers were able to complete the self evaluation test on-site by interacting with the Kinect application and posted on their social networks.

Furthermore, we took the Elephant Squad and the Kinect app. to shopping centers near tech stores. People that usualy go inside these storee are from the target of our campaign. They completed the test on the Kinect app, and received pamphlets with information about the affection.

Annual Press Conference:

In order to disseminate medical rational messages for the specialized media representatives, we organisez annual press conferences. In order to put tingh into context and integrate medical oppinion with real people’s perception, in 2018 we begun a national sociologic study aiming to find out what is the perception of the Romanian people on rheumatologic diseases and on their interation with medical doctos when needed.

Furthermore, in order to secure the dissemination of medical rational messages, we initiated serveral media partnerships with national influent media outlets. Among these we can mention: the presence of a rheumatologist at the morning show “Neatza cu Razvan si Dani” on national TV channel Antena 1, together with the symbol of the campaign, live talks about inflamatory back pain at radio morning shows (MagicFM, EuropaFM, Itsy Bitsy), informative short audio clips broadcasted on national radio (Europa FM, Magic FM), online banners and advertorials campaign with lifestyle, medical and general interest websites (Libertatea.ro, Doctorulzilei.ro, Unica.ro, Libertatea pentru femei, Adevarul, Click!, CSID.Stirileprotv, Sfatulmedicului.ro, CSID.ro, Debarbati.ro, Realitatea.net, Jurnalul.ro, Men’s Health).

Classic online communication channes and tactics included: a dedicated Facebook page with weekely content management, adwords & seo campaigns, up-to-date blog posts and newsletters.

EVALUATION

60000+

self evaluation tests were completed online on the campaign website.

500+

articles on the most important media channels and over 10 million people reached.

4000+

pamphlets with information about the affection

2000+

self test were completed during special activations.

3m+

people reached during TV and radio partnerships.

15000+

community of people on Facebook.

CREATIVITY & INNOVATION

The creativity of the campaign consisted in a community lead approach. We turned hobbies to wich our audience dedicate most of its time into effective communication channels. We found ways of communicating a serious medical message through direct interaction with representative groups of people from our target: gamers, movie lovers, car sharing app users, wine, beer and football bloggers fanbase.

The innovation of our campaign consisted in using for each phase some of the latest technologies to communicate with our target. We designed a kinect app from scratch, we used a popular mobile app and we had a web based app as the main touch-point of our campaign.

EVENT: FLIGHT OF STEPS – THE MARK

PublicAdmin99 — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 10:23:24 +0000

THE MARK community of tenants represents the objective of the event, as S IMMO wants to administrate the property and has no plans to sell it. Therefore, the idea of the event is to provide THE MARK’s tenants with a platform to invite their best friends and partners to their new building.

THE MARK FLIGHT OF STEPS – VERTICAL EVENT

OPPORTUNITY

Recovering progressively after the crisis, the real estate market is in the process of a positive evolution not only in the number of transactions, but also – or especially – in terms of quality standards, facilities and design. S IMMO AG is an Austrian real-estate investment company that focuses exclusively on investments in the European Union. In Romania The S IMMO property portfolio includes Sun Plaza and Novotel.

S IMMO announced the official opening of the office building THE MARK. Located near Piața Victoriei Square, THE MARK has an unique facade that includes a high-tech shading system that intelligently adapt themselves to the weather that can be used to create gigantic letters or images. It also includes two office buildings and is designed as a 15-floors elegant tower, along with a 6-floors Podium. The oficial opening announcement is not for advertising the spaces, given the fact that the building had an occupancy rate of almost 100%.

THE MARK building was decorated by Aldo Giannotti, a reputed modern artist that displays also in Albertina Museum in Wien with a series of modern drawings placed where usually landlords do no decorations at all: the stairs. „Flight of steps” is Giannotti’s exhibition of drawings on the walls of each floor inside the building. Beginning with the garage and ending with the top floor of THE MARK, the stairs of the stairwell served as a canvas for Giannotti’s work, one of the most appreciated European artists. In a very unique and metaphoric way, he drew stairs and showed how they can be used. Each stair together suggest the steps of human existence, from childhood to the old age.

RESEARCH

The basic idea of the event is to provide THE MARK’s tenants with a platform to invite their best friends and partners to their new building, but given the fact that THE MARK is an innovative and unique building and that one of the event objectives is to create a community, we had to research the real-estate market and find a concept that fits the criteria and be uniques just like THE MARK.

Also, we decided to do an interactive show so that we create togetherness.

PLANNING

Target:

THE MARK tenants’ representatives (top and middle management)
THE MARK tenants’ employees
Other S IMMO partners
art & lifestyle press representatives

Objective:

As S IMMO wants to administrate the property and has no plans to sell it, the objective was to create THE MARKcommunity of tenants.

IMPLEMENTATION

To achieve this goal, we set up a two-phase communication and event concept.

PHASE 1: Gigantic Hello

At the end of May we used social media channels of THE MARKs tenants, friends of THE MARK and S IMMO AG to sent out a “Hello” to Bucharest and the remaining world. To create interesting content for the first social media posting, we used the façade facing Strada Berzei to display gigantic letters, changing every 30 minutes in the afternoon and evening for one week. Those letters showed messages from THE MARK to Bucharest at the end. The letters generated attention of the people passing by.

This idea is linked and based on a painting that can be found in the Podium Staircase of the building produced by Aldo Giannotti.

PHASE 2: First vertical launching event in Bucharest

On June 26th 2019, we organised the official opening of the office building THE MARK, an unconventional vertical art event held on the 15 floors of the building. 5 micro-events were organized on the flight of steps and various artists interacted with the guests. The opening was in fact a community party. The concept of the event was worked out together with Aldo Giannotti as a mixture of an art performance and B2B event. The basic idea of the event was to provide THE MARK’s tenants with a platform to invite their best friends and partners to their new building and to show them their new location in a nice way.

Media Tour: Press was divided into two groups: business & real-estate press and art & lifestyle press. They were invited at the Avant-premiere of the event. The first group was greeted by Friedrich Wachernig, board member S IMMO AG and by Daniela Bădulescu, Country Manager S IMMO. Private interviews were held with the business journalists and afterwards, everybody was invited to the party. Art & lifestyle press was entertained by the artist himself: Aldo Giannotti. They went through the whole performance together.

Main event: Furthermore, at the official start of the main event, the guests were welcomed in the main lobby of the tower with a drink. To bring the guests into a right mood, a small art performance was held in the main lobby. In parallel with the welcoming, the guests were invited to enter the staircases of the tower in small groups of 2-4 persons.

At the beginning, the guests will be welcomed in the main lobby of the tower with a drink. To bring the guests into a right mood, there will already be a small art performance in the main lobby. In parallel with the welcoming, the guests will be invited to enter the staircases of the tower in small groups of 2-4 persons.

The staircases displayed a story with Aldo Gianotti’s paintings on the walls. Furthermore, on some landings of the staircases in the tower teams of performance artists were located to explain the art work and to motivate the groups to interact in a specific way (e.g. take the hand of your partners and walk a few steps, jump, dance etc).
On other landings service personal provided food & drinks. On five special floors we had special performances:

Here we draw the line – Interactive art show,
Lemonade – speech by Gerald Straub,
You are a winner – photo boot intervention of Pablo Chiereghin,
Dreams are my reality – intervention by Coralie de Gonzaga,
Star pillow – drone-ambient concert by Paolo Monti which took place on the building roof top terrace exactly at sun set.

After the tour the guests could use the lifts down to the ground floor and the performance will end with drinks and food for everybody.

EVALUATION

The interactive artistic moments created a closer relation between the tenants and set the basis of the community.
More than 200 people present at the party – 90 % presence of the tenants and a beginning of a beautiful The Mark Community.
UTV excusively covered the presence of Aldo Gianotti in Romania.

The concept and the execution were both innovative and creative. We wanted people to discover the building and make them aware of the facilities so we made them climb all the stairs to the top of the building. Also, we set a standard in real-estate, set an example of a healthy business that puts the people first and wants to create a unique space and a real Community.

CAMPAIGN: SLOT MACHINES, HOW IT’S MADE? – ROMSLOT ASSOCIATION

PublicAdmin99 — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 10:04:46 +0000

ROMSLOT decided to initiate an open and transparent dialogue with the authorities and the public. There is a shortage of information on the slot machines industry and a need for educating the press representatives in order for them to better understand the industry mechanisms.

CRISES, RISK AND OPPORTUNITIES MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATION- ROMSLOT ASSOCIATION

OPPORTUNITY

Permanently threatened with banning the gambling locations and destroying the industry, the Romanian slot machines producers and operators, reunited in ROMSLOT – The Romanian Association of Slot Machines Organizers, decided to initiate an open and transparent dialogue with the authorities and the public. The main risk of legally banning this form of entertainment is the explosion of the black market, as it happened in countries such as Hungary, Ukraine or Russia.

In 2013 and 2014, were initiated several legislative proposals that stated the ban of the entire slot machines industry. The first one was initiated by Mr. Atilla Korodi and it stated the banning of the slot machines in pubs, restaurants, cinemas and Lottery agencies. The second proposal was signed by 105 MPs, most of them being part of the ruling party. The proposal stated the banning of the slot machines in all locations except Lottery agencies and live casinos, which are only 8 left in the whole country. Another initiative, L280, registered now in the Senate and signed by 10 MPs threatens the industry with over taxation.

RESEARCH

A nationally representative study shows that Romanians associate slot machines with a form of entertainment and socialization. Less than 3% of the 18 years old+ Romanians participated in the last year at least once in slot games, a statistic lower than in other European countries. According to international statistics, the number of participants in other European countries is over 4 times higher, as in Great Britain 13% of the population is participating in slot games.

The share of voice analysis for the March 2012 – March 2013 period, revealed that the industry suffered from public’s perception that there is a high risk of addiction. The most common term used to define the slot machines was “pacanele”, a slang term that entered the vocabulary after 1989 and has a negative connotation. Top 3 articles in the general press are:

Gambling – addiction and money
The economics implications of the game
Winnings

The share of negative articles in the total number of articles was 64%. An important objective was swinging the negative coverage. The media audit from the beginning of the campaign revealed that the journalists were waiting for an active involvement of the industry representatives in order to create a correct perception.

Also, there was a pressing need to offer journalists an education regarding the industry and its mechanisms. Many of the key elements of the industry were not known by them.

In the general press, most of the articles are negative and they refer to gambling addiction, thefts and illegal actions.
In the tabloid press, the articles are negative and focus on the gambling victims.
In the business press, the articles are mostly neutral and they approach the subject from an economical perspective: the industry taxes and laws
In the specialized publications, such as Casino Inside and Casino Magazine, the articles are positive.
In the local press, the articles are either taken from the national press or are negative articles on addiction and frauds that took place in small towns or villages.

The research conclusions indicated the followings:

The number of articles about or mentioning ROMSLOT were only 9.52% of the total number of articles on slot machines industry.
Most of the articles were negative, covering 64% of the total number of articles.
There is a shortage of information on the slot machines industry and a need for educating the press representatives in order for them to better understand the industry mechanisms.

PLANNING

Objectives

Positioning the slot machines industry as a form of entertainment and removing the slots from the grey zone of addiction. We set as an objective that one year after starting the campaign the key opinion leaders would know and correctly use the key terms of the industry: addiction, problem gambling, land based locations, location types (dedicated locations, live casinos etc.), jackpot, authorised locations
Educating the media representatives on the slot machines industry and presenting them the key information on the subject.

Messages:

The slot machines game is an enjoyable, social activity, a way of spending your free time and socializing with your friends.
ROMSLOT promotes a responsible ethical code for its members and a responsible gambling program for the players.

Target

Authorities (Romanian Government, Romanian Parliament, The Gambling National Office)
The association members
Other operators and producers – potential ROMSLOT members
General, business and specialized press
The general public

IMPLEMENTATION

The first tactic in better explaining this industry was opening a dialog with the media representatives through organizing a press conference that communicated the GfK study results, “The profile of the Romanian slot machines player”. It was for the first time in the Romanian slot machines organizers industry when they were subject to a transparent audit conducted by a research institution and the first time when they publically communicated the research results. This approach was sustained by an info graphic presentation of the results.

For a stronger impact when communicating with the authorities, Romslot initiated partnerships with associations from related industries – Romanian Bookmakers (The Romanian Sport Bets Organizers Patronage). They joined us in the effort of educating the market and the players.

In order to maintain a dialogue with mass media and key opinion leaders and also to offer them the opportunity to better understand the industry mechanisms, a press trip to a Romanian slot machines producer was organized. The “How it’s made” event gathered 20 mass media representatives and bloggers. They observed the whole slot machine production flux, from the factory to the gaming location. Moreover, they were presented the math behind the machines, the legal aspects of the industry, the economic indicators and the key term and information on the Romanian slot machines industry. In order for the information to be assimilated as easy and quickly as possible, it was presented in a unique and friendly way: through a video info graphic, whose main character was CIP, a slot machine. Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rvt-SDwXWk

Another step in the communication strategy was organizing in Bucharest for the first time in history the 2013 EUROMAT General Meeting (The European Gaming and Amusement Federation), the most important gambling European event of the year. The meeting gathered representatives from 20 European states and also Romanian politicians. MEP Cristian Busoi offered an overview of the European Parliament position on the gambling industry and pointed out the need of a fair competition for all the gambling activities in the European Union. Odeta Nestor, President of the Gambling National Office brought up the subject of the online gambling regulation.

The campaign continued with initiating and communicating the results of the economic impact of the industry study in collaboration with one of the Big 4 audit companies. Following an auction, Price Waterhouse Coopers was chosen to evaluate the Romanian GDP impact of the industry. The audit results showed the importance that the gambling industry has on a national level. The results represented a big interest for the press and also a very good point of discussion in the dialog with the authorities.

In order to raise attention to the legislative problems that the industry has to face, a round table was organized. At the event took part the MPs that initiated the banning legislatives projects, National Gambling Office representatives, gambling associations representatives (slot machines, betting, Lottery, psychologists). Moreover, the round table was a great opportunity to open a direct dialog between the most important stakeholders of the industry, which had positive effects on their relationship.

Moreover, we mediated the participation of Romslot representatives as speakers at all the events and conferenced dedicated to the gambling industry, where politicians also took part, such as The exact hour in Gambling – Earena 2013, The Gambling Experts Reunion, The Romanian Gambling Conference, The exact hour in Gambling – Earena 2014. The events were a very good opportunity to communicate Romslot’s position regarding the legislative projects that threaten the industry and also to prensent the conducted studies results.

Another tactic that we used was organising a round table, that had as a special guest Mister Helmut Kafka, Euromat (The European Gaming and Amusement Federation) vicepresident and president of the Euromat Responsbile Gambling Commitee. He gave a presentation on „The reality of online gambling”, which talked about the online gambling threats and about the urge of a fair and applicable law. At the event took part politicians and members of the The Gambling National Office.

Moreover, we communicated Romslot’s positions regarding each legislative initiative that threatened the industry, when the subjects leaked in the press. The positions explained very clearly, using strong and verifiable arguments the negative effects that the legislative proposals would have if they would be implemented. As a result, Romslot’s positions had media coverage in the most important business and general publications and also on TV.

EVALUATION

If the results of the initial media audit, conducted before the communication strategy, showed that most of the journalists didn’t receive information about the gambling industry, 8 months later, 100% of them said that they are constantly receiving information on the industry from ROMSLOT.

The evaluation of the communication campaign conducted after 12 months highlighted the overthrow of the negative coverage versus the positive coverage. 66% of the articles had a positive and neutral tone of voice, as opposed to 64% negative coverage at the beginning of the campaign. Moreover, until now we generated over 430 press materials in the written press, online press, radio & TV. Thus, Romslot’s media coverage increased by 7183% compared to the moment when we started the campaign.

The communication approach brought transparency in the gambling industry and also an understanding of the industry mechanisms, which were misunderstood until now by the political key opinion leaders and by the public in general. If until now confusions were made between the key terms that defined the field, now they are clearer.

If before the communication campaign, unverifiable statistics were speculated, on which the legislative proposals that banned the industry were based, our strategy offered a clear, analytical and nationally representative image of the Romanian slot machines industry, which helped debunk the initiatives’ motivation.

Moreover, the strategy’s tactics that communicated the economic impact of the slot machines industry and the Romanian player’s profile, along with the game incidence among people over 18 years, lead to granting of a negative report from the Budget and Finance Committee on the legislative initiative signed by Mr. Korodi. The Government didn’t sustain the adoption of this project, showing in their point of view sent to the Senate, the fact that adopting this initiative would have a negative impact on the state revenues, through reducing the sums collected from the license fees and also through reducing the number of workplaces that the slot machines authorized gambling operators offer.

CAMPAIGN: WHO IS WENDY? – TEACH FOR ROMANIA

PublicAdmin99 — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 09:55:42 +0000

The annual Teach for Romania Gala had the aim to evidence the power of the togetherness for the future generations and their education. The special guest of the event was Wendy Kopp. The objective of the campaign was the 50% attendance of the invited publications and 90% of them attended the event.

WHO DO YOU THINK WENDY IS? -TEACH FOR ROMANIA

OPPORTUNITY

Teach for Romania is a non-governmental organization, part of the global Teach for All network, which seeks out and prepares valuable people, with or without previous teaching experience, to become teachers in public schools, for children with vulnerable backgrounds or who live in disadvantaged environments.

The annual gala and the 5th anniversary of Teach for Romania had to be organized in a period with many problems in Romanian political education field which could had damaged the objective of the nonprofit organization. The Single Manual Law debates were very aggressive and without an Education Ministry (the last one had been dismissed because some non-compliant public statements), the public opinion and the stakeholders were very focused on these issues.

The annual Teach for Romania Gala had come with the desire to make a collective impact and to remind the public, the political actors and the stakeholders that all of them should believe and focus on the power of the togetherness for the future generations and their education.

RESEARCH

At the 5-year anniversary, Teach for Romania invited Wendy Kopp, Co-founder and CEO Teach for All, as the guest star of the gala event.

Our challenge was to bring mass-media at the conference, but using the name of the special guest, Wendy Kopp, who didn’t have much notoriety for the Romanian public, stakeholders or mass-media. Also, we had to be focused on cost efficiency.

We had the mission to present to the journalists Wendy Kopp, the person who founded Teach For America organization in 1989, thus starting the global movement against inequity in education, which today bears the name Teach For All and has reached 48 countries on 6 continents. At this moment, Teach for All has 14,000 teachers and 60,000 students, and the biggest achievement of the program is the fact that 65% of the students remained in the chairs.

PLANNING

Target: Mass – Media
Objective: 50% attendance of the invited publications

IMPLEMENTATION

We needed a creative invitation to present Wendy Koop to the journalists, to make them curious to meet Wendy Kopp, and to attend the Annual Conference.

Our strategy approach was to directly ask them in the invitation text: “Who do you think Wendy is?”

We found another character like Wendy who can do magic, as Wendy Koop did for Teach for All, Wendy Darling from Peter Pan story. “Wendy can be Wendy Darling from Peter Pan, but for us is Wendy Koop”, stated the invitation.

Also we invited them to “be part of the story, too. We send you some fairy dust. Use it with confidence.” by sending them fairy dust in a jar in which it was the invitation, folded as a papyrus, so that the journalists can come to the event easier, just as Wendy from the story was traveling to Nowhere.

We realized a partnership with the very well-known Radio Guerilla, and for 2 weeks we had radio commercials about the Conference in which we mentioned Wendy Koop.

We delivered the press-kit to 40

EVALUATION

over 90%

of the invited publications attended the event.

6m+

estimated reach over 6,132,980 people

26%

The audiovisual media generated 26% of the media coverag

250k €

The event generated an approximate average value of 250,058 EURO.

45%

of the materials that made reference to the event are found in the online environment.

2%

The sources print generated 2% of the media coverage

CAMPAIGN: SUPPORT YOUR HERO – INDESIT

PublicAdmin99 — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 09:40:54 +0000

„Support you hero” is a campaign developed exclusively online and the audience of the campaign is represented by women. The competition focused on male football fans, but women were really the protagonists, as the main supporters of the partners who dream of becoming famous football players.

OPPORTUNITY

Ce au in comun fotbalul, cariera si familia? Indesit, liderul producătorilor europeni de electrocasnice, a cercetat perceptia femeilor asupra fotbalului.

Pasionatele de fotbal de sex feminin s-au dovedit a fi mult mai concentrate pe cariera, acordând totodată importanță sporita distracției și familiei.

Sponsor al F.C. Arsenal, A.C. Milan și al Paris Saint-Germain(PSG) din 2011, Indesit a decis in 2012 sa comunice acest parteneriat prin implicarea publicului brandului. Obiectivul campaniei a fost unul foarte clar: maximizarea vizibilitatii asupra sponsorizarea echipelor de fotbal in randul targetului feminin.Pentru atingerea obiectivului, Indesit a organizat la nivel global concursul IndesitFootball Talent, prin care a răsplătit talentul și pasiune ducându-i pe Stadionul Emirates din Londra. In Romania, provocarea era sa vorbim cu femei intr-un mod relevant despre doua subiecte aproape straine lor: tehnologia si fotbalul.

RESEARCH

Studiul realizat de GfK Eurisko pentru Indesit pe un eșantion reprezentativ de aproximativ 20000 de femei din Europa a relevat cateva date surprinzatoare pe care le-am exploatat in realizarea strategiei locale de comunicare a parteneriatului :

Rezultate:

Femeile vad fotbalul în primul rând ca pe o activitate pe care o fac în comun cu parteneruii sau cu grupul de prieteni. Dorința de solidaritate cu pasiunile celorlalti membrii ai familiei și cu cercul de prieteni sunt motivatiile femeilor pentru a urmari si a se implica in discutii despre acest sport.
Femeile pasionate de fotbal, inclusiv cele din Romania, sunt mult mai concentrate asupra carierei lor, acordând totodată importanță distracției și familiei. Sunt în principal femei tinere, moderne, interesate de tehnologie și viitor, ce utilizeaza cu precadere publicatiile online ca mijloc de informare, dar si retelele sociale si blogurile.
Femeile descrise mai sus se identifica cu targetul feminin Indesit, format în principal din femei tinere și deschise către noutăți, interesate de tehnologie și, de asemenea, pasionate de fotbal.

PLANNING

Obiective

Realizarea unui concept local de campanie prin care să :

Crestem vizibilitatea brandului. Ne-am propus un media reach de minimum 500.000 de vizitatori unicii in Romania
Maximizam vizibilitatea asupra sponsorizarii echipelor de fotbal in randul femeilor din core target. Pe langa numarul de impresii vizualizari filme pe youtube: min. 1.000.000
Maximizeze vizibilitatea, implicarea si interactiunea in randului targetului feminin – Raport femei / barbati atinsi de mesaj: min. 60% / 40% (urma a fi calculat pe baza descrierii targetului in cazul publicatiilor si site-urilor auditate precum si din profilul vizitatorilor de videoclipuri pe youtube)

Mesaje

Indesit, liderul producătorilor europeni de electrocasnice, este sponsor oficial C. Arsenal, A.C. Milan și PSG.

Concept

„Support you hero” este o campanie dezvoltata exclusiv online, ce s-a desfasurat pe o perioada de 2 luni si care a folosit o platformă digitală integrată (internet și social media) ca instrument de a intra în legătură și a comunica cu targetul feminin. Competitia s-a concentrat asupra fanilor masculini ai fotbalului, dar femeile au fost cu adevărat protagonistele, ele având rolul de suporteri principali ai partenerilor care visează să devină fotbalișți faimoși.

Bărbații au avut șansa să-și îndeplinească visul și să joace într-unul dintre cele mai mari temple ale fotbalului internațional, stadionul San Siro, alături de fotbaliști renumiți ai echipelor europene de top A.C. Milan, F.C. Arsenal și PSG, în timp ce partenerele acestora nu numai ca si-au susținut eroii, dar s-au bucurat și de o experiență exclusivă în capitala internațională a modei și frumuseții, Milano.

Mecanism

Concurentele din 50 de tari din intreaga lume si-au inscris partenerii
în competiție pe platforma Football.indesit.com, intregrata si pe pagina de Facebook, www.facebook.com/indesit, între 14 februarie și 15 aprilie 2013.
Fiecare participant a purtat denumirea de erou si a avut propriul grup virtual, cunoscut sub denumirea de hero space.
Fiecare erou si-a invitat prieteni sa devina suporteri ai grupului sau prin sistemul de vot.
Un grup inițial de potențiali câștigători au fost selectati pe baza numărului de suporteri.
În a doua fază, fotbaliști de elită ai celor trei echipe fotbal au evaluat Grupurile Eroilor în termeni de originalitate, pasiune și eficacitate și au selectat cei 33 de câștigatori ai concursului care au zburat la Milano împreună cu partenerele lor.
Premii:

Publicul feminin a avut parte de o zi de shopping si rasfat in capitala modei: shopping in boutique-ul Sergio Rossi, hairstyling si make-up la salonul exclusivist si un cocktail break pe terasa hotelului Bulgari Milano.

Video: http://goo.gl/IJRS2u

Barbatii au avut parte de:

Statutul de jucator al uneia din echipele A.C. Milan, F.C. Arsenal și PSG
Un trainning alaturi de legende ale fotbalului. Echipa A.C. Milan a fost instruita de catre Daniele Massaro, Alessandro Costacurta si Franco Baresi, antrenorii F.C. Arsenal au fost Robert Pires si Tony Adams, in timp ce PSG i-a avut ca lideri pe Gianluca Zambrotta si Daniel Bravo.

Video: http://goo.gl/U7dQy6

Un turneu oficial intre cele 3 echipe pe celebrul stadion San Siro, alaturi de fotbalistii sus mentionati, cu sustinerea celor mai infocati fani, partenerele lor

Video: http://goo.gl/OKBz4Z

IMPLEMENTATION

Provocarea a constant in maximizarea tacticilor digitale, dar si integrarea tacticilor clasice de PR. Astfel am selectat următoarele canale si tactici de comunicare:

Campanie virala pe YouTube

Un video viral format din 2 parti targetat catre publicul feminin si masculin, ce includea secvente cu jucatorii celor 3 cluburi de fotbal. Videoclipurile au fost integrate in toate tacticile de promovare.

Video pentru ea: http://goo.gl/5IZC2d

Video pentru el: http://goo.gl/c28KLF

Bloggerii ce au acceptat sa ia parte la competitie au lansat o provocare pentru cititorii lor: “Impreuna la San Siro”. Cititorii se inscriau in competitie si anuntau blogger-ul ca s-au inscris la sugestia lui.

Bloggerul si bloggerita cu cel mai mare numar de participanti inscrisi la sugestia lor au castigat participarea la evenimentul final ca reprezentant media.

Cititorii inscrisi au avut de asemenea sansa sa castige concursul, in urma selectiei internationale.

Campania a angrenat doi dintre cei mai influenti bloggeri din Romania, ce au avut rolul de a creste vizibilitatea competitiei intre bloggeri si a concursului dedicat publicului larg: Cristi China (chinezu.eu) si Sabina Cornovac (sabinacornovac.ro).

Castigatorii competitie: Marius Matache (www.mariusmatache.ro) si Sabina Cornovac (www.sabinacornovac.ro)

Cuplurile castigatoare din Romania s-au inscris in competitie ca urmare a cititirii articolelor publicate pe blogurile din Romania.

Facebook

O aplicatie integrata pe Facebook permitea inscrierea in concurs. Totodata, pagina a fost imbogatita constant cu continut atragator.

Live blogging & posting

Cei doi castigatori ai competitiei intre bloggeri au participat la evenimentul din Milano si au transmis live din Milano pe blogurile lor, pe Facebook si Twitter pe toata perioada evenimentului.

Classic Media Relations

Campania de comunicare a fost sustinuta si prin tactici clasice de PR canalizate catre publicatiile online de lifestyle feminin: comunicate de presa pre si post-eveniment.

EVALUATION

53

de articole generate in presa scrisa si online din Romania, articolele provenind preponderent in mediul virtual (nr. 3 la nivel european)

20

de bloggeri romani inscrisi in competitia dedicata lor

111

Numar de participanti evaluati ca numar de hero space-uri create din Romania (nr. 2 la nivel european din 50 de tari participante, 17% din participanti au venit din Romania)

3m views

Vizualizari pe YouTube a filmuletelor de prezentare si promovare: 3.172.000, cu 317% mai mult decat obiectivul setat.

198m

Impresii ale filmelor publicate pe youtube: 198,679,177

56%

dintre articole au fost generate in social media

850k

Media reach: 850,880 unici, cu 70% mai mult decat obiectivul setat

864

conturi create

20k

Numar de fani noi inregistrati pe pagina de Facebook: 20.060

67%/33%

Raport femei / barbati vizualizari videoclipuri

Pentru echipa de PR locala, cea mai mare satisfactie a fost desemnarea a 3 cupluri castigatoare din Romania, fata de 1 cuplu cat era prevazut la inceputul competitiei, tara noastra fiind singura din Europa care a beneficiat de suplimentare de locuri datorita rezultatelor.