What does the media look like today (the advertising area in particular) over the 2000s? What about the '90s?
A question that leads me to the preface of a book about the history of media advertising in Romania. After 28 years of advertising I can say that the media advertising market has evolved spectacularly.
When we talk about the 90s, I remember my admission to advertising, when I was a student, I started collaborating with Gray. Then media advertising was mostly about buying minutes of TVR1 and TVR2, negotiating with the station's commercial director or buying from one or two media brokers who had minutes to sell after barter with video equipment or movies that the Romanian Television she needed. In 1992, Antena 1 appeared and over a few years ago, and Tele7abc, we all learn what it means to advertise on TV and the media. The press made its first real steps and TVR1 audiences and a few newspapers were able to produce a quick effect in selling the products to their advertisers in the media.
The 2000s are still alive in the mind and emotions lived because it is the beginning of the period of entrepreneurship in the media, when after almost seven years of advertising, we founded the Media Insight agency along with the Ogilvy group. Then the market was mostly TV and we invested on behalf of our clients very much, 80-90% of the total volume of media advertising. TV sponsors began to be more sophisticated, and brands and stars, colors, and music blended in a pleasant fluidity, big publicity customers wanting to go from buying per minute of advertising or spot 30 seconds to buying the audience, of GRPs. The street display barely invented large mesh on the buildings in the center, which were an element of exotism and impact in the mix of classical panels, and the press was in a very good time when new magazines, newspapers or national and local supplements each quarter. The radio was a media vehicle in which several big radio stations were active (Radio Romania Actualitati is an example) and only a few big private networks (Contact, ProFM), but also many local radios. The Internet barely takes its place in the market and does not really exist in the client's media plans.
Today we have the TV that has diversified and fragmented enormously, you can buy in a media plan 25 TV stations, it is true that it is a fine game between the fast coverage offered by stations stationed on the ProTV active group and Antena 1 and the rest stations that add value depending on the brand's specificity and the needs of communication, launch or maintenance, sales and image. The Internet over the past 10 years has become the second channel from an investment point of view, probably over 100 million euros of investment by adding Google / Facebook and Romanian sites outperforming the investments of the glory of the press ten years ago when estimated at 90 million euros.
The rest of the media, radio and outdoor, are in a process of consolidation of large and effervescent companies at the local level, and the print media has been completely reformed, especially by the digital press.
How do you think this area will evolve?
The Internet and especially the video content is the growth ramp of the media advertising industry. At the same time, TV and the Internet become integrated and can absorb 75% -85% of total media advertising investment. The written press becomes digital step by step, and the street and radios display adds to the classic model and digital component. Industry is evolving significantly towards digitization with little classic accents.
What do you think an advertiser needs to pay attention today?
Become acquainted with all online channels, value the customer's integrated video content (TV-online) and embrace the change whenever the evolution of media channels do.
Why did you quit the media?
I have not quit the media, it remains my first professional love and an important stage in my professional and human evolution. I will come back when I will be able to combine it with a business strategy, my values and hobbies.
