Why PR and Marketing Work Differently in Romania (And What the Rest of Europe Still Doesn't Understand)

I've worked with brands across Europe, and here's something I've learned the hard way: what works in Western Europe often fails spectacularly in Romania.

Not because Romanian consumers are fundamentally different. It’s because the relationship between PR, marketing, media, and trust operates under entirely different rules.

Most international brands entering Romania make the same mistake: they assume PR and marketing function the way they do in Germany, France, or the UK. They apply the same playbooks. And they wonder why their campaigns fall flat.

Here's what's actually different—and why it matters if you're trying to build a brand in Romania versus the rest of Europe.

The Trust Deficit That Changes Everything

Let's start with the foundational difference: Romanians trust institutions, media, and advertising far less than their Western European counterparts.

This isn't opinion. It's measurable and supported by research.

Trust in media in Romania sits around 30-35%, compared to 50-60% in Western Europe. Trust in advertising? Even lower. Trust in corporate messaging? Rock bottom.

Why does this matter for PR and marketing?

In Western Europe, A well-placed article in a respected publication carries weight. Brand messaging through official channels works. Corporate social responsibility campaigns are taken at face value.

In Romania, the same article is met with scepticism. Official brand channels are assumed to be biased. CSR is often dismissed as PR theatre unless proven otherwise.

The implication: You can't rely on traditional credibility transfer the way you do elsewhere in Europe.

Media Landscape: Fragmented, Politicised, and Transactional

Here's the uncomfortable reality about Romanian media that most international brands don't grasp: much of it operates on a transactional basis.

In Western Europe, earned media is the gold standard. You pitch a story, it gets covered based on newsworthiness, and that coverage carries credibility.

In Romania, the lines between earned, paid, and "influenced" media are far blurrier. What this looks like in practice:

• Advertorial culture is normalised
  What would be clearly labelled as sponsored content in Germany or the UK often runs as editorial in Romania. Readers know this. It erodes trust in all media.

• Political ownership of outlets
  Many media outlets are owned by political or business interests and slant coverage accordingly. This is known. It's factored into how people consume news.

• "Collaboration" expectations
  Some outlets expect advertising spend in exchange for editorial coverage. Not always. Not everywhere. But enough that it shapes the ecosystem.

For PR professionals used to Western European norms, this creates ethical and strategic dilemmas. Do you play by local rules and risk your credibility? Or do you insist on "pure" earned media and limit your reach?

The Influencer Economy Started Earlier and Runs Deeper

Romania was early to influencer marketing—not because it was more innovative, but because traditional media trust was already so low that people looked elsewhere for recommendations.

By the time Western Europe was debating whether influencers were "real marketing," Romania had already built an entire economy around them.

Key differences:

• Micro-influencers have disproportionate power
  A lifestyle blogger with 15,000 engaged followers in Bucharest can move product better than a glossy magazine ad. Why? Because trust is personal, not institutional.

• Transparency is inconsistent
  Influencer disclosure norms that are standard in the UK or Germany are... less rigorous in Romania. #ad isn't always #ad.

• The influencer-brand relationship is more transactional
  Long-term brand partnerships are less common. One-off paid posts are the norm. This creates challenges for sustained brand building.

For marketers, this means: influencer strategy in Romania isn't optional or experimental—it's central.

Word-of-Mouth Is the Currency That Actually Spends

Here's the pattern I see constantly: Romanians don't trust what brands say about themselves. They don't fully trust what the media says. They often don't even trust what influencers say.

They trust what their friends and family say.

This creates a fascinating dynamic: word-of-mouth marketing in Romania is exponentially more powerful than in Western Europe—but also harder to generate authentically.

What does work:

• Referral programs with real incentives
  Not token discounts. Meaningful value that's worth telling a friend about.

• Community building over broadcasting
  Facebook groups, LinkedIn, WhatsApp communities, and local meetups. Places where genuine conversations happen.

• Customer experience that's genuinely worth talking about
  You can't fake this. If your product or service is mediocre, no amount of marketing will overcome negative word-of-mouth.

What doesn't work:

• Astroturfing (fake grassroots campaigns)
  Romanians have finely tuned BS detectors. Fake reviews, planted testimonials, staged "organic" conversations—they spot them immediately.

• The Price Sensitivity That Shapes Messaging. Romania has a GDP per capita roughly 60% of the EU average. This isn't abstract—it fundamentally changes how marketing and PR need to position.

In Western Europe: Premium positioning, brand storytelling, lifestyle aspiration—these work broadly across segments.

In Romania, Value, practicality, and tangible benefit dominate. Aspirational branding works, but only for a narrow segment.

The mistake I see international brands make: they bring their Western European premium positioning and pricing, then wonder why uptake is slow.

Romanian consumers are sophisticated. They're not "less developed" or "behind the curve." They're just operating with different economic constraints.

Smart marketing in Romania acknowledges this:

• Lead with value, not just values

• Show clear ROI, not just emotional benefit

• Offer flexible payment options (instalments are huge)

• Price transparency is non-negotiable (hidden fees kill trust instantly)

The Digital-First Reality (Romania Leapfrogged Traditional Channels)

Here's something that surprises many: Romania is more digitally advanced in some ways than Western Europe.

Internet penetration is high. E-commerce adoption is growing faster than most EU markets. Social media usage rivals or exceeds Western European levels.

Why? Because Romania skipped or compressed certain traditional development phases.

• TV advertising never had the dominance it did in Western Europe
  Print media collapsed before it could establish deep credibility
  Digital channels became primary information sources early

What this means for marketing:

• Digital isn't a "nice to have" channel—it's the primary battleground
  If your brand isn't strong digitally, it barely exists in Romania.

• Social commerce is normalised
  Buying through Instagram, Facebook Marketplace, or WhatsApp isn't novel—it's standard.

• Mobile-first is mandatory
  Desktop optimisation is secondary. If your site or content doesn't work flawlessly on mobile, you've lost.

• PR as Reputation Management, Not Just Media Relations

In Western Europe, PR often focuses heavily on media relations: securing coverage, managing press, and building journalist relationships. In Romania, given the media trust issues, PR is increasingly about direct reputation management across multiple channels.

What this looks like:

• Crisis management is constant, not occasional
  Because trust is fragile and social media moves fast, brands live in permanent semi-crisis mode. You need monitoring and a rapid response infrastructure.

• Google's reputation management is critical
  What shows up when someone searches your brand matters more than traditional media coverage. Reviews, forums, social mentions—these shape perception.

• Stakeholder mapping is more complex
  It's not just media and customers. It's regulators, local communities, employees (who are vocal online), NGOs, and political actors. Each requires different engagement.

The Generational Divide Is Wider

Romania has a sharper generational split in media consumption and trust than most Western European markets.

Older Romanians (45+):
Still consume traditional TV and print. More likely to trust institutional messaging. Less digitally savvy.

Younger Romanians (18-35):
Entirely digital. Actively distrust traditional media and institutions. Highly influenced by peers and online communities.

The middle generation (35-45):
Split between both worlds. Often, the hardest to reach effectively.

For marketers, this means: You can't run one campaign and expect it to work across demographics.

Segmentation by age isn't just smart—it's necessary. A TV campaign that resonates with 50-year-olds will be invisible to 25-year-olds, and vice versa.

Localisation Isn't Translation—It's Cultural Recalibration. I've watched international brands launch Romanian campaigns that are perfectly translated but culturally tone-deaf.

Western European humour often doesn't land. What's clever in France can feel forced in Romania.

Historical and cultural references are specific. Romania's recent history (communism, transition, EU accession) shapes how messaging is received in ways that don't map to Western European contexts.

Visual aesthetics differ. What's considered "premium" or "aspirational" design in Germany might read as cold or inaccessible in Romania.

The fix isn't hiring a Romanian copywriter. It's involving Romanian strategic thinkers from the beginning, not just at the execution phase.

The Regulatory Environment Is... Evolving

GDPR compliance in Romania is, let's say, interpreted creatively. While the rules are the same across the EU, enforcement varies wildly. Romania's data protection authority is less aggressive than Germany's or France's.

This creates a double-edged sword:

On one hand, Marketing tactics that would get you fined in Western Europe might fly in Romania (for now).

On the other hand, this creates complacency that can bite you later as enforcement tightens.

My advice: Don't treat Romania as a regulatory free-for-all. Operate to the same standards you would in stricter markets. The regulatory environment will converge eventually.

What This Means for International Brands

If you're entering Romania from Western Europe, here's what you need to recalibrate:

1. Don't assume media coverage equals credibility
You need to build trust through multiple channels, especially digital and word-of-mouth.

2. Budget more for influencer and community-building, less for traditional PR
The ROI equation is different here.

3. Price positioning matters more than brand storytelling
Lead with value. Tell the story second.

4. Digital infrastructure is non-negotiable from day one
You can't "build traditional first, then go digital." Digital is the foundation.

5. Localise strategy, not just creative
Don't bring a Western European playbook and execute it in Romanian. Build a Romanian strategy from scratch.

What Romanian Brands Do Better Than European Ones

Here's something Western brands often miss: Romanian brands operating domestically have learned to navigate low trust and fragmented media incredibly well.

They're often more agile, more digitally native, and better at authentic community engagement than their Western European competitors.

The best international brands entering Romania don't try to "teach" the market. They learn from successful local players and adapt.

The Bottom Line

PR and marketing in Romania aren't broken—they're just different.

The trust dynamics, media landscape, consumer behaviour, and digital infrastructure create an environment where Western European best practices often underperform.

Success in Romania requires understanding that you're not just translating campaigns—you're entering a market with fundamentally different rules of engagement.

—

Note:

What's your experience? If you've worked across Romanian and Western European markets, where am I missing the nuance? I'm always curious to hear from people on the ground navigating these differences daily.

About the Author

Steve Gardiner (exec MBA) is a senior marketing and commercial leader at Lighthouse PR, bringing global experience from Accenture, Electronic Arts, Virgin Media, Telekom, and Etisalat. Latterly, as VP Business at Etisalat, he was responsible for $1.8B in revenue.

Today, Steve applies his strategic, marketing, and growth expertise to support Lighthouse PR clients as part of the agency’s service offering.