Modern Layers of Promotion: Guiding Brand Strategy (Part II)
Why Brand Research Is Never “Standard”? Because brands may pursue similar goals, but the obstacles behind growth, relevance, perception, or performance are rarely the same. And each situation requires a different way of understanding what truly drives the problem. In the first part of this perspective, we explored three recurring situations that brands face in contemporary markets: However, as organizations scale in complexity, a different […]
Modern Layers of Promotion: Guiding Brand Strategy
Brand research lacks a one-size-fits-all approach due to the evolving market landscape. Today's branding demands understanding consumer perception, experience, availability, and consistency.
As competition heats up, brands must adapt by identifying unique challenges and opportunities. Effective research emphasizes custom questions to enhance clarity and positioning, building sustainable brand growth.
Women in Romania: from data to insights (Part 2)
Romanian women are navigating a complex balance: ambition and care, independence and responsibility, present needs and future planning.
In Part 2 of our Women in Romania – 2024 Snapshot analysis, we explore how education, labor market participation, and income dynamics shape long-term purchasing power — and what this means for employers and brands.
Companies that align with this reality - not just in communication, but in products, policies, and experiences - will be the ones that earn trust, relevance, and long-term growth.
Romanian Women: from data to insights (Part1)
Romanian Women Report – 2024 snapshot highlights why Romanian women should be understood as a powerful market force - shaped by longevity, professional powerhouse and sustained economic influence.
With a life expectancy nearing 81 years, women play a central role in household consumption and everyday decision-making.
I brought together a wide range of indicators published by the National Institute of Statistics - data that usually sits in long, unstructured lists. I have always been curious what insights might emerge when statistics are analyzed through the lens of a single target audience.
This snapshot report condenses extensive national data into a few pages of actionable insights that brands and businesses can integrate into their strategies.
👉 Read the full article here:
Free report: Romania in key macro signals
The free Romania Macroeconomic Report analyzes key market signals, including inflation, consumer confidence, and retail dynamics. It highlights the challenges facing consumers in 2026, such as high inflation and low confidence, and urges businesses to reassess their offerings to meet increasingly selective purchasing behaviors.
Why Isn’t It Selling?
Sales are coming in, but growth feels tighter than it should. Before increasing effort, it’s worth asking a harder question: where exactly does the buying decision weaken? This article explores how Customer Journey and Usage & Attitude research quantify the perception gaps that quietly hold performance back.
The brands that win are dual: tradition + modernity, without feeling contradictory
In marketing, “tradition” and “innovation” are often placed in opposite corners. As if, if you’re “traditional,” you’re not allowed to be modern. If you’re “digital” and “new,” you’re not allowed to have roots. In reality, consumers don’t think in black and white, and the brands that grow and endure are, most of the time, paradoxical: […]
A Romanian brand, you say? Let’s see if it passes the consumer test. How do consumers actually identify Romanian brands?
Ask someone: “What is a Romanian brand to you?” In the first few seconds, the answer seems simple. After two or three more questions… things get complicated. In our research on Romanian brands, we discovered something interesting: Romanians don’t think of “Romanian-ness” in black or white. Instead, you get shades like: “it’s half,” “it’s from […]
Segmentation studies: the essential compass for smart marketing decisions
In an increasingly complex and competitive market, talking about the "average consumer" no longer makes sense. People are diverse, with very different needs, motivations, and behaviors. This is where segmentation comes in: a process through which amorphous masses of data are transformed into clear groups of customers with distinct traits and attitudes. And we are […]
The Enigma of the Response Rate and How to Ensure Your Sample Doesn't Mislead You
A client asked me whether, with a 9% response rate, the resulting sample from surveying a customer database can still be considered representative. Situation: We have 1,400 unique contacts—customers who purchased online in 2023. The product is industrial, sold in large volumes but with low frequency, meaning customers return to purchase multiple times a year […]
Sampling Error in Estimating a Mean Value
When we sample a subset from a population instead of surveying the entire population, we aim for the measured value in the sample to be as close as possible to the true value in the population. When we say "value," we refer either to an average (e.g., the average height of individuals in the population) […]
8 Steps to design a sample - Part II
See the first three steps here. 4. What is the sampling frame? In essence, I am answering the question, "Where can I find the eligible respondent?" Bank employees can be reached via email, as the bank provides the contact list. Moreover, the bank has decided to invite all 2,800 employees, without applying any additional selection […]
8 Steps to design a sample - Part I
In the first two articles (1, 2), we focused on providing arguments for why sampling for a face-to-face (F2F) study in Romania is conducted following the rules/methodology of multi-stratified sampling combined with cluster sampling. Essentially, we answered the question, “How do I reach the respondent?” When I think about sampling, regardless of the study, we […]
Why you should combine multi-stratified random sampling with cluster sampling when conducting fieldwork in Romania. Part II
Now that we’ve established the context, I feel that we can return to our discussion about multi-stratification. Stratification is employed when you can divide the population into sub-groups which are heterogeneous, disjunctive. They do not overlap. This separation is very clear. It somewhat helps to break a large population or area into smaller, more manageable […]
Why you should combine multi-stratified random sampling with cluster sampling when conducting fieldwork in Romania. Part I
Stratified sampling and cluster sampling are two of the four types of probabilistic sampling. I suggest we combine them... it might seem weird, yet it really helps with managing random samples. One thing is certain regarding Romania and managing population data records – there is no possibility to draw a random sample of citizens from […]
Wall painting during the pandemic and what to expect come 2022
The two pandemic years differ regarding the reasons people chose to paint their walls. 2020 saw wall painting soaring. The consumers, being at home for extended periods of time, apart from the concern for cleaning (54%), sanitizing (35%) or their walls’ yellowing (25%) also expressed a desire to change the color palette or decor of […]
Wisemetry Research: Throughout 2021 people will be cautious with their budgets, but will spend money on those small pleasures that were unattainable the year before, such ar travelling
The study was carried out by Wisemetry Research between October 30th and November 4th 2020 and aimed to highlight the challenges caused by the mobility restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the SARS-COV-2 virus. The study touched on topics such as the organization and challenges of telework, the care and education of children and […]
Wisemetry Research: 76% of parents of 7- to 17-year-old children are concerned about the negative consequences prolonged use of electronic devices might have on their kids
The study was carried out by the Wisemetry Research between October 30th and November 4th 2020 and aimed to highlight the challenges caused by the mobility restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the SARS-COV-2 virus. The study touched on topics such as organising remote work, the care and education of children and gender imbalances […]
Wisemetry Research: 37% of employees working in a mixed work setup – remotely and at the office – say they work more hours when working remotely
The study, which was carried out by Wisemetry Research between October 30th and November 4th 2020 aimed to highlight the challenges caused by the mobility restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the SARS-COV-2 virus. The study touched on topics such as the organisation of remote work, care and education of children and gender imbalance […]
What will the Black Friday sales look like this year?
This week’s question is “What will the Black Friday sales look like this year? Will they reach last year’s level – by far its best performance, an increase of 30%, will they be higher or perhaps lower?” eCommerce has grown organically throughout 2020 in an accelerated manner Throughout the year several reports forecasted an increase […]
Improving education in Romania: is it all about the money?
The root of this article was a simple question and resulted in a small quest for providing a straight answer. What should we change in our schools to get better results at PISA*? In 2018, OECD conducted TALIS - Teaching and Learning International Survey. This survey is set to help countries face diverse challenges in […]
The post-pandemic workforce environment – heading towards the 4-day work week?
The 4-day work week could be a solution to improving work productivity while also reducing office crowding in the post-pandemic Romanian workforce landscape. Experiments undertaken in several countries support this argument, results showing a boost in work productivity coupled with other benefits: improved traffic congestion and less crowdedness in public transportation, reduced carbon footprint, reported […]
The experts’ economic outlook for 2020
The question on everyone’s minds is what to expect from a financial standpoint in 2021. Without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic threw off all the economic forecasting announced at the beginning of 2020, as the impact of the measures taken to limit the spread of the virus has yet to be fully understood or evaluated. […]
