Cătălin Rusu in IQads – about achievements in 2021 and goals for 2022
“I would find it healthily amusing if ‘brandalism’ reached Romania as well. If brands or toxic campaigns were ‘vandalized.’ It would be a sign of social health.”
“Doesn’t matter what happens, what matters is how you react. This is the philosophy that Cătălin Rusu, Chief Creative Partner & CEO of Rusu+Borțun, lives by. And it seems very appropriate, especially in these days when the uncertainties of the pandemic have been replaced with even greater fears. Less preconceived notions might be useful, he says. Fewer predictions and more ‘reading the market in real-time.’ We talked to Cătălin about how 2021 went for him, but also for the agency he leads, about the disruptions of last year and the surprises of 2022.
‘Working harder is not the same as working smarter. In business, like in sports, performance comes from constant effort and, especially, from breaking the rhythm,’ says Cătălin.
About his resolution to become the oldest debutant in the history of the National Men’s Basketball League, what survival-mode entrepreneurship is like, and his objectives for this year, read on:
Restart 2022
Those who have worked with me for a longer time know that from January until the end of March, I’m not really a person. I push hard to start the year off on the right foot so we can work more settled from April onwards. That’s how the first ten years of Rusu+Borțun psychologically looked. Since 2008. For the last three years, we’ve been growing. 2021 was our best year, double that of 2021, and that after 2020, which had doubled 2019. The revenue of the Rusu+Borțun companies surpassed 18 million lei in 2021.
Beyond the numbers, my greatest pride lies in the diversity of the clients and brands in our portfolio. Both the core advertising business and the branding one had the best results. And all of this in the context of work from wherever God wants, a completely different professional lifestyle. So, I’m starting the year more prudently and with optimism based on trust in ourselves and less on aspiration.
What pleased you in 2021, what confused you, what irritated you?
I loved Zoom. I adore it. It changed my life. Not wasting time in and on the way to meetings is a luxury. A motivation booster. Also, we had many filming days that fed our need to meet people. And I liked the Secret Santa, I felt very good, as seen in the pictures.
What confused me were four filming days in two calendar days. Two in Bucharest and two in Warsaw. Fortunately, I missed flying.
I got angry with myself for the first years of entrepreneurship, where survival mode made me unable to enjoy successes without the handbrake on. I’ll work on that.
How are you with your resolutions?
Yes, but not related to Rusu+Borțun. Finally, creation and brand consulting have become professions. I’m more passionate about them than ever, but they’re no longer obsessions. My resolution is to become the oldest debutant in the history of the National Men’s Basketball League.
Plans & Objectives
In advertising, I started the year with the idea that the four of us (Marc Borțun, Andrei Borțun, Miruna Macsoda, Cătălin Rusu) should understand each other as best as possible, find each person’s right role in the partnership, continue evolving as an ownership team, and be helpful to our colleagues at Corbeni 3.
In branding, our goal is to explode, to leave the plateau and start climbing steeply. We have a business model where the five partners (Alina Tudose, Marc Borțun, Răzvan Chifu, Andrei Borțun, Cătălin Rusu) contribute to the strategic and creative output of the branding structure. We’ve worked together for many years and we want more.
The Communication Market in 2021
It grew, yet many agencies began to optimize their costs. They preferred to invest in talent on a case-by-case basis, not all year long. A jumpstart with the handbrake on.
Factors Influencing the Industry
Economic growth and the opportunities the pandemic offered regarding services. Both locally and globally. A Zoom background with palm trees is a Zoom background with palm trees no matter where you’re working from.
Predictions
It doesn’t matter what happens, it’s important how you react. That’s what goes through my mind, it’s less about predicting and more about reading the market in real-time. Less preconceived notions can be helpful.
Trends
It would be healthily amusing if ‘brandalism’ reached Romania. If brands or toxic campaigns were ‘vandalized.’ It would be a sign of social health.
There will be much talk about Meta and brands’ presence in the Metaverse. Consumer creativity will be the new status symbol for the next digital era. Around this human need to be creative, brands will need to create new contexts through technology, naturally. We can anticipate new hybrid experiences and new mixes of reality. Experiential e-commerce and new VR software tools & apps will grow. I would be happy if global digital out-of-home and robotics trade marketing grew for investment reasons.
2021 Review
The financial results were exceptional. We had projects appreciated not only by clients and their audiences. New business was much easier for me; after 13 years in the market, you start to sell more easily and exactly where you have a seat at the table. There’s a natural affinity that spreads. I was happy that the non-Superbet results of the advertising agency are also the best in history. It’s Miruna’s and the team’s merit.
I’d be happy if we could work more on retaining people, although we’re in a dynamic market and we’ve had a rapid growth pace. I’m glad that people we’ve raised or who grew with us are in high demand. That means we had a win-win relationship, and that’s refreshing. Ah, and winning the Electrica Furnizare account motivates us to keep doing good work in a very competitive category.
In branding, Rusu+Borțun Brand Growers worked for tech startups and brands offering experiences. We developed employer branding and CSR branding. Clients included Alka Group, GTC Group, Carmistin, Trutzi Group, Mandy Foods, Superbet Group, Liliac Winery, rebranding for Ideo Ideis, and others still in progress.
Special Projects
The #SuperDavid campaign announcing the global rebranding of Superbet is the metaphorical story of an Eastern startup that fought Goliath and conquered the world. It was a mini-series of 3 spots aired a week apart.
A heartfelt project for Metaminds and the Floare de Colț Association.
I can’t wait to write a case study, but the spot “Come se dice,” from the “bet on your super passion” series for Superbet ambassadors, made a bit of historical justice. We’re discussing with Florin Răducioiu how that 90s quote marked him, and I’m happy that the ad, through humor, changed something in the collective mindset.
The #supersocial campaign for Superbet Romania and the one for Superbet Poland were done in parallel, luckily the flights matched up somehow.
We were happy to bring the statues of Bucharest to life and voice them for the Administration of Monuments and Tourist Heritage.
Campaigns that caught your attention
I really like the 7cards campaign done by Glitch Studio and directed by Bogdan Theodor Olteanu. I would have liked to write it.
From abroad, #wombstories. Well-crafted fiction enhances the less expressed reality.
What did you learn most importantly in 2021?
That working harder is not the same as working smarter. In business, like in sports, performance comes from constant effort and, especially, from breaking the rhythm.”