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The highest honor of Romanian PR, the Romania PR Award, celebrated its 20th anniversary this year as a bold and persistent project that managed to gather under one roof communicators, valuable competitors, enthusiasts and hundreds of PR professionals. Business Review has launched a series of interviews with top PR personalities who have worked in the industry for more than 20 years and have had a major impact on it. How it was and what is expected from the next chapters, you are about to find out.
“All or nothing” is the motto that drives Sorina Mihai, managing partner Porter Novelli, every day, both in business and in her personal life. Half-fulfilled promises, half-fulfilled goals, half-completed projects are neither in her vocabulary nor in everyday life. Her experience shows that only open and undisputed ideas win. She provides strategic oversight of the design and execution of reputation building and marketing communications programs for local and multinational brands. My expertise spans multiple categories including FMCG, telecommunications, consumer electronics, pharmaceuticals, banking and energy.
By Romanita Oprea
How would you characterize the evolution of the Romanian PR industry?
The local PR industry is no longer just media relations: we develop content, have creative teams, planners and offer services far beyond the PR agency since it all started. Locally, PR is still one of the most conservative – but stable – industries in the communications sector; but the past few years have truly been revolutionary for our field. Communicators are constantly challenged by new technologies: the rise of new social platforms and the ever-changing way we use them, the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, and the data-driven search for new metric modes are pushing public relations into new areas of focus.
What was it like when you started?
First, I have to go back and imagine PR without social media and it was often a one-way street, with us spreading the word and no means for the public to respond easily.
Social media has not only changed the way we engage with our societies and the world around us, but it has also changed the way businesses operate.
Looking back, the local PR industry was abuzz. People were motivated and eager to become relevant and shape the local marketing field.
What made you decide to choose PR as a career?
I have been fortunate to find a profession that works for me as a platform that channels both: my enthusiastic and communicative nature and my passion for culture and media.
What do you think were his most interesting years and why?
I would say that the last few years: in addition to social justice movements, the pandemic and the evolving climate challenges, the ongoing transformation has had a profound impact on how we work, when we work, where we work and what is important to us: our purpose.
What have been the main changes in the last few years?
Clients demand from agencies a wider range of services beyond traditional PR. To meet this high demand and growing range of services, it is critical for agencies to invest time and energy in creating an environment that fosters both professional and personal growth. Otherwise, we are at risk of seeing the best talent leave our industry.
How would you characterize the industry right now?
There is a growing interest in evaluating public relations efforts with hard data. We may be less concerned with superficial measures like reach and engagement and more concerned with the revenue impact of each campaign’s efforts. To succeed in this uncharted territory, it is critical to have honest discussions with clients to determine the parameters of success for each campaign.
What would you change about the industry and why?
What is good for the community and the land should not conflict with what is good for business. There has been significant progress in diversity and inclusion both inside and outside agencies in recent years. We need to be engaged with the community as a whole and encourage different narratives. Telling our clients to appropriately represent their target audience is paramount as there will be an increasing consumer expectation that businesses will be active members of the communities in which they do business.
What were and still are your main goals for Porter Novelli?
In the near future, we aim to make more businesses focused on corporate goals, sustainability and the environment rank as the most important social issue, and ESG is one of the best investment areas.
We strive to explore, be aware and open to change with new ways of doing things and new technologies that will help our partners achieve their goals. The key to the business I run is adaptability: the faster you adapt, the better your company can help promote the brands you represent.
What has changed over the years for you and your perspective on PR? Why?
Metrics and Data: There is a growing interest in evaluating public relations efforts with hard data. We may be less concerned with superficial measures like reach and engagement and more concerned with the revenue impact of each campaign’s efforts. To succeed in this uncharted territory, it is critical to have honest discussions with clients to determine the parameters of success for each campaign.
What do you see as the main challenges in the industry right now?
Retaining key talent continues to be the biggest challenge and priority, followed by motivating younger staff and developing young staff.
How do you top them at Porter Novelli?
Over the years, we have invested in the right people and given them the freedom to produce, yielding favorable returns. Since 2022, our creative department has started collaborating with content creators on TikTok and other social media platforms in an effort to discover and support new and upcoming talent. Bringing in a creator or two early on and involving them in the brainstorming process is another way to ensure a successful campaign.
What still inspires you and gives you drive and joy in PR and why?
There is a lot of agony, self-doubt and hard work that goes into running a successful business, but there is always a collective effort.
My inspiration comes from my close team: they teach me that change is the only constant in life. Together with them, Porter Novelli Romania has become a PR consulting agency that touches almost every aspect of business and has helped reinvent traditional communication as we know it.
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