Initiative study: Who do Romanians trust with opinions and recommendations

Cristina Blanaru Consumption Habits, Marketing, Studies

Before buying a product or a service, half of Romanians in urban areas trust opinions and recommendations from influencers, whether we talk about family and friends, professionals, journalists, bloggers/vloggers or celebrities. To identify the most effective methods of amplifying their messages in the campaigns run by brands, the Initiative agency conducted, in partnership with iSense Solutions, a study at urban level, analyzing the key influencers’ impact in various consumption categories.

More and more brands are building their communication strategies and campaigns around influencers which they consider relevant to their target, but many times their messages remain limited to a niche and to the channels administrated by the influencer or by the brand. In order to maximize the results of such a campaign we recommend its’ amplification in media, which should be based on an effort of complex understanding over the consumer’s mindset and the impact of key influencers in his/her relationship with that brand

Alexandra Olteanu,

Managing Director Initiative

The main channels which Romanians in urban areas use on a daily basis are social networks (accessed by 80%), TV (74%), radio (55%), online publications (45%), forums (20%), newspapers (19%), blogs (18%), magazines (15%) and vlogs (11%). Youngsters 16-24 yo. follow more than the others social networks (90%) and vlogs (27%), while Romanians aged 45-54 consume more than the others TV (89%) and radio (61%).

Regardless of the sources they used, Romanians in urban areas got informed over the last year especially about the following categories of products and services: technology (78%), food and recipes (72%), holidays and travels (68%), home & deco (62%), healthcare (55%), lifestyle for women (53%), automotive (52%), financial products/services (48%).

It is important to see how the relevance of different types of influencers varies based on each age category because this way we can obtain essential insights for a brand positioning. For example, bloggers and vloggers are more popular among youngsters up to 24 yo., while adults over 45 yo. have more trust in specialists. Word of mouth (opinions from family/friends/colleagues) continues to be very important, regardless of the age of consumers, in all categories of products and services

Traian Nastase,

Managing Partner iSense Solutions

Regarding the personal care products for women, cosmetics and clothing, the main influencers trusted by consumers are: family/friends/colleagues (67%), professionals (53%), bloggers/vloggers (29%), journalists (27%) and celebrities (22%). The study confirms that bloggers/ vloggers/ instagrammers are more relevant to youngsters up to 24 yo. (55%), being the second influencer after family and friends.

As to financial products and services, specialists are the most important influencers for all age categories (73% of total), followed by family/friends/colleagues (50%), journalists (28%), bloggers/vloggers (12%) and celebrities (8%).

Another area in which specialists have the greatest influence (75%) when it comes to buying a product or a service for all age categories is healthcare, the ranking being continued by family/friends/colleagues (52%), journalists (24%), bloggers/vloggers (14%) and celebrities (11%).

For automotive products and services, 69% of Romanians in urban trust recommendations from professionals, 59% rely on family/friends, 27% listen to journalists, 18% – bloggers/vloggers and 11% – celebrities. Thus, youngsters rely more on their family or friends say in this category (59% – 16-24 yo., 65% – 25-34 yo.), and even on bloggers/vloggers (25% – 16-24 yo.), while adults over 35 yo. have more trust in specialists (74% – 35-44 yo., 77% – 45-54 yo.).

Family and friends are the main influencers when it comes to food and recipes (67%), but Romanians also pay attention to specialists (59%), bloggers/vloggers (28%), celebrities (24%) and journalists (21%). For youngsters 16-24 yo., bloggers/vloggers (38%) and celebrities (34%) are more important, while adults over 45 yo. take more into consideration the specialists’ advice (67%).

When it comes to IT&C products and services, 63% of Romanians in urban areas are influenced by the professionals’ opinions, 57% – by family/friends/colleagues, 26% – by journalists, 25% – by bloggers/vloggers, 13% – by celebrities.

Moreover, when planning their holidays and travels, Romanians listen to their family, friends and colleagues (68%). Less important are the recommendations from specialists (43%), journalists (32%), bloggers/vloggers (27%) and celebrities (16%). Professionals (25%) and journalists (25%) are less relevant to youngsters 16-24 yo. who would rather listen to bloggers/vloggers’ opinions (33%).

For home & deco, family, friends and colleagues are the leading influencers (59%), closely followed by professionals (52%), while bloggers/vloggers are important only for 23% of the consumers, journalists – for 22% and celebrities – for 14%.

The survey was conducted by iSense Solutions exclusively for Initiative and included 2,400 evaluations of a representative sample for urban population, 16-54 yo, internet users. The data was collected online through the ResearchRomania.ro panel, in October 2017. The results of the survey have an error rate of +/-4,38%, at a confidence level of 95%.

Initiative is one of the world’s largest independent media networks, delivering specialized services such as media planning and buying, strategy, media consultancy and new media. In Romania, Initiative is part of a communication group which also includes the following agencies – MullenLowe, Golin, Profero, Medic One and BPN.