Crafters: Communication tends to be more conversational and human

AdHugger continues the series about the Romanian PR industry with Alexandra Enachescu and Oana Odobescu, Co-Founders Crafters, and talked about the impact of the new technologies, AI, VR, what the future will bring, the agency’s imput and how it deferentiates on the market.

PR and the new technologies, including VR, AI etc. What are your favorites for the future and why?

Alexandra: Like most people in the industry, I closely follow what is happening with artificial intelligence (AI) and the complexity that a tool like ChatGPT can reach. I believe AI can shortcut and organize very well some important (and time-consuming) areas of communication, such as research, translating, and interpreting certain messages or materials etc. But, like any technology, it can be used for better or for worse; it can be put to work to ease our lives or produce work that we take for granted. Our responsibility is immense in this context.

I also follow speech-recognition technologies, which allow us to transcribe discussions more easily and with increasing accuracy—discussions on which we base the content we take from clients or other strategic people on the client’s side. We have a strongly client-centered approach, focused on producing content that is as connected as possible to the business and brand of the clients we work with. This involves having frequent direct conversations with them, so we deal with a large volume of information that needs to be transcribed afterwards and edited in the best possible way.

What has changed for the better in recent years in PR in Romania?

Oana: Communication tends to be more conversational and human. PR – at least at an entrepreneurial level – is less about creativity (for the sake of creativity) and more about consistency. It is less about “talking someone into something” and more about building long-term relationships. At least from where we stand.

In recent years, I’ve also noticed a growing interest among entrepreneurs in starting their communication journey with a strategic plan in place. This indicates that entrepreneurs—at least those we interact with—have a better understanding that communication and PR are long-term commitments, not a hit-and-run exercise. I’m happy to see that they proactively seek clarity, coherence, and consistency instead of just “something viral,” “a Facebook page,” or a “TikTok account.” This represents a shift in mindset, and that’s a significant win for the industry.

Another win is that, over the last five years, I’ve seen more professionals starting their own agencies—small, but highly skilled teams that challenge the status quo of the industry. A new wave of communication pros is on the rise. 😊

What about for the worst?

Alexandra: The increasing rush to do influencer marketing, without properly discerning both the relevance of the tool and, especially, the people chosen to be associated with the brand.

The hustle—and the pressure felt—to be everywhere, at any cost, without considering relevance, priorities, the resources involved, or answering the question “why are we doing this now and not something else.” Closely related to this is the desire to follow trends just for the sake of following trends.

The attempt to have everyone create empty personal brands, without first asking ourselves what we have to offer, what we have to say, whether we have an educated opinion, whether we can bring added value, with the brand and reputation becoming a natural consequence of these things.

What is your approach and differentiating point at Crafters?

Oana: We are focused on bringing added value to everyone we work with, whether directly or indirectly: clients, colleagues, journalists, and the people we target with our communication action plans. That’s why we prefer our communication solutions to be pragmatic, strategic, and deeply connected to the business’s reality and context. This is something that entrepreneurs seem to value as well! 😊

How is your headline translating in your work?

Alexandra: “Crafters of in-depth communication” means, very concretely for us, that we carry out our work with meticulousness and care, that we connect with our clients’ brand and business, and that we treat communication as a way to bring value to others. We prefer relevance over glam, superficial, or so-called creative solutions which cannot be implemented later. We don’t take shortcuts, we don’t do things just to check off tasks at the end of the day, and we don’t leave things half done.

This philosphy is also reflected in our processes and our day by day work: we don’t skip the communication strategy process, we take time to make customer development interviews with our clients’ ideal audience and properly listen to them, we believe in quality content and a work that sometimes means going the extra mile or being honest about expected results.

It’s our way of distancing ourselves from what is often criticized in our industry, and, in fact, from what made us think twice some time ago when we chose to continue down this path of communication and PR.

What are clients looking for?

Oana: They are looking for a partner. Someone who understands their pain points as entrepreneurs, managers, and individuals. Someone who has the know-how and the soft skills to guide them through the noise of marketing, PR, and advertising. Someone they can trust.