2025 a fost un an. Și scriu acest articol ca să mă pot întoarce la el ori de câte ori simt nevoia. Ca la un reper. Ca la o amintire pusă intenționat în cuvinte, nu pentru că a fost ușor, ci pentru că a fost necesar.

Am intrat în 2025 cu naivitatea că, după 2024, viața nu mai are ce să-mi ia. Credeam sincer că nu poate exista ceva mai greu. Primele zile ale anului mi-au demonstrat contrariul, fără menajamente. Și totuși, privind acum înapoi, știu sigur un lucru: nimic nu a fost întâmplător. Aveam nevoie de toate aceste experiențe ca să-mi pot regăsi drumul după ce s-a întâmplat în 2024 cu tatăl meu. Și nu numai. Aveam nevoie să mă mai pierd puțin ca să înțeleg unde vreau, de fapt, să ajung.

2025 a fost presărat cu multe momente. Nu toate vizibile din exterior. Nu toate ușor de povestit. Dar toate simțite din plin.

Primele luni m-au prins confuză, obosită emoțional și la limita de a crede că lumea nu funcționează după reguli drepte. Că cei care joacă dur de cele mai multe ori câștigă. Că bunătatea nu este altceva decât o slăbiciune care, mai devreme sau mai târziu, te doboară. Și, inevitabil, într-un context nefavorabil te schimbă în ceva ce mereu ai disprețuit la ceilalți. Pentru prima dată în viața mea, am simțit un strop de bucurie atunci când am aflat că cineva drag „dăduse de greu”. Că karma, în sfârșit, se întorsese.

Linia pe care era să o trec

Acela a fost momentul de cotitură. Momentul în care mi-am dat seama că o luasem pe un drum greșit. Că gândurile îmi ocupaseră inima. Că devenisem cineva de care mă ferisem toată viața să am în jur.

Am știut atunci că trebuie să ies din starea aceea. Să pun pe pauză planurile făcute în trecut, din energia nepotrivită. Să opresc tot ce mă ținea în acel vibe care nu mă reprezenta.

Așa că am început, conștient, să caut lucruri care să-mi schimbe perspectiva. Am citit mult. Nu ca să bifez cărți, ci ca să-mi liniștesc mintea. Am căutat activități care să-mi facă plăcere fără scop ascuns. M-am întors la sală, ca formă de disciplină și de respect față de corpul meu. Am participat la evenimente, m-am expus oamenilor, conversațiilor, energiei, aveam nevoie de dopamina aceea care să-mi amintească faptul că sunt vie. A funcționat. Pentru o perioadă.

La mijlocul verii, însă, viața a lovit din nou. Cu aceeași lecție, spusă total diferit. Încă o dată mi-a demonstrat că cei care joacă dur și pun reward-ul înaintea oamenilor par să câștige mereu. Altfel spus, rezultatul imediat e mai lăudat decât progresul constant, iar managementul prin frică pare mai eficient decât grija pentru oameni.

Și totuși, trăind în trecut ambele tipuri de management, am continuat să-l aleg pe cel din urmă. Chiar și cu riscul de a dura mai mult, chiar și cu riscul de a fi mai greu. Pentru că am învățat că lucrurile construite din frică se prăbușesc repede, iar cele construite cu grijă cresc poate mai lent, dar au fundații solide. Durabile. Adevărate.

Ce rămâne când alegi binele

Ultimele luni din an m-au adus din nou într-o zonă gri. Aproape că mi-am spus că nu-mi învățasem lecția nici de data asta. Întrebările au reapărut. Îndoiala a început să vorbească mai tare. Pe alocuri, am verbalizat chiar ideea că poate ar trebui să mă schimb. Să devin mai dură. Mai rece.

Dar finalul a fost diferit. M-a găsit mai așezată. Mai împăcată. Mai conștientă de cine sunt și de ce nu vreau să renunț la asta. Iar oamenii din jurul meu, cei care au rămas, cei care au venit, cei care m-au ținut de mână fără să-mi ceară nimic, m-au ajutat să rămân așa cum am fost mereu.

Când ești conștient de ambele scenarii și poți alege, magia se întâmplă. Când alegi să te înconjori de oameni și lucruri frumoase, sufletul nu știe să fie urât. Când alegi binele, chiar și atunci când pare că pierzi, câștigi ceva mult mai important: liniște.

Despre asta a fost 2025. Despre alegeri. Despre limite. Despre a nu te abandona pe tine, chiar și atunci când ar fi mai simplu. Și despre asta va fi și 2026. Sau, cel puțin, așa sper.

“Being positionless has always been a winning strategy.” These were the words Pini Yakuel, CEO and Founder of Optimove, used to open the conference I attended in London this week. He talked about Nikola Jokić, the best basketball player in the world, Johan Cruyff, and Royce Gracie, people who redefined the rules of the game and never let themselves be confined to a single role. I could relate to every story he told. Because being positionless isn’t just a sports strategy. It’s a mindset that can shape your entire career.

My Journey: From Customer Care to Business Strategy

Fifteen years ago, I was about to graduate in Marketing when I landed my first job at KiloStop, a nutrition clinic that matched my values and was the biggest in Romania. I started in Customer Care, eager to learn and contribute. But curiosity and adaptability led me forward. Within six months, I transitioned into sales, where I quickly became a coordinator. Two years later, I joined the marketing team as a specialist, and after another two years, I was leading the entire department for a company with a turnover of over €1.5 million.

Looking back, my progress was never about following a set career path, it was about never limiting myself to a job description. I learned by doing, by asking questions, by testing ideas, and by understanding both the big picture and the small details that make a business successful. Of course, no journey is ever just about one person. I owe a lot to Cristian Panaite, who had the courage (or, as I like to say, the madness) to entrust a multi-million euro business to a 27 year old girl. His trust pushed me beyond my limits and shaped the professional I am today.

Two years later, I made the decision to join E.ON as a marketing specialist. It wasn’t an easy decision, but life sometimes forces your hand, my father’s medical diagnosis made me realise that I needed a change. At first glance, some people saw it as a downgrade, but I saw it differently. It was an opportunity for me. I knew that to lead a team in a multinational company, I had more to learn. And I was right. Four years later, I was heading the Digital Performance Team, managing multi-million euro budgets, and experiencing a whole new level of professional growth. At E.ON, the journey is even more exciting, but the lessons I’ve learned here deserve their own story which I’ll share another time.

All these experiences taught me an important lesson: specialisation is valuable, but flexibility is what takes you to the next level.

What It Means to Be Positionless in Marketing

Every step in my career helped me develop a holistic perspective, one that allows me to see the full picture rather than focusing on just one piece of the puzzle. And in marketing, that’s essential. To thrive, you need to understand three key elements: strategy (leadership & vision), execution (team & technology) and the customer (the driving force behind every business decision).

Like Pini said, this is the true essence of being positionless, breaking the traditional work structure and becoming more than just a specialist. Think about how marketing teams often operate. Creatives wait for data. Campaign managers wait for assets. Strategists wait for performance reports. This fragmented way of working slows down progress and creates bottlenecks. But a positionless marketer sees the whole system and knows how to connect the pieces.

To do this, you need three superpowers::

🚀 The power of data – Without clear insights, every decision is just a guess. You need data-driven strategies, not just gut feelings.

🎨 The power of creativity – All the data in the world won’t help if you don’t know how to tell a compelling story that grabs attention.

⚙️ The power of optimization – Marketing is never static. The key to growth is testing, adjusting, and continuously improving.

If you lack one of these, you’ll be stuck. Without creativity, you’re just an analyst. Without data, you’re just an artist. Without optimization, you’re relying on luck.

The Customer: The Starting Point of Every Strategy

No matter how good you are at data, creativity, or optimization, one thing is certain: without deeply understanding your customer, all strategies are just theoretical exercises.

Being positionless means adapting to what your customers actually need, not just what you assume they want. It’s about knowing their motivations, decision-making processes, and how you can create real value for them.

🔍 Understand what truly motivates customers – Not everyone buys for the same reason. Some want the lowest price, others look for security, and some seek a premium experience. If you don’t know what drives them, you can’t create a message that resonates. (Tip: If you want to dive deeper into customer psychology, read “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek.)

💬 Personalize your message – Sending the same offers to your entire database doesn’t work anymore. Customers expect relevant, tailored messages. Use smart segmentation and automation to deliver personalized content.

🎯 Guide, don’t push – People don’t like being pressured into buying. They want to make informed decisions. Create content that explains the real benefits of your product, so they naturally conclude that it’s the best choice for them. “Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller is a fantastic book that teaches you how to craft marketing messages that guide customers instead of pushing them.

📊 Measure and improve – If you’re not analyzing your campaign results, you’re flying blind. Test, optimize, and refine your approach constantly.

Who Are the Winners of the Future?

Nikola Jokić, Johan Cruyff, and Royce Gracie became the best because they understood the full game, not just their individual roles. The same applies in marketing and business. The most successful professionals won’t be those who specialize in just one area, but those who understand how everything connects.

If you’re just a creative but don’t understand data, you have a problem. If you’re just a numbers person but can’t turn data into actionable insights, you have a problem. If you can create campaigns but don’t understand business strategy, you have a problem.

Being positionless means breaking the mold. It’s about taking initiative instead of waiting for instructions. Feeling comfortable in both strategy and execution. Seeing the big picture but also being able to get things done. The future belongs to those who can blend creativity with data, strategy with execution, and vision with adaptability. Those who know how to interact with customers in meaningful ways and deliver the right message at the right time. And most importantly, those who are always one step ahead.

Today, I write with an open heart and want to share with you, dear reader, a piece of my life. I’ve delayed this moment for a while, but now I feel it’s the right time to talk about this project that is very dear to me, as well as the meaning behind it.

I wanted to share this dream earlier, in August, on my birthday, when I truly believed that the first half of my life was about receiving, and the second would be about giving. However, life sometimes has its own plans, and during that period, my father, my greatest supporter, passed away. It was a moment that made me stop, look around, and ask myself many questions. But above all, it wasn’t the moment when I understood true courage—it wasn’t the moment I realized that courage means rising, moving forward, and creating light where there was darkness. This understanding came later.

This project is also about him and I explain you why. In the last months of his life, I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with him and talk about everything and anything. I told him I wanted to do this project. “Don’t hesitate, do it”, he told me. Every day he asked me how things were progressing, how far I had come. When the project was ready, so was he — he left. His last mission had come to an end.

This project is about the lessons he left me. It’s about the masks he never wore out of fear. It’s about the courage to come to me and be vulnerable. Because where there is vulnerability, there is authenticity. No matter how hard the illness was, he never gave up for a moment, never wiped the smile from his face, lived by his own rules and had no regrets. “Dad, what do you want to do, visit, eat or something you never do?”, I asked him once. “Nothing, Mitu, I’ve done what I wanted to do all my life, now I just want to sit quietly.”, he replied.

Today, it’s my turn. Not because the pain has stopped, but because I know he would be proud of me for finding my courage. We were alike in many ways, but never in courage and vulnerability.

A dream turned into reality

This project is not just a website. It’s a piece of my soul. It’s the gift I gave myself at 35, but most of all, it’s the gift I want to give further. It’s a place full of resources and inspiration, created for those who want to grow, to learn, to have the courage to start — whether they are just beginning or looking for a new direction.

I built this space with the thought of all the people who have inspired me, who taught me that success has no meaning if you don’t share it. The people who showed me what it means to be generous with what you know, to not be afraid to give. Throughout my life, I have been tireless. Not because it was easy, but because I dreamed big. I worked with an unwavering desire to learn, to grow, and to give back what I discovered.

This platform is my answer to most of the questions I’ve asked myself in my career. How to learn more, how to make fewer mistakes, how to do things with meaning and impact. It’s a collection of practical guides, real lessons, and stories that, I hope, will help you reach your potential. But more than that, it’s a community. Here, I want to bring together people who, like me, believe in the power of learning and collaboration. And are not afraid to give back.

The first material I worked on during this time was the Instagram Full Pack. This comprehensive toolkit is designed to elevate your Instagram presence with ready-to-use, professionally crafted templates. It’s not just a tool—it’s the product of a year of hard work and dedication, helping me regain my focus, perseverance, and organisation.

A message for you

The true magic of life is that, no matter how hard a period may seem, there is always a thread of light that guides us. Sometimes, it comes from people (grateful to all the people who are staying with me). Other times, we discover it within ourselves.

During these holidays, I would like to give you a message: You are not alone. The light you are looking for already exists within you. All you have to do is have the courage to let it shine. Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Take the first step now, with an open heart and with the belief that good things happen when you choose to believe in them. So, in the spirit of this holiday, I encourage you to be brave. Dare to dream, to create, and to share your light with those around you.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how we interact with others, especially when our values, interests, or beliefs clash. It feels like the world is constantly asking us to collaborate—with people we don’t agree with, don’t trust, or don’t even like. Whether it’s a tense workplace meeting, a divided family discussion, or the polarized landscape we see in politics, the question looms: how do we move forward together when we can’t seem to find common ground?

Am stat să mă gândesc câteva zile dacă să scriu sau nu acest articol. De când mă știu, am evitat să comentez lucrurile care, deși făcute pe lângă manual, păreau să meargă înainte. Știi bancul cu băbuța care nu voia să treacă strada, așa-i? Ei bine, morala se aplica și la mine: nu-mi cereai părerea, nu mă apucam să vorbesc.

Totuși, ce s-a întâmplat weekendul trecut la alegerile din România mi-a ridicat o întrebare grea, pe care vreau să o duc mai departe: De ce preferăm, în business sau în viața personală, oameni care să ne spună doar ce vrem să auzim?

Candidatul Călin Georgescu ne-a oferit o lecție dureroasă. Și nu, nu e despre el personal – e despre cum un om poate manipula conștient o masă de oameni, spunându-le exact ce vor să audă. A folosit toate trigger-ele posibile, emoționale și raționale, pentru a-și atinge scopul. A fost corect? Categoric nu. A funcționat? Din păcate, da.

Business-ul și alegerile greșite

Acum, ia această rețetă și aplic-o în business. Seamănă izbitor, nu? Și în mediul profesional, tot mai mulți oameni au devenit „specialiști” în a spune ce vrea clientul să audă. Și cam atât. Câți „experți” de carton ai văzut în ultima vreme? Fac 2-3 reel-uri, copiază un trend și, brusc, sunt guru în marketing. Își construiesc portofolii pe execuție, nu pe strategie. Pe validarea egoului clientului, nu pe rezultate reale. Iar clientul? Mulțumit. Doar că mulțumirea asta nu înseamnă creștere.

Hai să fim sinceri: nouă, ca popor, ne place să ni se cânte în strună. Ne place să avem dreptate, să nu fim contraziși, să rămânem în zona de confort. În loc să căutăm parteneri de business care să ne provoace, să vină cu soluții reale și să ne scoată din tipare, preferăm colaboratorii „de complezență”.

Dar aici e problema: dacă ai deja răspunsurile și știi ce este mai bine pentru business-ul tău, de ce mai plătești un specialist? Răspunsul ar trebui să fie simplu: pentru valoare adăugată, pentru expertiză, pentru o perspectivă obiectivă. Dar realitatea e alta: mulți clienți nu caută un specialist, ci un executant. Unul care să nu le zdruncine orgoliul și să le confirme toate ideile, chiar și pe cele greșite.

Problema e că această dinamică – în care clientul cere și „specialistul” execută orbește – nu duce nicăieri. Business-ul stagnează. Și nu pentru că ideile clientului ar fi rele, ci pentru că lipsesc curajul și direcția.

Pe termen scurt, toată lumea e mulțumită. Clientul are un „yes-man” care îi cântă în strună, iar „specialistul” își încasează banii. Dar pe termen lung, cine plătește prețul? Business-ul. Pentru că acolo unde nu există viziune, nu există creștere. Acolo unde nu există provocare, nu există progres. Și acolo unde lipsesc adevărul și curajul, se instalează mediocritatea.

Un mesaj pentru cei care „mănâncă marketing pe pâine”… Dacă te regăsești printre acei „specialiști” care spun doar ce vrea să audă clientul, oprește-te. Nu ești expert, ești un executant de lux. Nu construiești valoare, ci doar confirmi niște presupuneri. Marketingul nu înseamnă să copiezi și să învârți cifre frumos colorate într-un raport. Înseamnă strategie, gândire critică, viziune. Și mai ales, înseamnă să ai curajul să spui adevărul, chiar dacă doare.

Un mesaj pentru clienți… Dacă îți dorești un partener de afaceri care doar să-ți dea dreptate, atunci salvează-ți banii și fă lucrurile singur. Dar dacă vrei cu adevărat să crești, caută oameni care să te provoace. Care să-ți spună ceea ce nu vrei să auzi, dar ai nevoie. Pentru că business-ul nu e despre a avea dreptate. E despre rezultate. Despre valoare. Despre progres. Și, uneori, progresul înseamnă să ieși din zona de confort și să accepți adevărul – chiar și atunci când nu-ți place.

Concluzia: E timpul să alegem mai bine!

Alegerea unui colaborator, fie în politică, fie în business, spune mai multe despre noi decât despre ei. Și nu, nu mai avem luxul de a ne minți frumos. Trebuie să învățăm să alegem oameni care să ne ridice, nu care doar să ne cânte în strună. Pentru că, la final, adevărul poate să doară, dar minciuna distruge.

My participation as a juror at Internetics was a fascinating journey through the world of creativity and innovation in Romanian digital marketing.

I had the privilege of seeing and evaluating the work of extraordinary teams, and this experience made me reflect on how performance is achieved in this field. And I admit, it influenced my decision to launch this platform in some ways, but I will talk about that in another article.

Two Main Paths to Success

In essence, there are two main ways to stand out and win awards:

1. One big shot: A marketing campaign or initiative that grabs attention through its immediate and resounding impact, but often fails to maintain the same relevance in the long run.
2. Constant and sustainable progress: A longer and more challenging path, but one that brings lasting satisfaction. This path requires a well-established system of thinking, talented people, trusted partners, and gradual growth, year after year. It is a path that involves fighting resistance to change and managing impatience, but which ultimately leads to a continuously optimized strategy.

For me, constant and sustainable progress is not just a strategic choice, but an ethical and long-term one. It is an investment in the future of a brand, based on the belief in the value of continuous growth and high-quality performance. In a crowded market and an ever-changing digital age, this approach is becoming increasingly valuable and necessary for long-term success.

The Magic of Impact Campaigns

During the competition, I had the chance to analyze extraordinary campaigns that raised the bar in the industry. Retailers have seen spectacular growth in recent years. If ten years ago they were almost invisible, today they dominate the scene with remarkable campaigns.

• Kaufland – Dance Talk: This campaign used dance with “hidden” messages to engage people with hearing impairments. Such an ingenious and well-executed idea, addressing a real problem and bringing undeniable social value.
• PEPCO – Illiterate: In the “Back to School” campaign, PEPCO involved primary school children, who created Social Media posts, writing incorrectly due to lack of correct literacy (“Creoane colorate. Bucurate de pret!”). This was a simple but emotional campaign that resonated deeply with the audience and won 3 Gold Awards.

These campaigns were not only intelligent, but also had a strong emotional charge, without forcing the connection to social causes. It is important not to simply look for “social causes” to tick a box, but to find authentic emotional stakes that brands can support in the long term.

On the other hand, traditional brands and FMCGs seem to be losing ground. The lack of budgets, a coherent digital strategy, and a reluctance to take risks have left them behind. However, a few notable exceptions were KFC and Pate Ardeal – Fainosag, which managed to win Silver.

Key Insights from Jury Discussions

During discussions with the other jurors, I discovered some essential aspects that influence the success of campaigns:

• Adapting entry-per-category: The same case entered into multiple categories, without adapting the perspective, can diminish the real chances of success. It is important to rewrite the entry from the perspective of each category to maximize the chances of success.
• Two main strategies: The smart one, which proposes a strong emotional stake, and the one based on large budgets, with media and influencers. Although ideally you would have both, it rarely happens.
• Generic recipes and influencer fatigue: I noticed how many campaigns rely on generic recipes, without a clear brand idea, using influencers to attract Gen Z, but without a personal voice.

In short, I saw many exceptional digital projects, with strong insights and innovative concepts, that raised the bar for brands and agencies and created memorable experiences for customers.

However, I would have liked to see even more campaigns entered. A few come to mind that would have deserved to be on the Internetics stage as much as the winners. Although many of us do not do this job for awards, I believe that such a competition can set or redefine standards in the industry, and it is a shame not to be an example of “how to do it right” for it.

For those who don’t know, Internetics is one of the most important national competitions that honors digital excellence for brands. Since 2001, Internetics has brought together the online and digital creative communication industry, providing a space for learning, networking, and celebration.