We are #PPGProud of our OSKAR® brand that recently won a prestigious EFFIE® Award for an incredibly successful marketing campaign led by Monica Novac, senior brand manager based in Romania. Let’s hear about her team, their way of work and the success of the “Thank Yourself Later” campaign.
Passionate About Marketing
Having joined us 14 years ago straight out of university as junior brand manager, Monica Novac is now our senior brand manager, Architectural Coatings, Romania.
My job is a combination of analytical and creative thinking. I am passionate about marketing and I plan to play a long-term role in PPG.
Monica is responsible for planning brand extensions and new product innovations; conducting market research; overseeing and analyzing marketing campaigns; as well as developing and supervising ad campaigns for use online and on TV.
But most importantly, she is in charge of leading innovation, deploying the marketing plan and overseeing the budgets of our award-winning Oskar brand.
A Clear Brand Strategy
Monica and her team launched Oskar in 2009, taking it from development to the leading position it holds in the market today. She tells us that Oskar was born as a premium paint brand with a clear strategy that stands for “innovation and the best paint”. The team brings new pioneering Oskar products to the market every year.
As brand manager, Monica feels like the “owner” of the brand.
I’m always acting in the spirit of the original brand strategy, always aiming to grow it more and more.
Launching a Campaign: It Takes a Team
Monica explains that the process of launching a campaign usually starts with a creative brief that outlines all of the details and goals of the campaign. It also contains background info about our company and product, brand guidelines, objectives of the ad, ad budget, the deadline and more.
After receiving and understanding the brief, the creative agency comes up with a number of proposals. This is where the magic starts to happen. Having the right idea that can spark off an inspiring and emotive campaign is essential.
Once a creative concept is nailed down, the production company works closely with the creative agency to make it all happen and to turn the TV ad script into reality.
For the “Buy Oskar Now, You’ll Thank Yourself Later” TV campaign, we filmed for three days in a row – the longest of my career. It was challenging, but in the end, it all paid off.
“Buy Oskar Now, You’ll Thank Yourself Later”
Monica said that the campaign needed to convince customers that Oskar was the best choice they could make. But how can you tell you're making the best choice?
You only know once time passes. This was our key insight for the creative idea: Oskar is a high-quality brand that you’ll thank yourself later for buying now.
The team built a memorable and humorous multimedia campaign that gained traction on TV, social media, outdoor advertising and public relations throughout 2020, helping to strengthen its market position in Romania.
Recognized Among the Best
The “Thank Yourself Later” campaign was recently recognized at the Effie Awards.
Organized by the New York American Marketing Association, the awards are held in individual countries to judge the year’s advertising campaigns that were most effective in meeting or exceeding their objectives.
We were nominated among companies like Samsung, Pepsi, MasterCard and Vodafone, and won a Silver Effie Award in the Durables category.
It was great! The best ad campaigns are those that clearly articulate brand value to their audience, either intrinsically or extrinsically, so I couldn’t be prouder that we managed to do that.
Oskar marketing team and the silver Effie award
“Our Future Looks Bright”
Monica and the team plan to continue using the “Thank Yourself Later” campaign for three years, each focusing on different Oskar product categories.
In 2020, the focus was Oskar SuperWeiss anti-mold paint and Oskar Super Color paint. This year, Oskar SuperWeiss is still a key player, joined by Oskar Ceramic. Next year, the team is working on bringing forward our trims and wood category products.
I am proud to be part of such an amazing marketing team. Together we built this brand brick by brick. You cannot deliver an organization’s goals without an efficient and passionate team.