Nation Branding the Boring Way: Romania at Cannes Lions | Vlad Tonu, ARICE

3 Sept 2026 · 17 min
Boringly Effective

3 Sept 2026 · 17 min

0:00

In this episode of the Boringly Effective podcast, host Andrei Tarnovski interviews Vlad Țonu, a senior official at ARICE (the Romanian Agency for Investments and Foreign Trade), from inside the Romanian Creativity Pavilion at Cannes Lions 2026. The conversation explores how Romania is using a disciplined, long‑term nation‑branding strategy to raise its profile in the global creative economy. Țonu explains ARICE’s institutional role in export promotion: coordinating with industry federations and an Export Council, providing logistical support, and offering Minimis financial aid to firms that attend international fairs. He highlights a recent push for digitalisation and transparency in the application process, aiming to make participation more competitive. The interview stresses the importance of a consistent visual identity – the simple “Romania” brand that will appear on every national stand – and positions seriousness, loyalty and long‑term partnership as the core national positioning. Țonu also discusses the ecosystem of public‑private partnerships that help large brands support SMEs and startups, arguing that creativity is a key differentiator across sectors. The episode concludes with a call for persistent, incremental presence rather than episodic campaigns, asserting that a steady, serious brand image is the most defensible way for a country to compete internationally.

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