In 2023, strategic creative agency Minio Studio won 11 awards at local and international industry festivals for campaigns designed for Coca-Cola HBC, Ciuc Radler® (Heineken®), CeraVe (L’Oreal Romania), Kaufland Romania and Maker Podcast (Maker Studio).

Projects such as Bring Your Own Magic, #OSăFiePepene, Casa CeraVe, #Mulțumesc and Maker Podcast have garnered recognition at festivals such as Digital Communication Awards, Employer Branding Awards, Romanian PR Award and Webstock Awards.

„It is a real joy to see the appreciation received by our campaigns this year. Each project represents the efforts and dedication of our agency colleagues, our clients, and all the partners we have collaborated with. I can only thank each one individually, enjoy the complexity of the projects we undertake, and appreciate the trust our clients have every time they come to us with a brief” declares Ioana Mucenic, CEO of Minio Studio.

The Bring Your Own Magic campaign has been honored with the following awards:

• Gold – Employer Branding Awards (Best Use of Employee Generated Content)
• Silver – Digital Communication Awards Berlin (Recruiting & Employer Branding)
• Silver – Romanian PR Awards (Employer Branding & Diversity Management)
• Silver – Employer Branding Awards (Best Use of Social Media in an Employer Branding Campaign)
• Bronze – Employer Branding Awards (Best Recruitment Campaign)
• Bronze – Employer Branding Awards (Best Employer Branding Campaign Targeting Gen Z)
• Shortlisted in top 5 – Innovation of the Year (European Excellence Awards)
• Shortlisted – Webstock Awards (Best Creative Idea; Best Integrated Digital Campaigns)

Additionally, the campaign is nominated for the RAD Awards UK in three categories: Candidate Experience, Early Career Attraction, and Graduate Campaign – with winners set to be announced this month.

Minio Studio & Coca-Cola HBC – Bring Your Own Magic – in 23 countries

The international campaign also marks the first collaboration of the local agency with the Coca-Cola HBC brand. The project was extensive, developed from scratch, including concept, structure, identity, EVP, and implementation in 23 countries, with a 360 evaluation.

Bring Your Own Magic is considered a best practice within Coca-Cola HBC due to its results and the innovations it incorporates. ILTP (International Leadership Trainee Program) involved a construction effort, aligning Talent Management, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, and Employer Branding Coca-Cola HBC’s teams, and local teams from 23 countries who conducted local recruitment.

We transformed the recruitment process into a learning experience for candidates and believe it is an innovation in the field of employer branding, as well as an inclusive initiative representative of the company and relevant for the generation.

The campaign attracted six times more candidates than the proposed target, without disappointing those who were not accepted into the program. These candidates received useful materials, personalized feedback after each stage, the opportunity to meet top leaders from Coca-Cola HBC in webinars, and many of them participated in coaching sessions with developmentatl reports and advice that were 100% customized for them.

The campaign attracted six times more candidates than the proposed target, without disappointing those who were not accepted into the program. These candidates received useful materials, personalized feedback after each stage, the opportunity to meet top leaders from Coca-Cola HBC in webinars, and many of them participated in coaching sessions with developmented reports and advice that were 100% customized for them.

Minio Studio & Ciuc Radler® – #OSăFiePepene

O Să Fie Pepene! – this is the creative platform through which we communicated the new option Ciuc Radler® Pepene & Coacăze Negre. This simple and impactful message served as an invitation to our Gen Z consumers to live their summer spontaneously. With the new product launch, Ciuc Radler® 0.0 achieved excellent performance – experiencing growth in volume in a declining market.

The campaign was integrated, featuring multiple communication flights to cover an extended period and allow for periodic optimization. It utilized a mix of SM and digital marketing, TV and content creators.

The launch of Ciuc Radler® Pepene & Coacăze was a successful one. The campaign was aimed at a young audience with a simple message about spontaneous fun, without stress and planning, in other words – „Să Fie Pepene!”

The campaign has a complex architecture, utilizing multiple channels executed consistently and with focus. We achieved our goals and consumers got their dose of FUN, and it was indeed a watermelon!

Last year, the integrated #OSăFiePepene campaign received:

• Bronze – Webstock Awards (Best Integrated Digital Campaigns)

Additionally, it was nominated for the Romanian PR Award (Brand PR – New products and services).

Minio Studio & CeraVe – Casa CeraVe

Casa CeraVe – Positivity ON/Acnee OFF was the comprehensive 360-degree digital campaign that restored self-esteem to young Romanians struggling with acne. The digital user journey culminated in the Casa CeraVe experience (Understand, Boost, Learn, Discover, Share), surpassing the brand’s previous standards through immersive experiences and specialized consultancy.

In the context of launching the Blemish Control range, which aimed to strengthen the brand’s presence in the anti-acne market, we succeeded in creating a brand experience that not only conveyed a commercial message but also contributed to normalizing the discussion and mitigating the psycho-emotional effects of acne for the most vulnerable individuals facing this issue: young people.

Through offline and online actions, we sought to set a new standard in the dermocosmetic segment and demonstrate that there are other ways for quality products to gain consumer trust, not just by concentrating the campaign budget on Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs).

Casa CeraVe managed to be a brand experience not only for those who were able to attend the event but also for all members of their digital communities: from consumers to influencers and medical specialists. In essence, we succeeded in democratizing a brand experience for all young people in Romania by maximizing the digital content created there.

The Casa CeraVe project has been recognized by the industry with two awards:

• Bronze – Romanian PR Award (Brand PR – New products and services)
• Bronze – Romanian PR Award (Communication in the medical sector)

Casa CeraVe also received two nominations at Webstock Awards (Best Experiential Campaigns; Best Integrated Digital Campaigns).

Minio Studio & Kaufland – #Mulțumesc

The internal communication campaign #Mulțumesc by Kaufland addressed two specific needs: supporting employee motivation during one of the busiest times of the year and increasing interest in their internal communication app, Connect, through the generation of organic Employee-Generated Content (EGC). The main objectives were to recognize employees’ efforts, increase the relevance of app usage, and foster a positive atmosphere among employees.

Featuring the charismatic Smiley as ambassador, the project relied on an activation mechanism where employees were encouraged by him to post a photo and a thank-you message for the colleague they worked best with throughout the year on the Connect platform. As a token of recognition, Kaufland provided Christmas sweaters for participants and their colleagues.

The campaign demonstrated that recognizing efforts and building connections among colleagues significantly contribute to staff motivation and retention. This success supports Kaufland’s employer branding objectives and reinforces a positive organizational culture.

#Mulțumesc, the special project created for Kaufland, received:

• Bronze – Employer Branding Awards (Special Projects)

Minio Studio & Maker Studio – Maker Podcast

Maker Studio, part of the Minio group, aimed to be the first agency in Romania to directly involve Gen Z and influencers in the creative processes for content campaigns. Unlike competitors, Maker Studio utilizes content creators in a consultancy role to maximize impact, not just channels or actors.

To generate buzz for its 2023 launch, the agency couldn’t rely on a traditional approach. Instead, they developed a professional video podcast as the main PR tool to showcase expertise in influencer marketing and gain credibility through guest selection.

Also Maker Podcast received an award:

• Excellence Award – Romanian PR Award (Podcast)

Minio Studio – The Most Awarded Agency at Employer Branding Awards

Through the series of awards received at Employer Branding Awards 2023, Minio Studio was also the most awarded agency in this competition.

The industry recognition, client appreciation, and campaign results showcase the agency’s profile as creative problem-solvers and the quality of advertising services provided. Minio Studio’s communication plans are ambitious, extending into 2024.

Additionally, starting this year, Minio Studio is teaming up with Maker Studio, forming a robust group of advertising studios.