Google woos Romanian entrepreneurs, the old-fashioned way

Ziarul Financiar 04.08.2009
US company Google, owner of the world’s biggest search engine, is targeting the Romanian entrepreneurs’ residences, through the classical postal service, by sending personalised vouchers worth 200 RON that can be used to run online advertising campaigns through AdWords, the advertising system operated by Google. Google has operated promotion campaigns in Romania before, but never to such a detail level and involving the use of some "old-fashioned" marketing methods. The envelopes, containing a letter and the 200 RON coupon, are sent from Great Britain, wherefrom Google’s operations on the Romanian market are coordinated. The company has intensified its presence in Romania in recent months, also offering such free ad coupons to companies opening accounts with a domestic bank. Why are the Americans so active on a market smaller than 20m euros considering their online advertising revenues last year topped 14bn euros? "This is an unstable period, when performance-based advertising offers are working as small firms want palpable things," said Ionut Oprea, CEO of IAB Romania, explaining Google’s actions on the Romanian market.