Online advertising continued its steady growth in Romania in 2014, when it reached some EUR 25.4 million, according to a study by IAB Romania and PwC Romania. In real terms, the market grew by 7% year-on-year, taking into account only the companies which were part of the study all through 2013 and 2014.

“I believe that if we add the results of future efforts in the industry to this natural 7% growth in real terms, we will have a two digit growth in the next two years. To get there, we aim to have as many players on the market involved in such efforts,” said Ionuț Oprea, president of the IAB Romania association.

The media market continues to be challenging in Romania, and especially the online segment. There is growth potential, but online publishers need to innovate in order to monetize the growing interest from advertisers, said  Bogdan Belciu, partner for management consultancy services with PwC Romania. Online publishers need to rev up their business models and optimize their sales process, as well as focus on mobile and video advertising, along with creating quality content and capitalizing on market opportunities, he added.

In 2014, display formats were still the most popular online advertising formats in Romania, followed by content sponsorships. The telecom was for the sixth year in a row the biggest source of online advertising, followed by drinks and online retail. The latter exceeded the auto segment, which no longer advertised online as much.

IAB Romania and PwC have been putting together the Romanian Online Advertising Study (ROADS) for the last eight years. The full report on 2014 will be available for IAB Romania members in June 2015.

IAB Romania was created in 2006 and brings together the most important companies when it comes to online advertising: media buying agencies, advertising agencies, service suppliers, local and international publishers active locally.

editor@romania-insider.com