What creative device does Romanians are smart use?

Romanians are smart employs Format #3 Symbolize the Problem from Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy. Instead of depicting a direct product solution or testimonial, the campaign represents Romania’s reputational issue through the negative autocomplete suggestions generated by Google. The act of encouraging mass searches for positive phrases serves as a symbolic intervention, turning digital behavior into an analogy for changing collective perception. The campaign’s creative device is rooted in metaphor, using the mechanics of search algorithms as a stand-in for broader societal attitudes, and positioning the ROM brand as a cultural advocate rather than a functional product solution.

What is the campaign proposition for Romanians are smart?

The campaign proposition for Romanians are smart centers on reshaping negative online stereotypes about Romanians by mobilizing both domestic and international audiences to search for affirming phrases. ROM’s strategic positioning leverages national pride and collective action, inviting people to participate in changing the narrative that appears in Google’s autocomplete. This approach matters in the confectionery and snacks market because it elevates ROM beyond product messaging, aligning the brand with a social cause that resonates emotionally and culturally. By activating digital behavior at scale, the campaign connects ROM to a broader movement for positive identity and online reputation.

How does Romanians are smart rank in Clapboard's archive?

Romanians are smart holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 74/100 in Clapboard’s global ad archive. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance as evaluated by Clapboard’s curatorial standards.

Who are the competitors in ROM's category?

In the Romanian confectionery and snacks market, ROM competes with several key brands. Kandia Dulce stands out for its traditional heritage and focus on authentic local flavors, appealing to families seeking nostalgia and trust. Alka targets the mass market with affordable, widely accessible snacks, emphasizing value and distribution reach. Poiana, under Kraft Foods, positions itself as a premium chocolate offering with a focus on indulgence and quality ingredients. Heidi Chocolat bridges mid-to-premium segments by combining Swiss chocolate expertise with natural ingredients, catering to both local and export audiences.

This ROM campaign turned Google searches into a tool for national rebranding—an insight-driven digital campaign — Clapboard's Global Ad Archive.

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Romanians are smart - ROM | Clapboard Ad Archive

Q: What is Romanians are smart about?

Romanians are smart is a digital campaign created by McCann for the confectionery brand ROM, launched in Romania in 2011. The campaign responded to the prevalence of negative stereotypes about Romanians that surfaced in Google autocomplete suggestions. By encouraging people both in Romania and abroad to search for positive phrases like Romanians are smart or Romanians are beautiful, the initiative aimed to influence Google’s search algorithm and shift public perception. Timed around Romania’s national day, the campaign positioned ROM as a catalyst for national pride and digital activism, using online participation to challenge and overwrite derogatory narratives.

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Romanians are smart - ROM | Clapboard Ad Archive

Description

Romanians are smart marked a turning point for the ROM brand and its creative partner McCann in 2011, when the confectionery category became the unlikely front line of a national reputational campaign. Confronting Google autocomplete’s tendency to reinforce damning stereotypes about Romanians, the agency orchestrated a digital movement that asked Romanians and allies across borders to actively search for positive phrases like Romanians are smart or Romanians are beautiful, targeting the search algorithm itself as the symbolic battleground for public perception. Rather than literal depictions of discrimination or heavy-handed patriotism, this work sits squarely in what Clapboard’s taxonomy classifies as FORMAT#3—Symbolize the Problem, where the negative suggestions of a search engine index become the visual analogue for societal bias. By fixing a deadline on December 1st—Romania’s National Day—the campaign fused civic pride with algorithmic activism, harnessing mass digital participation to overwrite the default cynicism of internet culture with affirmations that could, through scale and frequency, change the auto-complete landscape and serve as a visible act of collective self-respect. Leveraging www.romaniansaresmart.com as a digital rally point, McCann’s strategy redirected national discourse about identity from passive complaint to audacious, crowdsourced rebranding, a creative solution that neither ignored the problem nor pandered to it but staged a form of digital protest where every Google search performed became an act of cultural restoration. The ROM brand stood back from product push and instead lent its equity to a social cause, a decision that recalibrated its role in the snacks and confectionery market as a symbol of progressive national advocacy rather than simply a purveyor of traditional treats. The campaign earns 74/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. For an industry still wrestling with the boundaries of brand purpose and the legitimacy of digital activism, Romanians are smart demonstrates how a culturally embedded brand can use symbolic digital actions to catalyze pride, participation, and measurable shifts in public sentiment.