The influencers had initially participated in a campaign that appeared to be funded by Moscow to boost Stoianoglo’s presidential aspirations. Their actions raised significant concerns about the integrity of political discourse in Romania, particularly regarding accepting foreign payments for political endorsements.

After facing backlash from the public and media, Mocanu, Sterp, and his brother swiftly distanced themselves from the campaign. In their apologies, they expressed regret for their involvement and acknowledged the potential implications of their actions. The influencers emphasized that they did not fully understand the political ramifications of promoting a candidate with ties to foreign interests.

Also, the Romanians denied getting any financial compensation for their endorsement, but they did it for a friend who works for ALxandr Stoianoglo’s campaign. On NOvember 3rd, Moldovans will vote for the presidential elections in a confrontation which oppose Stoianoglo to Maia Sandu, the current president.

Deleting their promotional videos signifies a broader trend among influencers who are increasingly aware of the potential fallout from engaging in politically charged campaigns. This incident also underscores the delicate balance influencers must maintain between personal branding and the ethical considerations of their endorsements.

The public response has been mixed. While some have praised the influencers for taking responsibility and retracting their endorsements, others remain sceptical about their motivations. Critics argue that such actions may be more about protecting their reputations than genuine remorse for influencing public opinion.

This episode highlights the complexities of influencer culture in Romania and raises important questions about accountability in social media marketing.

As foreign influence continues to be a contentious issue in Eastern European politics, Mocanu, Sterp, and his brother’s actions serve as a reminder of the power and responsibility of social media personalities in shaping political narratives.

The post Romanian Influencers Face Backlash Over Political Endorsement of Socialist Candidate in Moldova appeared first on Valahia.News.

Following the EURO 2024 group stage, the team analyzed the updated Instagram followers of this year’s teams to find out who has gained the most followers, both in percentage terms and in absolute numbers.

Turkey’s Arda Güler has gained the most followers (+1.093 million); in percentage terms, Romania’s Florin Nita (+267.45%) has seen the most significant increase.

Nita had excellent interventions with Belgium, Ukraine, and Slovakia, the teams Romania had to play against in Group E, which attracted new followers to his Instagram account.

According to the results of our analysis, percentage-wise, the top 5 gainers are: 

Turkey has gained the most followers overall – its players have gained 2.12 million followers since the start of the tournament. Germany has gained the second most followers, with an increase of 1.714 million.

Team members and their followers on Instagram

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) is the most followed player on Instagram, with over 631 million followers and potential earnings of $6.3 million per post. Ronaldo is the most followed person on Instagram, second only to @instagram, which has 673 million followers.

Of this year’s national teams, the second most followed player on Instagram is Kylian Mbappé (France), with over 118 million followers and potential earnings of $1.182 million per post.

Third place is Toni Kroos (Germany), with 47.6 million Instagram followers and potential earnings of $476,000 per post.

The post EURO 2024: Romania’s GK Florin Nita Has Highest Percentage Increase in Instagram Followers among All Footballers appeared first on Valahia.News.

Threads app is a Meta product. It resembles (this is to avoid saying it is a carbon copy) X (ex-Twitter). Its functionalities, design and UX/UI remind every user that those who developed the app had just resigned from X at that moment.

With 100 million users in just five days, Threads has become the app with the fastest growth in history. Impressive, right? Yet, there is a reasonable explanation for this.

Threads is easily accessible by all the logged-in Instagram account users. It’s enough to log into Instagram and select Threads. You’ll be prompted to follow your Instagram friends and accept a few conditions, and that would be all it takes to have your own Threads profile.

It is now an opportunity for individuals, but primarily companies, to grow on a newly launched social media platform. Despite criticism that Threads is carbon-copied after X, the former Twitter, at the end of the day, it is a platform developed by the experienced Meta team that offers an opportunity for social media creators worldwide. We have been using Threads for our US clients for quite a while and are pleased with the results. The European launching of Threads this Thursday released one ample opportunity to grow our EU clients further. Creating, using, managing, and handling your Threads account is easy.

One big minus, though, from our perspective as one of the social media agencies in Romania: it is not yet integrated with all the platforms we use to automate content publishing on social media. And this affects the activity of any agency involved in social media management.

Laura D, social media expert @ TUYA Digital – SEO & Digital Marketing

It might be copied after X, as the same sacked employees have developed it from X when Elon Musk saw the job at X could be done with 20% of the original employees. It also might be so successful and have this enormous growth only because all Instagram users can create one Thread account for free. But, as experts say, it’s just another opportunity for everyone who wants to grow their awareness, whether individuals or companies.

A conclusion? Threads might not be able to replace TikTok, for example, in users’ preferences, but it will be a significant app by the number of users. This means yet another opportunity for advertisers to push their content and offers to social media consumers in Europe and worldwide.

The post Threads App Available in European Countries appeared first on Valahia.News.

Following an analysis conducted by unknown entities and individuals, the conclusion is that this application presents security risks. Several problems have been identified: the platform reserves the right to delete information, it shares collected data with third parties, and it also collects device data such as phone numbers or SIM card codes, and data can be stored anywhere.

Also, Romania’s Minister for Digitalization, Sebastian Burduja, didn’t exclude the possibility of forbidding TikTok altogether for the whole population.

I don’t think there can be a problem with banning the download of an application at the level of the common citizen. As a liberal, I am allergic to the word forbidding a man if he wants it. This does not mean that we will not carry out a process of informing Romanians about the possible risks to which they are subject. We will see how things develop

Romania’s Minister for Digitalization, Sebastian Burduja, on the possibility of banning TikTok for the whole population

TikTok representatives argued that the analysis led to false results and that TikTok doesn’t collect more data than any other app.

We are disappointed by this recommendation, which appears to be based on inaccurate information about our platform and what data we do or do not collect. Independent security experts have repeatedly concluded that we collect no more data than typical applications. The information users choose to provide us and the information that helps the app work is collected to help us operate safely and improve the user experience.
Our users’ data is securely stored in the US, Singapore and Malaysia, and we are opening new data centers in Europe. We are committed to being transparent about our practices and detailing what data we collect and how we use it. In addition, we have already interacted with the relevant authorities to provide them with the necessary information, and we are still ready to discuss to clarify any concerns.
Some of the information in the report describing the data that TikTok allegedly collects (such as keystrokes, device IMEI, SIM card serial number or GPS location) is false, as we have explained several times.

TikTok Press Release

According to studies on social media in Romania, TikTok has more than 7 million users above 18 in the country, which makes it one of the leading platforms.

TikTok users don’t like the authorities’ movement to ban their favourite app. For them, it doesn’t matter which app collects their data, American or Chinese. Besides, the lame representation of the American Congressmen while hearing Shou Zi Chew in the Senate made them conclude: the only fault TikTok has is that it is not American.

Silly questions of the congressmen, such as “Is it true that TikTok has access to the internet?” or “Is it true that the Communist Party controls the app?” made TikTok users perfectly understand the situation.

We live in times when slogans like “Huawei is the wrong way” can be pretty convincing, especially when the American Embassy says it. Such slogans determine Governments to give up better solutions for allied ones. These are times of economic and real war, and those who cannot adapt are the ones who suffer the most.

Romania will take an official decision soon, and the TikTok app will be forbidden on states’ smartphones. It might even boost the public clerks’ productivity, but you never know.

The post Romanian Authorities to Ban Tik Tok on Smartphones of State Employees appeared first on Valahia.News.

Businesses use social media and in 2022 this might sound like a redundant statement. However, Romanian companies rank worst in the EU in this category, with only 36% claiming to use at least one form of social media.

The countries where companies are utilizing social media the most are Malta (84%), followed by Sweden (80%), the Netherlands (80%), and Finlands (79%). Companies in Eastern Europe seem to have a lower percentage of using social media platforms. In countries like Slovakia (39%), Bulgaria(39%) and Romania (36%), social media platforms are not very popular among companies.

The statistics results are rather odd because Romanian consumers use online platforms on a daily basis. Social media is an accessible way to promote any kind of business and is practically among the most popular forms of advertisement globally. Nowadays, in order to be known as a company or to sell your product or service, your presence on social media is critical and essential. The problem in Romania is that many companies are unaware of the social media impact and still rely on old advertising methods. This is definitely a big challenge when it comes to position yourself on the international markets.

Emma Hermeneanu, TUYA Digital social media manager

Compared to 2015, 59% of EU businesses reported using at least one sort of social media in 2021, an increase of 22%. Still, Belgium and France saw the most significant gains (each by 31%), followed by Latvia (30%) and Finland (29%). Regarding Romania, the percentage of businesses using social media climbed from 25% in 2015 to 36% in 2021.

According to Eurostat data, social networks—including Facebook, LinkedIn, Xing, and others—are more widely used than any other kind of social media platform. Approximately 56% of EU businesses utilize social networks to interact with customers by building profiles, exchanging stories, expressing opinions, exchanging information, and creating communities centred around firm brands composed of people with similar interests.

This section is powered by TUYA Digital – SEO & Digital Marketing agency.

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According to the Electronic Public Procurement System, the main objective of Romanian tourism publicity made by the social media influencers is to promote city-break excursions.

The Romanian Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism intends to promote Romania’s tourism through the eyes of the influencers. The Ministry expects to receive excellent and unique ideas from social media influencers until July 28.

It’s a fantastic opportunity for the tourism of Romania because we need to be more visible. Our country has so much beauty, yet it’s not as explored as it should be. Influencers are a great choice simply because people usually tend to follow them because they admire their personalities, beliefs and the content they share. They build credibility and trust, so, understandably, people tend to rely on the information given by them. Promoting something in a more lively and relatable manner is very important nowadays, so influencers are a powerful tool indeed because this way, we can reach a larger audience that may become interested in travelling to Romania.

Emma Hermeneanu, Visit Bucharest project manager

Another goal is to use influencers’ online networks to drive as many people as possible to the Ministry’s social platforms and the website romania.travel. This year’s selection process will take place between September and October, focusing on three different types of influencers: micro-influencers, who have less than 100,000 followers, macro-influencers, who have between 100,000 and 1 million followers, and mega-influencers, who have more than 1 million.

Influencer posts must be genuine, factual, and free of misinformation. Comparisons of Romania’s tourist spots with those of other countries must be fair and constructive, and they must not be done in a way that denigrates Romania.

Applications must include all pertinent information regarding the development of the strategy, nominations of influencers from Romania and across Europe for each indicated category, whose profile should match the entire campaign, and other information regarding evaluation criteria and costs.

Even though Romania is one of the best countries to visit regarding beautiful natural sceneries, fantastic architecture, and delicious food, the tourism segment does not meet the expected standards, in fact, it is way below them. The idea encourages Romania’s tourism to expand through social media. It is an excellent opportunity for influencers and a necessity for Romania’s tourism. Since social media is a constant presence in everyone’s lives, it represents an important platform for promoting Romania abroad.

The post Romanian Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism Hires Influencers to Promote Romania appeared first on Valahia.News.

The Romanian press criticizes the wave of positive reactions coming from Russia and the Asian countries, presenting it as proof that Romania’s PM, one of the least popular politicians, buys likes and positive reactions to his posts from the foreign social media farms.

These “friends” don’t seem to be Romanian, right? These accounts are all foreign, like most of the positive reactions. Some even love the Romanian Prime Minister.

We cannot overlook the fact that the same kind of Asian accounts also offers negative reactions to the same posts.

Over a thousand negative reactions come from accounts in Asia. Interestingly enough, these captures were taken from a post about the commemoration of the fire victims at Colectiv nightclub, an incident that shook Romania in 2015 and even ousted the then PM from power. But the story goes on for all the recent posts of the Prime Minister, and the Asian fake accounts seem to like, love, or hate each of his posts, no matter the subject.

Why is this happening now?

The political crisis in Romania is prolonging. Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis refused to designate another PM until the political parties assumed a majority. Currently, the most probable coalition is between the left and right: the main leftist political party, PSD – Social Democrats, and the main rightist party, PNL – National Liberals. Both want to be offered the PM position by the President, both fighting to get the best ministries possible.

Currently, the reformist party USR was left aside. They may enter the Opposition soon. Also, the nationalist party, AUR, seeks to hold a firm place in the Opposition and does everything to grow.

Who is interested in putting the interim PM in a bad light and using the infamous social media and click Asian farms? This question, as more others regarding politics, will probably remain unanswered. What matters the most is for the people to tell the right from wrong and the fake from real.

The post Romanian PM’s Facebook Page Trolled by Asian and Russian Accounts appeared first on Valahia.News.

Young people (18-24 years old) choose videos (72%) and Instagram stories (45%), whilst individuals 35-44 years old prefer live streaming (19%). People aged 45 to 55 are interested in posts from their favorite brands (44%), as well as 360-degree photographs and movies (29%). People over 55, on the other hand, continue to value articles (61%) and audio content (33%).

Romanians used the internet to a larger extent than in prior years, according to the same source. As a result, they were more active on platforms (53%) and social networks (48%) and made more payments (55%) and online purchases (52%).

Because of the limits and difficulties they faced at this time, they read news online more regularly (48%) and watched movies and series more frequently (43%).

At the same time, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, urban Internet users in Romania accessed social media mainly to spend their free time, to relax (65%), but also to keep in touch with loved ones (64%), reasons found especially in adults over the age of 45. 

Working in Social Media, I noticed that nowadays people spend more than 2 hours a day on internet. So it’s important for companies to promote their businesses on social media platforms, where their buyers spend soe of their leisure time. Instagram remains the most used platform among young people, which is to be taken into account by the business owners who address this category.

Cătălina N. from TUYA Digital, Social Media Specialist

However, Romanians also continue to watch TV. According to the same study, 64% of the respondents watch TV with their family, and 41% of them confessed that in the last year, they watched more TV or online programs for children than they did before the pandemic.

Between September 8-15, the online survey of 805 people over the age of 18 was conducted by Spark Foundry media agency.

The post In Romania, Facebook Is the Most Widely Used Social Media Platform appeared first on Valahia.News.

The focus of FameUp is those people who have an Instagram account with 500 to 10,000 followers and who follow some basic conditions. 

Recently, FameUp received 2.5 million euros funding from the local investment fund Early Game Ventures (EGV) and Daniel Dines, the founder of UiPath and the richest Romanian man, plus other businesses and investors. The sum is needed to enter the US market next year, the greatest market for any technology product., but also to expand to other platforms, as now it is available only for Instagram. Obviously, the first targets are TikTok and Facebook.

What does FameUp do?

The application automates the entire process of a collaboration between a brand and influencers, from their recruitment and campaign management to the briefing, billing, and payments to influencers.

FameUp is a platform open to anyone, not just celebrities and influencers. It allows those with a small number of followers on social media platforms to participate in campaigns and earn a certain income.

On the other hand, FameUp is about helping the small companies, the ones that don’t afford to pay large sums for influencer marketing. Now they have an army of micro-influencers to help them with small fees.

How do you create your account on FameUp?

The account creation on FameUp is equally simple whether you represent a company or you are a micro-influencer.

Here we present the account creation process for companies, as they would be more interested in taking advantage of such a platform.

Step 1: Select whether you are a brand or an influencer

Here you only need to select whether you are a brand or an influencer. Based on your choice, the registering process takes a different path.

We selected we are a brand. In fact, we really are and we are definitely looking for micro-influencers to help us with growing different brands.

Step 2: Inserting your phone number or your e-mail

Step 3: Typing your brand’s name

Here you have to type the name of your brand. It’s pretty easy, isn’t it?

Step 4: Inserting your brand’s logo and your location

The brand logo helps the local influencers better recognize your brand. Also, the location helps the app show your listing to the influencers in a certain area or country.

Step 5: Insert the contact details of the person to represent your brand in relation with the influencers

Now you can see and contact the local influencers!

How does FameUp work?

The application is of the opted-in type. Local influencers apply to be part of the FameUp community. There is a set of rules that must be met, and once they are accepted, they can apply to various free offers and paid campaigns, or they can be approached directly by brands through collaboration requests.

For a brand, there are four simple steps for a campaign through FameUp:

1. You choose the type of communication you want (Instagram posts or stories);

2. You present the brief to the audience, what you want influencers to do for your brand (text, tags, videos, photos);

3. You choose the influencer’s target

4. You establish the campaign’s budget, based on the number of influencers you want and the number of posts/stories they have to take.

At the end of each paid campaign, agencies receive a report from FameUp with campaign performance indicators and a detailed list of results.

We would definitely use FameUp to give our digital marketing campaigns a boost. In fact, our clients do ask us on a regular basis about this kind of micro-influencer campaigning and so far there was no automation behind the process of identifying, contacting, hiring, paying the influencers and getting reports. FameUp comes at the right moment for us and for the clients we represent in Romania.

Valentina C., Social Media Manager at TUYA Digital – SEO & Digital Marketing

The benefits of FameUp for the micro-influencers and small companies

For local brands that don’t have a big campaign budget, this app is perfect. FameUp is a channel where brands can connect with micro-influencers instead of large ones. They can promote their business with a dozen of influencers for a small amount of money, or without money, if they offer free products or services.

This app offers the chance for micro-influencers, the ones that have over 500 followers on social media, to benefit from products, services, and even money from the time spent online.

From a marketing agency point of view, this app is a useful tool to promote clients on a new market through a large number of influencers, but without costing a fortune.

This section is powered by TUYA Digital – SEO & Digital Marketing agency.

The post FameUp – The Next Platform for Influencer Marketing appeared first on Valahia.News.

Why is Social Media Day celebrated?

Social Media Day is celebrated around the globe to highlight the importance of social media platforms and the impact they have on our lives. It can be used to connect with strangers, friends, family, and as a source of news, shopping, and entertainment. Social Media Day is a day for people to celebrate and enjoy the positives these platforms bring to us.

Look how social media helped us during this pandemic! In that period, we were in lockdown and the only possible way to communicate with people who were not in your house or neighborhood was through social media. Also, people could share their experiences and thoughts with others.

It`s incredible how you can connect with a person from every part of the world in a click-matter of time and for this reason we celebrate social media. And if we don`t celebrate it, I mean the people who use social media daily to reach consumers and to grow businesses, who will?

Valentina C. – Head of Social Media Marketing at TUYA Digital

How to celebrate Social Media Day? 

Well, it`s simple! Post a photo on your account, use a hashtag related to social media (#SMDay), let other people know about this, spread knowledge. If you had an idea of a photo or a video, now it`s the right time to post it. Honor social media by being a part of it. Who knows, maybe you`ll go viral.

You can try out new social media platforms. There are so many out there waiting to be discovered by you. Do you have Facebook? Download Instagram. Did you like Musical.ly? Try out TikTok. You don`t know unless you try.

How many social media users are out there?

Now that we looked into the history and meaning of Social Media Day, let`s see how the social media platforms are doing.

According to statista.com, the number of social network users worldwide in 2021 is 3.7 billion.

Here are the number of users (in millions) on different social media platforms:

Market leader Facebook was the first social network to surpass one billion registered accounts and currently sits at more than 2.79 billion monthly active users. The company at the moment owns four of the biggest social media platforms, all with over one billion monthly active users each: Facebook (core platform), WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram.

Most top-ranked social networks with more than 100 million users originated in the United States. Yet, services like Chinese social networks WeChat, QQ, or video-sharing app Douyin have also garnered mainstream appeal in their respective regions due to local context and content. For the rest of the world, they created TikTok, an international version of Douyin.

If you want to find out more about social media on the Romanian market, check out the article in the link.

Do you celebrate Social Media Day? Post a picture with #SMDay and show your appreciation for social media networks.

This section is powered by TUYA Digital – SEO & Digital Marketing agency.

The post Social Media Day: June 30, 2021 appeared first on Valahia.News.