16 years ago, Valentin turned his vision into reality and founded our agency, Klain, thus becoming its general manager. Read on and discover how she has evolved and what significant experiences she has gained in this long successful journey.

1. Let’s start with the basics. What position do you have within the Klain team and how long have you been with us?
   Some would say that my role in Klain is the “jack-of-all-trades man”, but for me in recent years it has been to develop and scale the agency, to represent the team and to bring in new clients, those who need and know how to appreciate a team of devoted people who are passionate about online marketing.
   I’ve been in Klain since its inception, driven by the dream to which I put a brick every day.
2. How did your adventure with the Klain team begin?
   From the very beginning, we considered that a team is stronger than a single specialist. That’s why even though I started alone, in a few months I formed a team around the first project in Klain. My adventure started by identifying an online opportunity for the local hotel market and launching the first project that brought a lot of innovation for that period.
3. How do you stay up to date with new trends and technologies in the field?
   It is a challenge to be up to date in the field of digital marketing in the current context, but I follow people in the field daily, read articles and news with news, participate in dedicated events and surround myself with specialist people with whom I debate challenges in the field, the news that emerge or the new trends.
4. How has your vision of digital marketing evolved over the years and how have you adapted to changes in the industry?
   In the more than 18 years since I have been involved in online projects, I have had different perspectives on digital marketing because it has continuously evolved. The biggest significant transformations we felt were in the period 2011-2016, when Google’s algorithms changed and created a wave in this area. Subsequently, the shift of online traffic to the mobile area, in parallel with the increase in interest in Facebook and migrated to Social Media, followed by video content, and now AI.
5. Tell us about an experience where you worked closely with other departments to successfully implement a campaign.
   From the perspective of my role at Klain I had many projects in which I worked closely with the departments in the agency and created successful campaigns for both clients and internal projects. Among the most memorable for me were the campaign “Give a website”, the study “Top 1000 companies in Romania” and the last study, “The importance of the online environment for the development of companies in Romania.”
6. How do you approach defining and measuring the success of a marketing campaign? What are your key metrics?
   The success of a marketing campaign is given by the clear setting of the marketing objective, establishing the action plan, allocating the necessary resources and tracking the implementation.

   Most of the time, my role is to make sure that the agency’s potential and existing clients clearly define the marketing objectives, in relation to the business ones they should have and the results we report on following the implementation of a campaign.

7. What’s the most surprising and unexpected thing you’ve learned in your career so far?
   Wow, that’s a tough question, especially since over the years my role has been from the marketing specialist, to the sales representative, to the manager and later to the CEO. I think the most important thing I’ve learned over the years is that you can’t help a person develop, whether it’s an employee, collaborator or customer, if they don’t have an open attitude and aren’t motivated to develop themselves or the business they represent.
8. How do you prioritize and manage your tasks in a dynamic and challenging environment like digital marketing?
   Every month I look at what I want to develop and how I stand with what I have planned so far. Subsequently, every week I schedule my days and try to work on blocks of time allocated to certain tasks. Every day, in the morning, I check my agenda and clarify what my priorities are for the day. 
9. What are your favorite methods to maintain your creativity?
   I am creative when I work quietly and listen to music, but also when I am in nature.
10. What is the campaign or project you are most proud of and why?
    I am proud of what KLAIN is today and confident in what it will achieve in the coming years.
    
    
11. What do you think will be the future of digital marketing and what elements will be essential?
    In all the transformations that the online environment has had, 3 elements have remained the same, regardless of the communication channels and marketing techniques: knowing the product/service offered (what it offers), defining the target market (to whom I offer) and the reasons for buying, why they should buy from you and not from the competition.
    
12. How do you like to spend time outside of work and how do these activities influence your vision of marketing?
    I prefer to spend my time with my family and close friends. Maybe I have a professional defect, but in discussions with them also in the area of marketing, business and personal development opportunities, I end up in the end.
    
13. What is the tool or thing without which you could not imagine a day of work in your department?
    I work a lot with the agenda and with the planning of the tasks I have, that’s why I start the day and end it with the tablet in my hand.
14. Tell a funny memory with Klain!
    There are many funny moments that I have as memories.  
15. If our team were a superhero, what would be our secret superpower?Our superpower is perseverance and the fact that we are constant in what we do.
16. How would you like to see our team evolve and grow in the next 16 years?
    In the next 16 years, I want the Klain team to develop dedicated teams in the area of online communication, performance marketing and products that bring more value to the entrepreneur in the development of his business.

    16 years ago, Valentin was a visionary who turned an idea into reality and gave birth to our agency, Klain. As general manager, he leads this project with passion and dedication, guiding us on a successful journey that has transformed Klain into what it is today.