Value-driven Marketing

What actually makes a product marketer effective? According to Cristina Serban, Director of Product Marketing at Bitdefender, it's a combination of mindset, customer orientation and flexibility.

In this episode, Cristina breaks down the core skills a product marketer needs to work across teams they don't manage (from engineering to sales) and still get the product to market: flexibility, collaboration, and the ability to align people without authority over them. She talks about why customer obsession has to come before feature-building, why most companies overlook product-market fit once the "cool product" is built, and why Bitdefender's own CEO pushes a simple mantra across the company: try fast, fail fast.

We also dig into how Bitdefender built a genuinely global brand out of Romania, in a market crowded with larger players. Cristina points to three things: best-in-class technology, constant innovation and building a genuine relationship with customers instead of a purely transactional one. She also credits the depth of technical talent based in Romania — R&D, research, and product all built locally — as a real structural advantage.

The products that survive the AI era won't be the ones with the most features. They'll be the ones built by teams obsessed with one customer problem, solving it better than anyone else.

AROBS started in 1998 as ten people in an apartment in Cluj-Napoca. Today it operates in 11 countries, has completed 13 acquisitions, and gets roughly 70% of its revenue from outside Romania.

In this episode of the Value Driven Marketing Podcast, I talk with Andreea Marcu, Chief Marketing, Communication and Sustainability Officer at AROBS, about what it actually takes to keep growing past the plateau where most companies in this space stall out.

We get into:

• Why AROBS's "origin story" - Cluj-Napoca, engineering culture, cost-quality balance - worked early on but eventually became too small a container for the business

• Building software products (Optima, TrackGPS, UCMS) alongside client services since 2003 and why that dual model makes AROBS a sharper engineering partner

• Why choosing to work with regulated, high-barrier industries (aerospace, medical, finance) is a deliberate long-term bet, not just a market response

• What changed internally, especially in marketing, after listing on the Bucharest Stock Exchange in 2021

• Integrating 13 acquisitions without fracturing culture or brand

• The brand vs. demand-gen debate, run across three completely different commercial models (services, products, B2G)

• Social Return on Investment - a financial KPI most marketers have never used

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro

00:56 – AROBS's origin and the search for a repeatable inflection point

03:57 – Building software products alongside services since 2003

07:18 – Positioning for regulated, high-barrier industries

10:43 – Differentiating against CEE competitors

12:56 – Going public: the Bucharest Stock Exchange listing

17:20 – Success factors behind international growth

21:15 – Integrating 13 acquisitions without losing brand coherence

24:17 – Why the origin story stopped being enough

29:08 – Marketing's role in value creation, and where AI fits

35:15 – Brand vs. demand gen across three business lines

37:50 – Sustainability, growth, and Social Return on Investment

🎧 Listen to the full conversation and subscribe for more on value-driven marketing.

How did Valentin Radu take Omniconvert from a startup in Romania to a global Customer Value Optimization player working with brands like Patagonia and Orange?

It starts with a bold vision - because "you can't get further than your highest vision." Then it's about following the data, not instinct to find your ICP. It's about constantly seeking the talent to get to the next level, and experimenting "like crazy." These are just some of insights you'll learn of how Valentin Radu grew Omniconvert.

You'll also hear about the challenges he and his team faced as a Romanian company playing on the global stage, what propelled the company forward, and other key lessons learned along the way.

Tune in to hear:

• How Omniconvert found its ICP through data

• What the beachhead strategy is and how it worked for them

• Why founder brand matters as a B2B growth channel

• The North Star metrics that show what's actually working

• How a founder's mental state shapes team and company direction

Valentin Radu is founder and CEO of Omniconvert, an e-commerce growth platform helping retailers grow customer lifetime value and cut acquisition costs.

🔗 Connect with Valentin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentinradu/

🔗 Learn more about Omniconvert: https://www.omniconvert.com/

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In this episode of the Value-Driven Marketing Podcast, I sit down with Angela Troccoli, global marketing executive and author of the upcoming book Signals, to unpack one of the biggest challenges marketing leaders face today: loss of focus.

Angela shares why many teams fall into the trap of constant activity without clear direction, and how that erodes credibility across the organization. From misalignment with leadership to disconnected sales and marketing narratives, this conversation explores what’s really holding marketing back.

You’ll learn:

• Why “doing more” often leads to worse results

• How to rebuild credibility with leadership and sales

• When and how to take a strategic pause

• What a strong marketing foundation actually looks like

• How to balance customer value with business outcomes

If you’ve ever felt stuck in execution mode, overwhelmed by requests, or unsure how to connect marketing to real business impact, this episode is for you.

Pricing is more than the price tag: it’s the one tactic companies have at hand that can have a direct impact on the bottom line.

And price signals to your customers how your brand is positioned, and how you value your 

product or service.

In this episode of the Value-Driven Marketing Podcast, I’m speaking with Caroline Cookson, founder of Cookson Partners and pricing strategist, about how companies can approach pricing more strategically.

During the conversation, they discuss:

• Signs that it may be time to review your pricing

• How to think about customer value when setting prices

• Practical approaches for testing and adjusting pricing in B2B contexts

• How to communicate price increases clearly and transparently

• The role marketing teams can play in shaping pricing strategy

Why do some products immediately make sense to customers, while others struggle to land?

Often, the problem isn’t the product, but the story customers already live in.

In this episode of the Value-Driven Marketing Podcast, I speak with Aurelia from Innate Motion about how market research helps businesses uncover the deeper drivers behind decisions: hidden fears, motivations, identity, and the internal dynamics shaping B2B choices.

When companies understand these insights, they can frame their products and services in a way that truly resonates in their audience’s mind.

We also discuss:

• Why market research is really empathy at work

• The difference between data and meaningful insight

• How to start doing research without big budgets

• The most common mistakes businesses make when trying to understand customers

• How AI is changing research, and where human insight still matters

If you’ve ever wondered why a great product doesn’t always connect with the market, this episode will change how you think about customer insight.

Expanding into the US can open the door to endless opportunities, but success requires the right mix of research, patience, and cultural understanding.

In this episode of the Value-driven Marketing Podcast, host Elena Iordache-Stoica talks with Ted Kohnen, CEO and Co-founder of Park & Battery, a globally awarded B2B marketing agency helping brands turn intelligence into impact.

Ted shares insights from decades of experience working with global brands like Meta, Universal Music, and Thermo Fisher Scientific, revealing what truly drives growth in the US market.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How communication and decision-making differ across US regions

• Why patience and trust are essential when working with US companies

• How to research effectively before entering the market

• The role of compliance, risk mitigation, and cultural nuance

• Channels and messaging strategies that resonate with American audiences

Whether you’re expanding your footprint or just exploring opportunities in the States, this episode is filled with practical guidance and real-world examples.

Elena sits down with Rodger Jones and Bryan Forbes from Bader Rutter, North America's #1 B2B agency, to unpack what it really takes to succeed in the United States.

Discover why direct, action-oriented communication is the norm, how silence in business conversations can be a double-edged sword, and why you need to think of the US as 50 different countries, not one monolithic market.

You'll learn about the key success factors for US market entry: fully committing to your brand story, adapting your positioning for American audiences, testing before scaling, and focusing on outcome-based communications that answer "what's in it for me?"

From SAP's strategic partnerships to Tesco's billion-dollar misstep, Rodger and Bryan share real-world examples of what works and what doesn't. They also provide practical advice on research sources, regional nuances, localization strategies, and why having a US presence builds credibility that opens doors.

Whether you're in tech, services, or B2B, this conversation offers actionable insights on cultural differences, decision-making styles, business etiquette, and the marketing assets you need to succeed.

The UK is a unique market in many respects: it is attractive in its own right, has a tradition of international trade, and can serve as a springboard to other markets.

But it’s also very competitive. To understand the inner workings of this market, how decisions in B2B are made, and how to navigate the specific British communication style and sometimes the humor, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Richard Parsons, Managing Director at True, BBN London.

With over 30 years of experience across blue-chip and startup brands, Richard shares what it really takes for international companies — including Romanian tech firms — to win in the UK market.

Discover:

• The nuances of British communication and business etiquette

• Why context and politeness matter in meetings

• How decisions are made (and who really makes them)

• The importance of brand familiarity and trust

• How to enter a mature market strategically

• Why “just do it” is Richard’s advice for those ready to expand
  

🔗 Connect with Richard: trueagency.com

The United States is one of the most dynamic, diverse, and opportunity-rich markets in the world, but also one of the most complex to navigate.

In this episode of the Value-driven Marketing Podcast, Elena talks with Chris Eifert, Managing Director, US, at Luxid Group, a global B2B marketing agency that helps brands connect creativity, data, and technology to drive growth.

With over three decades of marketing and leadership experience, Chris shares practical insights on culture, communication, and the real investment required to build trust and win clients in America.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How Americans communicate and make business decisions.

• Why local presence and distribution matter for credibility.

• The role of emotional connection and storytelling in B2B marketing.

• Practical advice on adapting your messaging and positioning for the US.

If you would like to connect with Chris, you can find him on LinkedIn.

Discover these articles Chris wrote on market expansion:

• Balancing messaging consistency and local relevance

• Creative that can go the distance

• Team structures that work well for global marketing