About Roxana Nicolescu, VP Brand Marketing, Wego Middle East

A true marketer at heart, Roxana’s passion for marketing began in college, where she studied marketing strategies and public relations, while simultaneously serving as a junior market researcher for a major advertising agency located in the bustling metropolis of Bucharest.

Roxana’s career journey in her home country, Romania, was rather short. Her ambitions led her to seek out new horizons, and she soon made the bold decision to uproot herself and start anew in Dubai in 2005, where not only she started a successful career journey, but built an entire life. Watching as the city transformed before her very eyes, she carries a deep-seated love for its vibrant culture and energy 

Over the years, Roxana held senior marketing & corps comm roles with several well-known brands in various industries, including aviation, media, and travel tech. Her expertise includes brand strategy development, product positioning, market research, and marketing communications. Roxana has also developed an impressive track record in building brand equity through effective brand management.

Roxana currently serves as VP Brand Marketing at Wego, the region’s largest travel marketplace. She began in this role in October 2017 in Wego’s Dubai office where she focused on developing Wego’s Brand Marketing department as well as played a significant role in expanding the brand footprint across the region.

In 2020 the company launched its cashback rewards online platform, ShopCash, with Roxana leading its identity development and market launch.

About her thoughts for the industry

Sustainability in marketing:

Sustainability has become a must-have approach in marketing in recent years. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of their consumption on the environment and society, and they are looking for products and services that align with their values and have a clear social or environmental purpose. 

They demand transparency from companies about their sustainability practices, they want to know where their products come from, how they are made, and what impact they have on the environment and society. Companies that are open and honest about their sustainability efforts are more likely to build trust and loyalty with customers.

Moreover, there is a growing pressure from governments, NGOs, and other stakeholders for companies to be more responsible and sustainable in their day to day practices.

As a result, incorporating sustainability into marketing becomes not only a responsible choice, but it also builds a positive brand reputation, offers a competitive advantage, and a way to differentiate your brand in an increasingly conscious consumer market. Companies that can demonstrate a commitment to sustainability through their marketing messages are more likely to resonate with conscious consumers.

The rise of AI – will it replace human resources in marketing?

The elephant in every room. 

The future of AI in marketing is incredibly promising. AI-powered technologies are already revolutionizing the way businesses approach their marketing activities, customer engagement, content creation, data analysis and many more. As AI continues to advance, it becomes even more essential for marketers to use these tools to stay competitive and connect with consumers.

But how far can it go? 

While AI has the potential to automate many routine marketing tasks and streamline processes, it is unlikely to replace human resources entirely. Marketing involves many complex and nuanced decisions that require human creativity, empathy, intuition, and critical thinking.

In summary, AI and humans should work alongside each other to enhance and streamline marketing processes, providing valuable insights and automating routine tasks.

Content is still king

Content has dominated marketing for many years for a very simple reason: well-produced content is lasting and engaging.

Content marketing is a powerful way to reach and engage your audience but, like everything else, it constantly evolves. Consumers are not only becoming more selective about what they read, view, share but also about the platforms they use.

To make sure your content is king, before developing your content strategy, it is vital to understand who are you trying to reach, how do they consume content, what are their preferences and what are their challenges, how will your content meet their expectations and address their pain points? 

Its main purpose is not only to entertain, be read, listened to or interacted with but also to help a brand positioning itself as a solutions provider.

If your audience feels like you understand them, they will support you.

This is how you will become a marketing queen.