Behind every standout campaign lies a powerful insight and a creative story, and Adrian Păsărică’s journey from violin prodigy and radio DJ to award-winning marketing director proves just that. With roots in visual arts, storytelling, and music—and a passion sharpened by international exposure and global accolades—he brings a creative’s intuition to a strategist’s role. His background isn't just colorful; it’s a key ingredient in shaping brands that win hearts, drive prosperity, and gain international recognition in the process.

In Adrian’s world, creativity isn’t a bonus—it’s the core. His knowledge of the creative craft—from retina to well-trained ear—is matched only by his hands-on talent for making things happen. He knows how to read between the lines of a copy, an Excel sheet, or a music file. Adrian is one of the finest and most educated clients: he understands and actively takes part in the creative process, embedding it flawlessly into business strategy.

This is why, at the 20th anniversary of The Alternative School—an initiative for cultural cross-pollination and private diplomacy supporting Romanian talent abroad—Adrian receives the titles of “Client of the Year” and “Knight of the Order of the Creative Angel.”

1. WHAT WOULD MAKE YOUR SOUL SING? WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

I've always loved visual art, from the old classics to the new digital and interactive stuff. I also enjoy stories, but music has this amazing power to just instantly put me in a certain mood, maybe even more than words can. When I was a teenager, I was really into electronic music, but lately, my 16-year-old son has gotten me listening more to alternative rock and trip-hop.

2. A CHILDHOOD STORY THAT ANNOUNCED THE CREATIVE PERSON YOU ARE TODAY  

When I was six, before starting first grade, I took one of those music talent tests, like a lot of kids did. Next thing I knew, a couple of weeks later, I was playing the Ciuleandra on the violin! I also liked to draw. My mom, my aunt, my grandma, pretty much everyone on my mom's side of the family is into painting and visual arts. My grandma was super talented at embroidery, and she made almost everything crafty in the house with her own hands. But more than anything, she was an amazing cook. Growing up in a town on the border in the northwest, nothing my grandma made was boring – it was this awesome mix of German, Hungarian, Romanian, and Ukrainian food. And my mom is just the same for my two kids, Ervin and Amelie. She spoils them with plum dumplings, mushroom soup, or duck with red cabbage in the oven whenever we go visit Sighet. Later on, because I was really into computers and music, I started messing around with the first music editing and production software. And after about ten years working in radio, TV, and showbiz... I ended up in advertising. I've been fascinated by advertising since I was just a little boy. I can still recall Hungarian or German TV commercials, aired on foreign TV channels back in time. And when it comes to the first ads they showed in Romania after '89, I can still hum dozens of them. I love advertising, and ever since I moved to Bucharest, I've fallen even more in love with it every day. The people I've been lucky enough to meet have played a big part in that, from my first colleagues at the Mercury agency to everyone in the industry I've worked with and learned from. It's so important to have good guidance when you're starting out in a job.  Liviu Turcanu, my first creative director, and then Miguel Goncalves, were the first to tell me about Lurzer's Archive and the winning campaigns at Cannes Lions, Epica or D&Ad.

3. BEST CONTEXT EVER FOR INSPIRATION WAS                

After working as a copywriter for a couple of years, I met Yonathan Dominitz. He did this Creative Thinking training, and it was amazing how in just two days, our creative team came up with more festival ideas than we had in a whole year! That's when I first really understood the power of patterns and what they mean by 'Logic behind the magic.'

Then, in 2008, I went to the Cannes Lions International Creativity Festival. It was the most intense week of learning in my whole career. Being surrounded by the best creative minds in the world just gives you this huge wave of inspiration and makes you want to take your creative work to the next level.

4. THE PROJECT YOU LOVED MOST    

Tomi 123 Fantasty is one of our favorite campaigns. It's a campaign where we proved that print is still very much alive. The concept and the subsequent craftsmanship behind were the result of a wonderful synergy, more of a creative collaboration than a typical agency-client relationship. We clicked on the idea within the first 30 minutes, and then for about six weeks, we'd meet every Friday for half an hour to see how it was developing. We knew that an idea like this needed time to execute properly, and we didn't want to rush it; instead, our aim was to create a visual with real impact. The results spoke for themselves, and bucking all the trends that say ads should be increasingly simplified, we chose the opposite approach and wanted to showcase the flamboyant visual universe behind every Tomi experience. The campaign garnered international acclaim, winning a Bronze at the Cresta Awards London, being included in Lürzer's Best 200, and also receiving awards at Golden Drum and other local festivals.

5. THE PROJECT OTHERS LOVED MOST

The “LaMinut Holiday Feast” campaign serves as a veritable mirror to the Romanian people, encapsulating the innate and unpretentious beauty inherent in local traditions. It simply isn't Christmas without family gathering around the table. And at that table, everyone lends a hand to do something. Even if some are giving Likes on Facebook, while mincing the meat or others are playing the accordion, while others are preparing the grill fire... everyone is involved. And then, when everything is ready, everyone sits down and opens their favorite LaMinut mustard jar, because it's just not a Christmas meal without LaMinut mustard, the original mustard of the Romanians.

This campaign was also included in Lürzer's Best 200.

The business impact was huge, and we're still harvesting the benefits today, even though the campaign was created in 2017. But it just doesn't feel like Christmas unless we air this campaign, because people demand it.

In the execution of both projects, we had the distinct pleasure of collaborating with Andrei Stoleru, presently a creative and owner at Circo Visual.  

6. THE BEST THING ABOUT ROMANIAN CREATIVITY IS

So, what's our special thing that others don't have? It's exactly where cultures meet. Geographically and historically, we've always been at that point where worlds end and new ones begin. Romania is this mix of East and West, and our creatives have always had something valuable to bring to the table. And because we've always had to figure things out, Romanian creativity is always fresh and original.

7. BEST STATEMENT OF ROMANIAN HUMOR

"Haz de necaz" is a Romanian statement which means laughing at problems.

We never lose our sense of humor, even in tough situations. No matter how difficult things get with a pandemic, war, or economic crisis, we always find a way to bring a smile to people's faces. We're a factory of jokes and memes, and we find hope on even the most challenging paths. It's a proven fact that out of all influencers, comedians are the first to reach the public's hearts. Because with a smile, you can address any serious topic more easily. With this in mind, I recalled an award-winning campaign at Cannes in the 2000s for Crest toothpaste with the message: 'You can say anything with a smile. Just check it :).

8. ADVICE FOR INTERNATIONAL HEADHUNTERS, RELATED TO ROMANIAN CREATIVES

When Romanians do well at international festivals, they're not just as good as the creatives from the West, they actually bring something extra cool, they add value to the global creative scene.

9. BEST PLACE IN BUCHAREST

I always like to see the big picture in any situation. That's true even with places I'm seeing for the first time. If someone were visiting Bucharest for the first time, I'd tell them to see the city from up high. A place like “Nor” is great for that – you can have a nice brunch and get a top-level view at the same time.

10. BEST PLACE IN YOUR COUNTRY

Maramureș is this amazing place just bursting with creativity. From Săpânța to Bârsana, from the traditions festival in Sighet all the way to the hills and houses in Breb, you always find something really spectacular.

11. MOST DISTURBING CLICHÉ ABOUT ROMANIA, IN THE MEDIA OUTLETS OF THE WORLD IS   

Countries in Eastern Europe are often labeled as having a high level of corruption. We can shed this label if we flood the digital space with creativity and positive examples from sports, film, music, art or advertising.

12. ROMANIA SHOULD BE KNOWN FOR

King Charles really loves Romania. I've seen how fascinated he is when he talks about the villages in the heart of Romania, the crafts, and how genuine the people are. I'd just add that Romania is also where you find 60% of Europe's mineral water springs.

13. YOUR VIEWS ON SPIRITUALITY

I think there are a few places in the world where people really find hope. When I went to Lourdes in France, I saw so many happy people, no matter what their physical condition or how much money they had. They all had this light in their eyes. Just watching them filled you up with energy.

14. YOUR VIEWS ON MONEY

We've always been about moving forward and doing well. Creativity and innovation are what drive prosperity.

15. AN INSPIRATION SOURCE YOU RECOMMEND FOR A YOUNG CREATIVE

The art of thinking clearly - Rolf Dobelli

The age of spiritual machines - Ray Kurzweill

16. A LOCAL BASED FEMALE TALENT THAT DESERVES TO BE PROMOTED AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

Felicia Simion. Her photography projects really deserve to go all around the world.

https://feliciasimionphotography.com

BIO

With over 20 years of experience in advertising and communication, Adrian Păsărică joined Orkla Foods Romania in 2011 as Brand Manager for Tomi, LaMinut, and Bunica, later taking on the role of Head of Marketing. Previously, he worked in the creative field as a Copywriter and Group Creative Director at Mercury360. His career began in media and show business, where he gained experience as a DJ/music producer and radio and TV presenter.

He leads a marketing team that has received national and international recognition, with awards from prestigious competitions such as the Warc Awards, Effie Awards, Cresta London, Golden Drum, Internetics, Webstock, Comma, ADC, Lurzer's Archive, and the American Design Awards, for brands including Tomi, Naturli’, Ardealul, LaMinut, and Linco Patisero. He is also a jury member for leading local advertising festivals.

In recent years, Adrian has been invited as a speaker at conferences such as Future Trends Festival, Digital Marketing Forum, Best Marketing, Brand Power, Zilele Biz, Big Idea, and Brandfluence. Since 2023, he has also been teaching courses in Creativity, Strategy, and Marketing at the ADC School, BISM, and ASER Akademics.