As part of BR’s new interview series with professionals in the Media & Marketing sector, we sat down with Tereza Tranakas, Founder & CEO at Oxygen, and talked about the agency’s last year and the near future, AI implementation & trends, as well as what will impact the industry the most and what are the main DON’Ts right now.

By Romanita Oprea

 

How did you start the year and what are your expectations for Oxygen in 2026?

Despite the economic downturn and political unrest, the start of the year has been quite dynamic for Oxygen, with many new projects in the pipeline. We expect the pace to continue the same for all our offices in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca and Athens.

You said that your agency’s strength comes from the determination to maintain this high level and to remain competitive, visible, “in shape”. How do you succeed in doing that, year after year, in such a competitive market?

We always keep an eye on future needs and trends, and we invest in growth having that in mind.

Last year you launched Oxygen Media, as well as your office in Athens. How are they performing and what are your expectations for the next few years?

Oxygen Media is developing in a healthy manner, step by step, servicing our group’s clients, while the Athens office is expanding with new incoming business. We are not looking to sky-rocket, we aim for sustainable long-term growth, and our strategy centers on building step by step teams and healthy client portfolios based on solid partnerships.

How was 2025 from a business point of view and what would you change in 2026?

Last year was a strong year for the agency, we continued to develop our team and bring in new clients. I believe this year we all have to be mindful of the geopolitical forces shaping the world’s economy and local pressures. The steps have to be carefully undertaken. AI is also changing the world and the way we do business, so this will impact us all, more and more. I believe there are a lot of opportunities here and we’re working on that as well.

What are clients like in 2026?

They continue to seek a reliable and agile partner, efficiency, solutions and strategic input to help them navigate the tumultuous waters of 2026.

You said that consistency is one of the hardest parts of entrepreneurship. What are some other parts and why?

Consistency requires both a long-term vision and equally a commitment. Businesses are live organisms that sometimes are affected by various external and sometimes internal social movements, downturns, instability, hard and good times. Staying solid, strong, unwavering year on year through all the turbulence, in a highly competitive market with demanding clients, is not easy. We are all human, not robots :). And a lot of responsibility lays on the shoulders of top and middle management to continuously motivate and engage both teams and clients. So yes, entrepreneurship is not easy, but it’s extremely rewarding.

How is your agency perceiving the AI trend and how are you adapting to it?

We as an agency are embracing AI, having a dedicated team allocated to identifying best ways to roll-out AI programs that can make our work easier, leaner, faster, across all departments. We have adopted AI in our daily work, and we do use it even in the data mining, analysis and creative process. However, I must stress that creativity – which is at the heart of our business and industry, will be the human factor that will continue to differentiate and create value.

How do you fight the industry’s problems with talent retention and industry fatigue?

We are fortunate to have among the lowest talent retention rates in the industry. And that’s because Oxygen was built from the beginning and continues to thrive on a healthy human-centric culture. Oxygen is turning 18 this year, and we have people with us from the first years of our operations. We see fatigue everywhere – with our clients, with our teammates. The rhythm is dynamic and the pressure remains constant. This fatigue or general anxiety is a real problem across the board and not just in Romania. The older generation is getting tired while the new one just doesn’t have the same stamina. We continue to rely on our culture, on offering team retreats such as OxyNest and on being transparent on this topic.

What do you believe to be the main DON’Ts in 2026 and why?

Don’t ignore AI. It’s time to up-skill and in some cases, re-skill.

What do you believe will be this year’s mark (for the industry, but also for Oxygen)?

The role of AI and how this will accelerate the industry.

What is your secret for still enjoying the industry like in the beginning?

I love this industry, it’s never boring, always being at the forefront of global trends and intersection of human emotions. You get to advise clients from a wide range of sectors on an incredibly vast array of problems, finding solutions, thinking outside of the box, in a creative way. Who wouldn’t enjoy all this?