Connex is to drop the summer promotion slogan, as demanded by the Tourism minister. Connex Company officially announced yesterday that it would modify its promotional offer for this summer, so that it could include destinations on the Romanian seaside.
At the same time, the "Vara asta nu vezi Marea Neagra (You can skip the Black Sea this summer)" slogan will be withdrawn. The new campaign is currently in the works.
The decision was made by Connex management, following the intervention of Tourism minister Dan Matei Agaton, who, on July 9, expressed his disagreement with this slogan, saying it deliberately demeans the Romanian seaside and that is extremely damaging for those to have invested in the seaside infrastructure.
Officially, the Connex release says the decision to stop the campaign was made "as an acknowledgement of the concern expressed by the Tourism minister and to prove the company's support for promoting Romania's development once more."
The Maldives will still be mentioned during the campaign, now that they have been promised, but in addition to trips to the Black Sea.
The reaction of the minister was somewhat unexpected, with no Connex user having complained about a lack of respect for the Romanian seaside.
The press on Tuesday ran stories about pressures allegedly put by the Government to have the campaign stopped.
The Connex release dismisses such rumours, showing the decision of the company was not "a response to alleged governmental efforts to blackmail us."
Sources close to the event claim there have been indeed talks between the Romanian and foreign managers about how to react to the minister's request.
The former were in favour of stopping the campaign right away and making excuses, but some of the Romanians were in favour of continuing the campaign. Cautiousness won in the end.
However, the interference of the authorities in a commercial campaign is a delicate issue for the advertising agencies and their clients.
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