{"id":17200,"date":"2026-05-11T09:35:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T06:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.automotive-today.ro\/?p=17200"},"modified":"2026-05-12T09:37:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T06:37:45","slug":"interview-ana-bobancu-schaeffler-trust-today-is-built-less-on-promises-and-more-on-proof-behavior-ethics-and-the-ability-to-navigate-change-honestly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.automotive-today.ro\/index.php\/2026\/05\/11\/interview-ana-bobancu-schaeffler-trust-today-is-built-less-on-promises-and-more-on-proof-behavior-ethics-and-the-ability-to-navigate-change-honestly\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW Ana Bobancu, Schaeffler: \u201cTrust today is built less on promises and more on proof: behavior, ethics, and the ability to navigate change honestly\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Architects of Perception and Trust | Editorial Series by Automotive Today<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cData helps us understand audiences better, but trust is built through expertise, transparency, and tangible impact. In industrial and automotive environments, brand communication must make complexity understandable and show clearly how companies contribute, technologically, socially, and as employers,\u201d Ana Bobancu, <\/strong>Director of Communications, Branding & Marketing, Schaeffler Romania & Southeast Europe told Automotive Today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrust has become more fragile, but also more conscious. Stakeholders – customers, candidates, employees – are better informed and more selective. They expect brands to act responsibly and consistently over time. Trust today is built less on promises and more on proof: behavior, ethics, and the ability to navigate change honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How would you describe the biggest changes in brand communication over the past years?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brand communication has shifted from controlled messaging to a continuous, experience\u2011based dialogue. Today, every interaction – external or internal – contributes to brand perception, from customer touchpoints to employee experience. Storytelling alone is no longer enough; brands are expected to show consistency between what they say, what people experience, and how they act within society and their industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you believe will define successful brand communication strategies in 2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successful strategies will be defined by authenticity, relevance, and credibility. Data helps us understand audiences better, but trust is built through expertise, transparency, and tangible impact. In industrial and automotive environments, brand communication must make complexity understandable and show clearly how companies contribute, technologically, socially, and as employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In your opinion, how has consumer trust toward brands evolved recently?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trust has become more fragile, but also more conscious. Stakeholders – customers, candidates, employees – are better informed and more selective. They expect brands to act responsibly and consistently over time. Trust today is built less on promises and more on proof: behavior, ethics, and the ability to navigate change honestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the top three priorities for brand communication teams in 2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, strengthening trust through transparency and consistency.
Second, ensuring the brand narrative is aligned with real experiences: products, leadership, and culture.
Third, investing in employer branding and internal communication, because employees play a decisive role in shaping brand perception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How should communication teams demonstrate their value to business leadership?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By acting as strategic partners, not just message owners. This means translating business objectives into clear, relevant narratives, supporting engagement and change, and demonstrating impact through reputation strength, employee engagement, and employer attractiveness\u2014not just visibility metrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which communication channels are currently the most effective for building brand equity?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A balanced ecosystem is key. Strong owned channels provide consistency, leadership and employee voices add credibility, and targeted media and direct engagement extend reach. In countries like Romania, where employer branding is critical, local presence, internal platforms, and community engagement are particularly powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What initially attracted you to a career in communication?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I come from an engineering and product design background, educated in Romania and the UK. That gave me a strong focus on structure, quality, and outcomes. Communication & Branding attracted me because it bridges expertise and perception, helping make complex realities understandable and meaningful for people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest lesson you\u2019ve learned working in communication?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That strong brands are built through consistency and credibility, not through flashy messages. Communication & Branding creates real value only when it reflects reality and supports long\u2011term trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What keeps you inspired in your everyday job?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working with people. In Romania, with multiple locations and thousands of employees, employer branding and internal communication are essential. Supporting pride, engagement, and a shared sense of direction is as important to the brand as any external message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you could change aspects in the communication patterns today, what would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would reduce the focus on short\u2011term noise and increase the focus on clarity and substance. Fewer messages, but more meaningful ones, grounded in real actions and real impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three power words \/ motto for brand perception and trust in 2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Credibility. Consistency. Relevance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Architects of Perception and Trust | Editorial Series by Automotive Today \u201cData helps us understand audiences better, but trust is built through expertise, transparency, and tangible impact. In industrial and automotive environments, brand communication must make complexity understandable and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17202,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[54,51,24,1133],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.automotive-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17200"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.automotive-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.automotive-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.automotive-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.automotive-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17200"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.automotive-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17203,"href":"https:\/\/www.automotive-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17200\/revisions\/17203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.automotive-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.automotive-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.automotive-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.automotive-today.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}