Adina Serea Triandafil, Founder & Strategic Director at Mapped

Adina Serea-Triandafil is a marketing and corporate communication professional with over 19 years of experience, working at the intersection of brand strategy, integrated marketing, and business growth.

Her career blends private-sector execution with involvement in strategic national-level initiatives, from the development of destination management structures (OMD) to communication projects in tourism and education. This dual perspective shapes a nuanced understanding of how brands and institutions position themselves, communicate, and evolve.

She is the founder of Mapped, a boutique agency focused on building brands through strategy, creativity, and measurable business impact.

As the owner of a marketing and communication agency, how do you define the role of marketing today in an increasingly dynamic and fast-changing business environment?

In moments of economic pressure, marketing becomes a real test for businesses. Budgets are questioned, expectations grow, and every investment is expected to show its weight in business results. That shift has changed the role of marketing in a fundamental way. It now sits much closer to revenue, decision-making, and the way companies design their offers and think about growth.

At the same time, the rise of AI has accelerated everything. Execution moves faster, access to tools is easier, and the space is more crowded than ever, which makes one thing stand out even more: the thinking behind it.

Marketing today sits in the space between data and intuition. Between performance and meaning. Between what can be automated and what can only be created. And that is where brands either become visible or memorable.

Mapped operates at the intersection of strategy and creativity. How do you ensure that your agency delivers both measurable business impact and strong, authentic brand storytelling?

There was a long period where marketing became almost synonymous with online promotion. Campaigns, ads, platforms. A lot of movement, sometimes disconnected from the essence of the brand.

Today, the conversation returns to something deeper. The role of marketing in shaping the business itself.

A campaign carries weight when the product holds its ground. When there is something real to say. In many industries, the language sounds familiar, interchangeable. That is where positioning becomes essential.

And from there, storytelling takes shape. As the way a brand expresses who it is, why it exists, and why it matters.

This is also where human creativity keeps its place. In the ability to capture something that feels specific and alive.

Because in the end, performance follows meaning.

What types of requests are you receiving most frequently from clients today, and how have their expectations evolved in recent years?

The requests have become more layered. Companies no longer look at marketing as a series of isolated actions. There is a growing appetite for integrated thinking, where strategy, creation, performance, and communication sit in the same conversation.

Over time, briefs have become more thoughtful. More informed. There is more awareness around what marketing can do.

At the same time, ambition has grown. Expectations around growth, sales, and speed are higher, especially in performance-driven campaigns. That creates an interesting dynamic. A mix between vision and pressure.

And the work sits right in the middle, translating that ambition into something structured, connected, and sustainable.

In your experience, what differentiates brands that successfully stand out in crowded markets from those that struggle to remain relevant?

Some brands feel instantly recognisable, even in crowded spaces.

It usually starts with a strong sense of identity. A clear point of view. A way of speaking that feels like it belongs to them and no one else.

Around that, there is a story. Something that builds over time and creates familiarity.

There is often a visible human layer as well. A founder, a voice, a presence that people can connect with.

And behind all of this, a team that keeps things moving. That pays attention, experiments, and stays close to what people need, even as those needs shift.

Relevance grows from that constant interplay between identity and adaptation.

Creativity is often seen as the heart of marketing. How do you cultivate creativity within your team while maintaining a strong focus on results and performance?

Creativity has its own rhythm. It needs space, trust, and a certain freedom to explore. It also needs direction.

The culture we’ve built allows ideas to come forward easily. There is openness, conversation, and a natural curiosity around how things can be done differently.

At the same time, every idea sits in a context. There is always a reason behind it, a role it plays, a direction it supports.

When working with partners, these ideas are not just presented, but explained. Why a certain tone matters. Why a story needs to be told in a certain way. Why going beyond the expected can shift perception.

Creativity becomes powerful when it carries intention.

As a business owner, how do you approach leadership and decision-making in a field that is constantly evolving?

Leadership, for me, comes with a sense of responsibility towards people first.

There is structure, there are expectations, but also trust and support. A team grows when it feels both guided and empowered.

The field itself moves fast, so staying connected to what is happening becomes part of the role. Reading, observing, staying close to trends, understanding shifts.

And then bringing that back into the team. Sharing, discussing, shaping direction together.

Decisions rarely happen in isolation. They build on experience, on context, and on a continuous dialogue with what is changing around us.

Beyond your professional role, how does your family influence your perspective as an entrepreneur and leader?

There are two layers here.

One comes from early on. My mother, who built her career as a lawyer through discipline and ambition, shaped the way I see work, independence, and responsibility. Those values stayed with me.

The other is very present. My own family, and especially becoming a mother. It changes the lens. Time feels different. Priorities rearrange. The way you look at growth, at effort, at what matters, shifts in a very real way. There is more grounding, but also more drive. And in a way, everything becomes more intentional.

To help us get to know you better: what book has recently inspired you, and how do you usually spend your time outside of work?

Outside of work, I am drawn to simple things. Time in nature, long walks, discovering new places with my family. It is a different rhythm, one that balances the intensity of work.

A book that stayed with me recently is The Culture Code by Clotaire Rapaille. What I find particularly relevant is the idea that people don’t make decisions based only on logic, but on deeply rooted cultural patterns that often go unnoticed.

In marketing, this changes the perspective quite a lot. It moves the focus from what we want to say as brands to how people actually perceive, decode, and internalise those messages.