Autonom employer branding: the people behind the counter and 40 young employees hired
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Autonom worked with director Tedy Necula, who leads NECULA Agency, on an employer branding campaign across its whole network. 15 roles were filmed, from headquarters to the branches around the country, with people from six departments. The campaign brought 40 young employees into the company. Candidates recognised themselves in Autonom's people and applied.
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The Autonom employer branding campaign in numbers
- 40
- young employees brought into the company
- 15
- roles filmed, from headquarters to the branches
- 6
- departments in the campaign
- 1
- book a month, read by every employee
Autonom, seen from behind the counter
From the outside, Autonom means cars, contracts and keys handed over at the counter. The people inside know it is much more than that.
The campaign's job was to show what happens behind the counter. Until then, the company's communication came from the same few voices. The campaign brought people from several teams to the front.
The collaboration between Autonom and Tedy Necula has since turned into a friendship.
15 roles, from headquarters to the branches
NECULA Agency filmed people from six departments, behind the scenes in rent-a-car and leasing, and the projects of the Autonom Foundation.
The campaign covers the whole network, with 15 roles filmed. Video series with people from several teams gave the company new voices. Employee ambassadors are built over time, and a campaign that runs for months gives them that time.
The manifesto and the portraits on the Autonom channel
In 2026, Autonom published on its YouTube channel the manifesto “Creează-ți drumul în Autonom” (build your own path at Autonom) and a series of video portraits of colleagues who grew inside the company, from their first role to leading a team or a division.
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In Piatra Neamț, where Dan and Marius Ștefan started it all
The Autonom story began in 2006 in Piatra Neamț, with three cars. The NECULA Agency team went there, to the town where Dan and Marius Ștefan founded the company.
The result is a warm video about the founders and about how Autonom grew.
The book of the month, in the glovebox
In every brand it works with, NECULA Agency looks for the human core. At Autonom, it found it in a habit: every employee reads a book a month, and every office has a library.
Some rent-a-car drivers keep the book of the month in the glovebox. That one detail says everything about the company.
The habit is public. In a 2022 article about Autonom, Undelucram.ro wrote that reading there is part of the job.
On Via Transilvanica, with the Romanian Business Leaders entrepreneurs
The collaboration then continued, backpacks on, along Via Transilvanica. Autonom was the main mobility partner for 150 entrepreneurs from the Romanian Business Leaders community, split into 24 teams. The trail runs for about 1,400 kilometres through ten counties, from Putna to Drobeta-Turnu Severin.
Autonom's people walked the trail together with RBL members. Director Tedy Necula documented the relay in a manifesto video and 10 video stories of the entrepreneurs. The idea behind the campaign was that mobility means discovery. So does entrepreneurship.
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What an HR team can borrow from the Autonom campaign
Open up the backstage
Customers see the counter. Candidates want to see the people behind it. Autonom opened up the backstage of its rent-a-car and leasing teams.
The whole network in one campaign
The 15 roles filmed run from headquarters to the branches around the country. A candidate in any city finds a colleague they recognise themselves in.
New voices from several teams
The video series brought people from six departments to the front. Employee ambassadors are built over time.
Habits show the culture
A book a month and a library in every office show concretely how the company thinks.
The founders, where it all began
The campaign went to Piatra Neamț, the town where Dan and Marius Ștefan founded Autonom in 2006, for a video about the founders.
A video employer branding campaign for your company
employer-branding.ro is the employer branding division of NECULA Agency. NECULA Agency creates, produces and implements six-month video employer branding campaigns: more than 80 videos, published on YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. The first videos are ready in five weeks.
Each campaign uses five types of video: a manifesto video for HR, employee portraits, team and culture, CSR projects and educational reels. The guide to employer branding video explains each one, with examples.
You approve the scripts before filming and every video before publication. The campaign can be funded from the disability fund, and NECULA Agency is an Authorised Protected Unit. The details are in the Funding section.
Frequently asked questions
What did the Autonom employer branding campaign include?
The Autonom employer branding campaign covered the company's whole network: 15 roles filmed, from headquarters to the branches around the country, with people from six departments. It also showed the rent-a-car and leasing backstage, the Autonom Foundation's projects and the founders' story in Piatra Neamț.
What were the results of the Autonom employer branding campaign?
The Autonom employer branding campaign brought 40 young employees into the company. Candidates recognised themselves in the Autonom people they saw in the videos and applied.
Who appears in the Autonom videos?
The Autonom campaign features the company's own people, from six departments, from headquarters to the branches. It also includes a video about the founders, Dan and Marius Ștefan, filmed in Piatra Neamț, where the company started in 2006.
How is Autonom connected to Via Transilvanica?
Autonom was the main mobility partner for 150 entrepreneurs from Romanian Business Leaders, who walked Via Transilvanica in 24 teams. Director Tedy Necula documented the relay in a manifesto video and 10 video stories of the entrepreneurs.
Who made the Autonom video campaign?
Autonom made its employer branding campaign with director Tedy Necula, who leads NECULA Agency. employer-branding.ro is NECULA Agency's employer branding division.
Can an employer branding campaign be funded from the disability fund?
Yes, a NECULA Agency employer branding campaign can be funded from the disability fund. NECULA Agency is an Authorised Protected Unit, and the details are in the Funding section of employer-branding.ro.