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Grab Indonesia ties with VIU to launch six-part ‘Stories of Belief’ series

Jean Cabico - April 26, 2022

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Jakarta, Indonesia – To honour the resilience and self-belief shown by Indonesians during the pandemic, Grab Indonesia has partnered with OTT video streaming service Viu to launch a six-part series titled ‘Cerita Tentang Percaya’, which in English translates to ‘Stories of Belief’. 

The series is inspired by real-life stories of Indonesians who persevered, dared to fail, and rose again during the pandemic. Each of the 22-minute episodes of the show, which is streamed on Viu, focuses on a different story of survival during the pandemic. It has also been timed to launch with Grab’s ad campaign ‘Percaya’, which in English translates to ‘belief’, that salutes the resilient spirit of Indonesians. 

A collaborative effort of three players – The Academy Consulting (TAC), Iron Hill Media (IHM) and Passion Pictures Indonesia (PASSION). The original concept and strategy were pitched to Grab and Viu by TAC, while IHM fleshed out the six stories, and PASSION executed the production with film director Hafiz Ibrahim.

Melinda Savitri, Grab Indonesia’s country marketing head, commented that they are pleased to have partnered with Viu for ‘Cerita Tentang Percaya‘ series, which reflects the character of Indonesians, who are known to be extremely persistent – relentlessly trying again and again to overcome challenges. 

“As an inseparable element of the nation, Grab stands and fights with all Indonesians. Through collaboration with Viu and supported by TAC, PASSION, and IHM, we want the audience to feel a connection that this is a story about all of us, a story about celebrating the fight itself,” said Savitri.

Meanwhile, Varun Mehta, Viu Indonesia’s country manager, said, “The core concept of Cerita Tentang Percaya the series appealed to us greatly and that is why we wanted to partner with Grab by providing a platform where not only these stories but also the creativity of Indonesian content can be seen by a larger audience both in Indonesia and internationally.” 

Sheen S Singh, the founder of TAC, IHM & PASSION Malaysia-Indonesia-Thailand, noted that it was a proactive initiative that was developed by the team at TAC which has found that there is a fast-growing appetite amongst the consumers for long-form entertainment and an opportunity for brands to entertain and engage with them by telling relevant stories. 

“From a creative perspective, this series was designed to entertain with the brand being a part of life versus having the stories evolve around the brand. The content we aspire to produce for brands will always put “entertainment” first to ensure it is widely viewed. We are thankful to Grab and Viu for recognising this opportunity,” said Singh.

The platform has been streaming two episodes each week with the last episode scheduled to be shown on the 27th of April.