Tag: Indonesia

Jakarta, Indonesia – Local e-commerce giant Bukalapak has announced that it is acquiring a majority stake in Malaysian price comparison platform iPrice, giving the latter the opportunity to accelerate its growth by leveraging the synergies between the two groups.

iPrice will continue to operate as an independent entity, maintaining its neutral position towards users, and working with a broad set of merchants and sellers.

Amidst a cooling fundraising market of last year, iPrice’s investors–including Itochu and Naver–have welcomed the deal. It should be recalled that iPrice was forced to scale back on several aspects of its business and downsize the team substantially as it transformed to explore new ways to grow the businesses cost-effectively.

The new investment by Bukalapak is part of the company’s objective to shift its focus from competing head-to-head with other marketplaces, to building or acquiring niche marketplaces and accelerating their growth.

Heinrich Wendel, co-founder of iPrice, said, “We are excited to join forces with Bukalapak and benefit from the group’s synergies. This partnership will allow us to expand our services to help even more users save money across new verticals, like Gaming, and geographies, like Australia.”

Meanwhile, Willix Halim, CEO of Bukalapak, commented, “I’ve known David and the team for years and have always been excited about their work, then recently the opportunity emerged to work together more closely. With Bukalapak’s extensive expertise in e-commerce and iPrice’s loyal user base and proprietary technology, we are confident that we can unlock the platform’s full potential.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – Whilst some individuals get anxious from suffering skin issues, Indonesian skincare brand Somethinc reminds everyone that there’s a solution to easily handle skin issues by unveiling newest products in its latest ad.

In collaboration with advertising agency TJT Creative Lab, the 90-second quirky ad showcases the skincare brand’s newest product line, Calmdown® Series, which is designed to provide relief and comfort for people who have calm sensitive, angry, and irritated skin.

This also features the products’ patented active ingredients and technology that instantly soothe irritated skin. The innovative range of products is an idea of Irene Ursula, who founded Somethinc skincare brand.

Irvine Prisilia, executive creative director at TJT Creative Lab, said that they want to elevate the skincare brand beyond a product story and create something that would resonate with audiences, therefore, they decided to craft this quirky ad.

Calista Primalia, creative director at Somethinc, added, “We love the quirky story of showing our skin cell as an angry skin cell and creating havoc in our skin. It is one of those ideas with legs a mile long. Allowing us to expand our messaging across channels and platforms.”

Other works from the campaign also include over 30 billboard spots all over Indonesia to reach a wider audience and promote the benefits of the new product range.

Singapore – Top e-commerce platform in Indonesia, iStyle.id, which offers a wide range of products in Korean beauty, fashion, and lifestyle, has partnered with Singapore-based live commerce and shoppable short video solutions provider BeLive Technology. 

BeLive Technology’s platform for iStyle.id will enable the latter to activate the continuously growing channel of live commerce, allowing its users to buy products through said means which includes shoppable video content and interactive features. Meanwhile, the latest collaboration marks BeLive Technology’s further expansion across Asia as well as the opportunity to advance Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) channels.

The new capabilities by iStyle.id aim to maximise the interaction with customers and deliver an engaging shopping experience. According to BeLive, since the platform launched, iStyle.id has seen an average 250 per cent increase in the company’s month-on-month live sales.

Steven Calvin Victory, CEO of iStyle.id, commented, “iStyle.id’s journey with BeLive Technology in the past year has had a good impact on the company’s growth as [an] e-commerce in Korean beauty, fashion, and lifestyle. In the future, iStyle.id will add more than 500 various products and we hope that with [BeLive Technology,] we can improve our strategic campaign to provide the best live shopping for our consumers.”

Meanwhile, Kenneth Tan, CEO and Co-founder of BeLive Technology, believes that the partnership with iStyle.id will trailblaze live shopping adoption in Indonesia, which is one of Southeast Asia’s leading Direct-to-Consumers economies. 

“iStyle.id has been very innovative and transformed itself to be a market leader in the field of live commerce and shoppable short videos. We are happy to be able to support them in their digital transformation journey,” Tan said.

iStyle.id’s live commerce and short-video features are available on both its web and mobile apps. 

Singapore – Mobile advertising technology company InMobi unveiled through its Ramadan 2023 at a glance report that consumer sentiment in Indonesia maintains an upward trend as consumers embrace the gradual return to normalcy.

According to the report, 60% of respondents plan to spend at least IDR 3 million for Ramadan, a 4% boost from 2022. Results also showed that one in three app downloads during Ramadan are shopping apps, with downloads peaking two months before the celebration.

Moreover, 98% of respondents choose to explore deals, products, and brands for Ramadan on mobile while 56% prefer mobile as their primary purchasing channel.

The report likewise revealed that 72% of the respondents are category explorers who spend time planning and researching their online purchases, with 31% starting research one month before Ramadan.

“Every year, the festive month of Ramadan triggers a massive wave of spending activity in Indonesia, and we expect a rebound this year after modest celebrations in the last two years. Interestingly, mobile remains dominant as a preferred channel for shopping, entertainment, and even religious activities among consumers despite relaxed restrictions on travel and physical gatherings,” said Rishi Bedi, managing director for Asia-Pacific at InMobi.

He also added that because of the increase in spending activity amongst consumers, brands must continue to maximise their visibility and reachability to target consumer segments on mobile and other digital platforms.

Ramadan 2023 at a glance analyses expectations and habits of Indonesian consumers around the holiday and provides insight to brands seeking to refine their mobile marketing strategies during the nation’s holy month.

Last September, InMobi also released its report on mobile gaming ads amongst advertisers in Southeast Asia, where it was found that 98% of advertisers have increased their mobile gaming spend since the pandemic.

Jakarta, Indonesia – After the opening of its Bangkok office in 2018, Thailand-based advertising agency TJT Creative Lab, with its co-founders Irvine Prisilia and Apiwat Pattalarungkhan, has expanded operations by opening its second office in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

The two co-founders are both creatives with a collective experience of over 20 years working in Jakarta, Bangkok, Singapore and Shanghai.

This also serves as a homecoming for Prisilia, who is also the current creative director of the agency. Aiming to give back to her home country, Prisilia brings the agency’s presence in Indonesia to develop its creative and advertising industry.

Since its establishment in 2018, the creative lab was able to work with technology companies including WACOM and Traveloka, electronics company Xiaomi, baking supplies store Bake With Yen, hotel brand Curio Collection by Hilton, gel product Puricas and hair product Dove Haircare.

TJT Creative Lab provides services including integrated marketing communication, performance marketing, campaign localisation, design and branding, and creative production.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Media agency Wavemaker has won the mandate for Danone’s specialised nutrition business in Malaysia. This follows after the agency also scoped the global media account from the global food company last year.

Yee Pek Kuan, marketing director for Malaysia and Singapore at Danone, said, “Overall, Wavemaker Malaysia stood out in every aspect of our ask, from their strategic approach to understanding our business to their robust media pricing. We’re excited to partner with Wavemaker.”

Meanwhile, Sheley Lim, general manager at Wavemaker Malaysia, commented, “This was special for us, our approach was to provocatively think of the needs of the client and business and build tailored solutions to those needs. We will continue to push the boundaries and evolve the business together.”

Lastly, Gordon Domlija, CEO at Wavemaker Asia-Pacific said, “What a fantastic way to start the year! We pride ourselves on being a genuine partner to our clients, supporting their current and future business ambition. Through this pitch process we were inspired by the strong collaboration and openness to our passion and ideas, we are now excited to bring this to life through tangible business results for Danone across South East Asia.”

Most recently, Wavemaker Asia-Pacific welcomed Jenny Pham as its new APAC media lead for Colgate-Palmolive.

Jakarta, Indonesia – The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in Indonesia has announced that it has ceased its analogue radio operations in Indonesia on December 30, 2022, in favour of transitioning to digital broadcasting.

This marks the end of BBC Indonesia’s 73-year air streak, since it was first launched in 1949.

According to BBC News Indonesia editor Jerome Wirawan, this was done to save the broadcasting company around GPB 28.5m in expenses. This also follows ceasing radio operations of BBC Arabic, BBC Persian and BBC Chinese.

This was not the first time a government-funded broadcasting company has pulled the plug of its local radio operations. In 2012, The Netherlands’ Radio Netherlands ceased operations globally. Meanwhile, Germany’s Deutsche Welle pulled the plug on its Indonesian radio operations, alongside Bengali, Urdu, Dari/Pashtu, in 2011.

Despite radio operations ceasing, BBC Indonesia’s broadcasts will continue to air on digital platforms, including their local website, as well as listening on streaming platforms.

The BBC is the government-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. Its Asia-Pacific presence includes Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, China, India, Australia, and Taiwan.

Singapore – Elliot & Co., the public relations consultancy with offices in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, has announced today that Vividthree Holdings, a diversified and Catalist-listed entertainment company, will be acquiring up to 51% stake in the former. Vividthree is a company that specialises in the production of immersive experiences with mixed technologies. 

Elliot & Co. is focused on the Southeast Asia region and mainly serves start-ups and SMEs. Since its inception in 2017, the PR consultancy firm has grown to establish offices in three markets, serving more than 1,000 clients. 

Its founder, Jeremy Foo, said, “It is an exciting time for Elliot & Co. as this announcement heralds a new level of opportunity and breakthrough that we foresee will come. Vividthree’s expertise will be invaluable to us as we seek to establish ourselves as a leader in our industry, and despite the uncertain economic situation as we enter 2023, the best is yet to come.” 

Elliot & Co. was previously called Prospr Communications before rebranding in 2020. 

Jakarta, Indonesia – VICE Media Group has announced its first content partnership with Spotify for the Southeast Asia market. It begins with Indonesia through the release of five original local video podcast series which aim to reflect Indonesia’s vibrant and diverse music, youth and cultural scenes. 

This series of five Spotify Original Video podcasts, created and produced locally by VICE Media’s team in Jakarta, will include three daily and two weekly video podcasts. 

Hosted by some of the best in the industry, these video podcasts will cover a myriad of today’s hottest topics, such as current and emerging Indonesian musicians, artists and movie stars; the latest music news and trends and a look at what young Indonesians think of their country today and their place in society. 

The VICE Spotify Original Video podcast series will be amplified across VICE’s extensive social and editorial network, which has 10 million monthly unique users in Indonesia and 3.3 million combined followers. 

It is expected that more than 86% of the listeners are aged between 16 and 34, with 63% living in urban areas with top cities including Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Makassar and Depok. 

Nilesh Zaveri, managing director at VICE Media Group APAC, said, “VICE is trusted by young audiences to cut through the noise to deliver a distinct perspective on today’s music and culture as well as what’s coming next. This exclusive partnership with Spotify represents a significant opportunity to create distinctive video podcast content for Indonesia’s youth, and we look forward to exploring additional opportunities to bring the VICE brand to more audiences, across media platforms, throughout Asia Pacific.” 

Meanwhile, Carl Zuzarte, head of studios for Southeast Asia at Spotify, commented, “2022 has been an amazing year of growth for us in Indonesia. We introduced new format innovations such as video podcasts, amongst others to further build upon the podcast ecosystem in Indonesia, whilst also expanding on the podcast experience on Spotify for our creators and users to enjoy.”

He added, “Also, we’re always on the lookout for top content creators to work with to deliver best-in-class content for our users to enjoy. That is why we’re excited to partner with VICE Media Group to present this stellar slate of five Video podcasts featuring collaborations with Indonesia’s most current and popular cultural creators, artists and musicians.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – Consumer electronics company Xiaomi in Indonesia has appointed Stephanie Sicilia as its new associate marketing director. She will be leading a cross functional team across PR, influencers, social media and community.

The strategic department function will drive integrated brand marketing, digital and PR campaigns as well as initiatives across the Xiaomi ecosystem to better reach broader consumers. 

Sicilia is a seasoned PR professional with over ten years of experience. She began her journey with Xiaomi in 2017, joining Xiaomi Technology to coordinate and manage PR initiatives across Southeast Asia markets, including Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore from Xiaomi HQ in Beijing.

She also lead Xiaomi’s sustainability campaign #LebihLestari (‘More Sustainable’) in partnership with circular economy platform Octopus and the Tech Journalist Forum (Forwat), to collect and recycle old electronics, leveraging Xiaomi’s existing store locations for the e-waste drop boxes.

Nearly one year after her tenure in HQ, she was appointed to head Indonesia’s communications team, as Indonesia is one of the key markets for Xiaomi’s global expansion. It is her dedication and strategic thinking that has led to her recent appointment as the associate marketing director in which she will be overseeing the day-to-day operations of the marketing communication team.

Speaking on her new role, she said, “I am excited to be appointed to this new role and to lead a growing team of talented members to continue on translating Xiaomi’s mission in bringing innovation for everyone. I’m grateful to work with a brand that continuously grows and deeply cares about its users. I will continue to give my best effort for the brand, especially in Indonesia.”

Wentao Zhao, country director at Xiaomi Indonesia, commented, “Stephanie has been an instrumental part of the team in building Xiaomi’s brand and reputation in Indonesia. Her dedication to our brand has been proven by our remarkable results and with her leading the Marketing Communication team, we look forward to continuing to be working on new and exciting campaigns, listening to our users needs and of course, to improve brand satisfaction as well as broadening exposure to new target audience.”