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<Report from overseas office> [Indonesia] Customer Communication in Indonesia What is the Power of Influencers?

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In Japan, many people use Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc. to send out information on what happens in their daily lives and to gather information on news, etc. Social media has become a part of consumers' lives.
Here in Indonesia, the situation is the same as in Japan, where social media is not only used to send out information, but is also used as a tool to gather information.

Currently, there are about 170 million(*1) Internet users in Indonesia.
The number of social media users is about 160 million(*1), which means that more than half of the total population of 270 million(*2) is using social media.
(Source *1: Datareportal / *2: populationPyramid.net)

Figure 1 shows the usage rates of major social networking services among Internet users, based on an Internet survey of ASIAN PANEL conducted by INTAGE.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Figure 1.

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Intage independent survey
Base: Smartphone owners in Jakarta
Sample size: 20s (n=405), 30s (n=443), 40s (n=432)

It is evident that it is Instagram and YouTube that are attracting the attention of many users, especially the youth. There are influencers in this country as well, known as Instagrammers and YouTube users.
In this column, I would like to focus on four influencers who are active in their respective fields and introduce them to you.

In the automotive industry, there is no one who does not know

The first one I would like to introduce is Fitra Eri (Instagram: @fitra.eri / Youtube: @Fitra Eri), who has 1.29 million subscribers to her YouTube channel and 660,000 followers on Instagram.
When I listen to my subjects talking in my qualitative research on car-related topics, I often hear them say that "information from YouTube" is the second most common reason that influenced them to buy a car, after "recommendation from acquaintances/family". There were also many subjects who used social media to listen to the comments of influencers before considering purchasing a car.

In Fitra Eri's YouTube channel, he introduces a model that was launched by a Japanese automaker a few years ago and sold well, and the fact that it has over 770,000 views shows the extent of his influence.
A former colleague of mine from Indonesia who moved to a new job at an automobile manufacturer told me that he is such a celebrity that "there is no one in the industry who doesn't know him," and that the information he sends out has a certain impact.

Beauty influencer who mixes traditional and modern makeup

The second is Abel Cantika (Instagram: @Abellyc / Youtube: @Abel Cantika), a beauty influencer with 930,000 followers on Instagram and 500,000 subscribers on YouTube. There are several other famous beauty influencers, but I chose her because her taste of combining traditional Indonesian folk costumes with modern makeup is easily popular among the mass Indonesian women. There are beauty influencers who imitate Western beauty bloggers and have a completely Western taste, but in her case, she has successfully mixed the two to form her own unique style and attract a large number of followers. Also, like many Instagrammers, many of the photos on her Instagram include photos tagged with the sponsored product and the manufacturer's account to promote the product's usage and finish.

Influencer with 2.7 million followers, learning and spreading culture in Japan

The third person I would like to introduce to you is Jerome Polin (Instagram: @jeromepolin), a culture influencer who transmits culture from a new perspective. Jerome Polin (Instagram: @jeromepolin) is a student of applied mathematics at Waseda University, and has 2.7 million followers who follow his daily life in Japan through Instagram. I've seen some of his Instagram posts, and from my Japanese perspective, the photos are of "normal Japanese university life", but I'm sure they will look fresh to Indonesians. I think it would be a good PR strategy for Japanese companies trying to enter the Indonesian market to have him act as an ambassador for their products, using the information dissemination power that only he can provide with his dual perspective of Japan and Indonesia.

If she sends out a message, it's bound to sell out the next day.

Last but not least is Anak Jajan (Instagram: @anakjajan/ Youtube: @Anak Jajan), a lifestyle influencer who focuses on food. She may not have as many followers as the other three influencers I've mentioned (about 380,000), but she seems to be very influential, and I've heard several stories recently that the cookware she introduced on Instagram was sold out at a large supermarket the next day...
Looking at her Instagram, you can see that she has a lifestyle centered around food, from Indonesian cuisine that Indonesians seem to like to traveling (probably to Hokkaido, based on the snowy landscape). From mee goreng (stir-fried noodles with vegetables), a dish that is accessible to anyone in Indonesia, to luxury travel photos, she provides a rich variety of information to keep her followers interested.

Communication that integrates existing media and influencers

When I first entered the workforce, there were marketing terms such as ATL (Above the line) and BTL (Below the line), and there was an implicit air of "newspapers and TV are better than digital. But that was decades ago, and now it is difficult to reach consumers (especially millennials) without digital communication.
It is said that young people are no longer watching TV, and there are signs of this trend here in Indonesia. However, considering all generations (especially those in their 40s and above), the influence of existing media (TV) is still alive and well. Therefore, in the future, it would be a good idea to reach out to a wide range of people from the younger generation to the senior generation through communication measures that integrate existing media (TV, newspapers, OOH, etc.), social media, and influencers.

  • Intage Inc

    Author profile
    Takayoshi Takayama

    It's been three years since I was posted to Jakarta. He is a wandering researcher who travels from island to island on business trips within Indonesia.

    [Co-author] Rezky Nugraha
    Rezky Nugraha is in his second year at Intage Indonesia. Previously, he was an art director. He is a bilingual researcher who has studied at a graduate school in Japan.

  • Intage Inc

    Editor profile
    INTAGE

    ***

  • Aug 03, 2020
  • 5525 Views

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