Burnett snatches Metro Indonesia

PT Leo Burnett Kreasindo Indonesia has promised "exciting and unconventional advertising" after snatching the Metro Department Store account from incumbent JWTAdforce. The pitch was won on creative recommendations and Burnett Kreasindo chief executive officer Berndt Soderbom said: "We are not going to just show beautiful products in a beautiful setting. "We're putting together a campaign that is going to be sophisticated, a bit controversial and borderline risque in order to underline the core brand values of the Metro brand, which is a department store that sells quality and affordable products," he told MEDIA. Competition amongst department stores in Indonesia is fierce, especially in the capital Jakarta. However, Singapore-based Metro faces an extra problem; a significant number of consumers in Jakarta are confused between Metro Department Store and Metro Supermarket. It is for this reason that the strategy and creative behind the advertising campaign had to be different and out of the ordinary, Mr Soderbom said. But while it faces considerable competition from the giant chain stores such as Matahari and Ramayana - the former operates about 70 stores nationwide - Metro positions itself as a niche player by targeting the upper middle class through its only two stores in Indonesia, both of which are in Jakarta. "In that sense, they are not in direct competition with the big chains but although there is competition from them, our campaign will highlight Metro's strength as a niche player and demonstrate the benefits consumers can derive from the department store," said Mr Soderbom. Burnett Kreasindo was chosen over JWTAdforce because the former had presented "solid solutions" and proved itself to be "dynamic and creative", according to Christine Barki, president director of PT Metropolitan Retailment, which runs Metro in Indonesia. She also said that the incumbent lost out, because the financial crisis of the late 1990s and its aftermath had taken its toll on the agency. She did not elaborate.

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