The CDMA-based residential phone service is a brand of PT Mandala Selular Indonesia. The company launched its campaign -- created by David Singapore -- earlier this month in Indonesia's Lampung province.
The service will roll out across the nation over the course of the year, with Bali slated as Ceria's next destination.
The marketing initiative, developed by David in alliance with Bates Indonesia and 141 Jakarta, is built around the brand concept of 'It's your turn'. According to David Singapore managing director Richard Thomas, the goal is to demonstrate to rural consumers that affordable telephony is within their reach. "Consumers (there) don't have the same exposure to advertising as they would in Jakarta, so it's about finding a way of building word-of-mouth without advertising," said Thomas. "It's almost as if rural consumers hadn't been given the opportunity to communicate in the way the urban consumer had."
The service is being pushed primarily through roadshows, which allow people to test the service. These are supported by a range of public relations initatives, radio and tactical print executions.
Ceria's technology does not require the set up of mobile towers or landlines, keeping subscription rates relatively cheap. "We're deliberately not targeting affluent people," added Thomas. "It is much more about trying to make telecommunications available to all Indonesians."
The agency won the business following a three-way pitch which included Leo Burnett and Publicis.
