Golkar selects agencies to handle $13m advertising account

JAKARTA - After inviting 23 parties to pitch for its advertising business, Golkar, one of Indonesia's biggest political parties, has handed the account to local agencies Cabe Rawit and Activate, a local affiliate of MPG.

Cabe Rawit will handle the creative business while Activate will handle the media account.

The review marked the first time that a political party had conducted a formal pitch in Indonesia. Prior to selecting Cabe Rawit, Golkar had shortlisted three agencies including Oze and Hotline for its creative account. It is not clear which agencies were shortlisted for the media account.

Golkar, also called Sekretariat Bersama Golongan Karya, is counted among the richest political parties in the world. It was the ruling party during former President Suharto's 32-year regime, and is currently one of the biggest parties in Indonesia’s ruling coalition.