Matari gets Garuda image overhaul job

<p>Matari Advertising has won the Rp35 billion (about US$4.1 </p><p>million) Garuda Indonesia account, following what was described by the </p><p>advertising industry as the "pitch of the year" which involved 16 local </p><p>and multi-national agencies. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The account is one of the largest handled by any agency in Indonesia for </p><p>a single product. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Matari, which has been tasked with running a two-year marketing </p><p>communications campaign aimed at improving Garuda's image, took a bold </p><p>approach when pitching for the account. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"While the other agencies tried to sell how beautiful Indonesia is, we </p><p>told Garuda to admit that they have big problems, to invite customers to </p><p>keep telling them how unhappy they are with Garuda, and to commit to </p><p>change," said Ken T. Sudarto, the chairman of Matari Advertising. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We did warn them that the approach could backfire if they don't deliver </p><p>what they promise, but I think they have reached a stage where they </p><p>don't have a choice." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The state-owned carrier has been suffering from a bad image due to </p><p>inefficiencies blamed on corruption. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In 1998, a decline in the travel business amid the regional economic </p><p>crisis forced the airline to axe unprofitable routes and reduce its </p><p>fleet size. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Last year, the company began operating on a profit again after a new </p><p>management took over and introduced measures to improve its </p><p>services. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Matari's advertising strategy for Garuda, said Mr Sudarto, is to </p><p>pre-empt the audience with a series of full-page ads in major </p><p>newspapers, accompanied by longer-than-usual TVCs, using the tagline </p><p>'Garuda is now different'. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He explained : "In the first ad, Garuda will thank its customers for </p><p>their complaints. The second ad will state the improvements Garuda has </p><p>made and its commitment to bringing more improvements. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The third ad will invite the audience to try them out. By the second </p><p>year, the ads will feature the public stating that 'Garuda is indeed </p><p>different'." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Below-the-line communications will focus on training customer relations </p><p>staff to handle complaints at every airport in Indonesia. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"They need a complete overhaul to their image," said Mr Sudarto, adding </p><p>that although Garuda has made significant improvements in their </p><p>operations, they fail to be convincing. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"No one believes it," he said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, he praised Garuda for making the pitch transparent. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Matari had pitched for Garuda several times in the past, but Ken said </p><p>that this was their first fair pitch. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"They had 20 or 30 people in the room explaining how the points were </p><p>scored," he said. Several consultants were also brought in to assist in </p><p>the selection process. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>