Comfortable co-existence is the underlying motif of Indonesia, from dangdut - local music and dance, to the latest rock bands; formal batik, to three piece suits; jilbab to jeans. On TV, staple fare consists of AFI, the locally adapted version of American Idol, as well as Indonesian Idol, Hollywood and Bollywood blockbusters, reality shows and local soap operas, and dangdut stoppers. Local editions of Cosmopolitan and Harper's Bazaar co-exist with women's tabloids Gadis and Nova; Cosmo Girl sits alongside teen magazine Aneka; the local edition of Business Week with Tempo. Network radio, with over 48 stations, broadcasts alongside single standalone stations, that cannot boast a PC or email.
Indonesians still wake up to their favourite newspaper, as in the past, but now they have 11 TV stations to choose from. More than 1,000 radio stations vie for their ears. There are 266 magazines and tabloid titles to keep them informed, occupied and entertained. Myriad outdoor media keeps wooing them to open their wallets and consume.
Indonesians are taking control. They are switching cluttered TV and radio channels, turning magazine pages with overwhelming advertising content.
AaBeGes, the new generation of pre/early teens, late teens and young adults, who together form half of the population, are moving away from their couches to cafes and karaokes. They are malling, gyrating at rock shows, hanging out at the town centre or cinemas, while using the ubiquitous mobile phone, doing everything but sitting in front of the TV or paying attention to outdoor ads. Indonesia's families are at the crossroads of a democratic society, political change and a better economic future, but facing everyday pressures, including rising costs, children's education and a zillion other things, including managing each others' needs, wants, desires, hopes and failures. In this melee, they are turning to the media for entertainment, but what they get is an overload of ads. They switch channels, or pick up a magazine, but there it is the same.
Advertisers have to realise the complexity of the situation, not only unusually high levels of clutter from many choices and cheap media prices, but also that consumers have become a moving target.
The key is not to overwhelm them with more and more exposures but to engage them with panache and subtlety. Interact with them in a delightful manner.
Woo the housewives and mothers with 30 minutes of advertising rather than 30 seconds. Interact with the AaBeGes through SMS. Hang out with the gauls to grab their attention. Bring on the oleh, oleh, and Indonesia will do an arisan with you.