Advertising agencies reap benefits from political ads

JAKARTA (JP): In a country where for 32 years its people were not allowed to express their political views on the streets, much less in the media, people can now enjoy lively political advertisements on television.

Several political parties have spent several hundred million rupiah on 30-second TV ads. Staff members at major advertising agencies are working 16 to 18-hour shifts to come up with ideas, storyboards and layouts for the ads.

In prime time, a 30-second ad costs between Rp 7 million to over Rp 10 million.

Media representatives from advertising agencies said that more than advertisements, agencies were being paid to produce "catchwords and catchsymbols" that would influence TV viewers to vote for the advertised political party.

The director of Euro-RSCG Adwork, a European firm which opened an office here 10 years ago, Andoko Darta, assigned four teams of two people each to work on the symbol for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan); a black, white- nosed, bull in a circle with a red background.

"After two months of exhaustive effort, the bull drawing was christened as the official PDI Perjuangan logo," Andoko said.

Andoko said the party, which hired the agency at the end of last year, wanted TV ads that would win the sympathy of the people.

"That's why (we came up with) the ad where you have a female voice telling people that PDI Perjuangan will fight poverty and defend the common people. It focuses on social problems," Andoko said. "It was simple ... only one aim. Focus on social problems."

Andoko said this advertisement was the most successful of the four TV ads the agency produced for PDI Perjuangan. Another successful ad, he said, was the one that forces TV viewers to focus on the "bull's nose".

"That white nose calls out to people to pierce it. You also have Ibu Mega's (PDI Perjuangan chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri) voice telling viewers to choose 'No. 11', the party's number on the ballot sheet."

Disorganized

A member of the board of commissioners at Visi Pro advertising agency, Muchfisin Dachlan, said Golkar Party was "disorganized" in its approach to advertising.

"It is not modern in its way of communicating with the ad- world ... can you imagine making one ad with one agency and another ad with another agency," Muchfisin said. "No party with any advertising sense works like that."

Visi Pro produced Golkar's first advertisement for the June 7 elections, at a cost of Rp 2.6 billion.

The advertisement was produced at Monalisa Film production house and directed by New Yorker Bob Chapel, who has done a number of TV advertisements here. The ad features Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung and at least 100 people in traditional Indonesian costumes. The ad promotes the party's "unity in diversity" slogan.

"Golkar wanted something colossal but only wanted to pay Rp 2.6 billion. We offered to do something beautiful for around Rp 18 billion, but Golkar did not have that much," Muchfisin said.

He added that Golkar, which has suffered harsh criticism for its past connection with Soeharto, wanted an ad that would not only draw people's sympathy, but would also be entertaining.

"That's why we have a song in the ad. Golkar baru bersatu untuk maju (The new Golkar unifies and makes advancements) are the keywords meant to attract people," he said.

Perwanal advertising agency produced the National Mandate Party's (PAN) first TV advertisement.

The advertisement, which features PAN leader Amien Rais, was shot by a local director at Pyramid, a local production house.

A Perwanal media officer, Vera, said PAN was "there from the start".

"They contributed ideas for the storyboard, layouts and the finishings before the actual shooting of the ad," Vera said.

She said there were continuous discussions on which production house would be selected to produce the ad.

"Once the layout is done, we choose the production house. There's the first-class, second-class and third-class production houses. We charge the client accordingly. Shooting outdoors or indoors also affects the price," she said. "We also have different rates for an ad featuring a prominent figure."

Director Garin Nugroho, who has worked on at least 12 television advertisements on the political campaign for the Visi Anak Bangsa group, said the cost depended on the amount of research done on an ad.

"I do not charge between Rp 400 million and Rp 1.5 billion for a 30-second to one-minute ad for nothing," Garin said.

He said that during the course of making an ad, he conducted research in at least eight large cities.

"Research will be done three times for one TV ad. (There are) two types of research. One, for feedback on people's political views. Two, to develop ideas," Garin said.

"We go as far as forming groups of 20 housewives, for instance, or 20 unemployed people to learn their political views," he said.

A media officer at Matari advertising agency, Vera, said that to say the agency was simply in charge of making ads for the National Awakening Party (PKB) was incorrect.

Vera said the agency was hired for the following: To design the PKB logo, to produce TV, radio and print ads, to guide the party and outline its campaign activities in several villages and cities, to produce the videos screened at Ratu Plaza and Blok M Plaza in South Jakarta and, finally, outline the party's activities.

"The party provided us with its philosophy, Matari provided it with the image," Vera said.

"I cannot give figures. What I can say is that political parties give advertisements new meaning." (ylt)