Advertising executives don't live the high life

By Edith Hartanto

JAKARTA (JP): Good pay, daily dealings with the beautiful people and inclusion in the trendy loop is the commonly held perception of the lives of those in advertising.

The reality, according to those who have succeeded in the industry, falls far short of the glamorous images.

Persistence, enterprise and creativity are key for both success and survival in the competitive industry, insiders say.

Artisi Advertising and Communications Agency, formed by four former high school friends, is one of hundreds of advertising agencies in Jakarta striving for a piece of the action.

It has grown into a small but successful agency in the year since its founding.

Managing director Ariadi Abimanju recounted as many downs and ups in the profession. But he said many people who entered the industry were blinded by dazzling but inaccurate perspectives.

Ariadi's colleague, Romanus Sumaryo, described the tough life of advertising executives.

"Don't ever think the advertising business is easy. I have to work like a dog ... most of the time we're sleeping with only one eye shut, because we have to watch productions or catch up with deadlines."

A 30-second commercial can take months of laborious work.

"I remember working round the clock," Romanus said. "I ended up with diarrhea and nausea because I was not eating properly. I only ate instant noodles and drank lots of coffee."

Working with the beautiful and famous is not all it's cracked up to be, he said.

"People think that it's cool to meet starlets ... I tell you, they're sometimes so annoying.

"Models come to work late, they need retakes, they are bossy and sometimes extremely cranky."

Despite the hardships, the job can be a thrill, especially for those who are still young and single.

"There are particular advantages to being young and unattached," said an advertising executive. "We can work as hard as we want and no girlfriend to worry about."

Romanus is the only one of Artisi's four partners with a degree in communications, but he said a university degree in an advertising-related field was not essential in succeeding in the industry.

Intelligence, charisma, technical expertise, contacts and experience mattered more, he said.

The other partners in the firm are Ilya Alexander and Rico Johan Isak.

"Ilya is a computer expert. Ariadi's a business wiz, Rico's the artist and I'm good with the media and public relations. It's a good balance," Romanus remarked.

With limited capital, they started the company with a staff of 15.

They have weathered hard times and, to the happy surprise of family and friends, they are now a success.

"Our target is to hit the Rp 1 billion mark on Feb. 18 (the company's anniversary) next year," said Ilyas.

"We are optimistic. We can definitely reach 80 percent of that target," added Ariadi.

He said they were fully committed to their jobs and wanted to serve with "only the best".

"Each client has different needs. And foreign products and ideas always have the problem of 'being accepted' by the Indonesian culture. Our mission is to effectively interpret our clients' needs and fit them into the aimed target markets."

Ilyas said they preferred foreign to local clients because the former were "more broad-minded, more flexible in accepting new ideas, and there are never serious hassles with money problems".

Their biggest clients are electronics companies Samsung and Polytron.

Another successful agency, Cabe Rawit (literally "red chilies"), was founded in 1992 by four people -- including an office boy -- and has now expanded to a staff of 35.

Managing director Narga Shakri Habib recalled how his agency grew to find its own niche in the industry.

"Initially, we concentrated on print ads, during the boom of print ads in Indonesia ... We were even called "King Of Print" in the ad world at one point," he said.

Narga added that once they had established a reputation, they branched out to include billboard and TV advertising. "We receive a lot of TV ad proposals nowadays."

Narga claimed the firm's unusual name was a draw.

"This is because we are both hot and spicy.

"In the beginning several clients told us the name wouldn't bring in profits, but once they saw and tested our work, they quickly changed their minds."

Cabe Rawit has received several Citra Adhi Pariwara, the annual advertising industry awards, including one for an ad featuring celebrated songwriter Gesang.

Narga said the agency's biggest client is clove cigarette company, PT. Sampoerna.

"Good clients to me are those that consider us professionals and let us do our jobs. We have rejected several client offers when we found out they were the pushy type," he said.

There is some truth to the perception of advertising as a profession for the young, he added.

"I employ a lot of hard-working students with potential because I know there comes a point, over time, when regeneration of ideas is needed."

He lamented the poor grounding of talented individuals in the field.

"Universities teach students from outdated materials and when a new batch of graduates comes into the agency, I have to 'retrain' them.

"For interns, salaries range from Rp 800,000 to Rp 1 million. Full-timers get more."

Cabe Rawit's target income for 1997-1998 is Rp 20 billion.

Narga said the monetary crisis had not had a significant effect on the firm, but it had been felt.

"Yes, we are affected by the current monetary crisis. Here, people view advertising as 'costs', so the first thing to get cut is the advertising costs," he said.

Due to the stiff competition, the agency commission is being slashed from 15 percent to 2 percent.

He said the industry needed to change with the times to survive.

"This industry is heading towards its 'moribund' phase. The only way to save it is to get more students to study and learn about the modern advertising culture, instead of depending on old garbage.

"This way they can keep the industry alive with bolder concepts and ideas."