Indonesia's advertising enjoys rapid growth
Indonesia's advertising enjoys rapid growth
JAKARTA (JP): It took the duo of Baty Subakti and H. Mahtum to chair the organizing committee of AdAsia '95.
Both Baty and Mahtum are prominent Indonesian advertising personalities and both have high expectations for the Bali congress.
A former journalist, Mahtum said advertising is inseparable from the communications world, especially the press.
"Advertising is an important part of the press," said Mahtum, 45, who is executive director of the National Media Advertising Press Body.
"As host of AdAsia '95, Indonesia can make use of the event to show the world that its communications industry and advertising business are ready for the future free trade," said Mahtum.
According to Mahtum, the Indonesian press has a longer history than the advertising business.
"The national press started before the country's independence, unlike the advertising business, which began in the 1970s in line with the growing economy," he explained.
Initially, Mahtum worked as a journalist for Majalah Jaya magazine before he entered advertising in the early 1970s.
"Advertising was still a new thing then. As a former journalist, I felt I was being belittled when I was assigned to handle the advertising section of the then newly-founded Tempo magazine," said Mahtum, one of the founders of the magazine which was banned last year.
With time, he fell in love with the advertising world.
"It's a glamorous world and, in its development, advertising has become inseparable from the press. Now I don't feel I am lower than journalists," said Mahtum.
He admitted that Indonesia's advertising is lagging behind its Asian neighbors like Singapore and Thailand, and especially South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan. He said the fact is reflected in the creativity and human resources at Indonesian agencies.
"There are many Indonesian advertising agencies which rely on foreign affiliations. They also use a lot of foreign experts. This is a challenge for us," said Mahtum.
Mahtum sees AdAsia '95 as a perfect time to review advertising development in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Baty Subakti said he hoped AdAsia '95 would be able to correct any misinformation about Indonesia, like the human rights and environmental issues raised by those who would benefit from an underdeveloped Indonesia.
"In fact, we have done a lot to improve the human rights situation. Many (foreign) people are also unaware that the environment is one of our top priorities," insisted Baty, managing director of B&B Communications.
"I don't deny the fact that there are flaws in the way we handle our environment, but that doesn't mean that the environmental condition here is that bad," he argued. "It's also possible that they do not know that we plant more trees than we cut," he added
"We can explain the true condition and correct any misconception of Indonesia through the communications experts who attend AdAsia," said Baty, a graduate of the School of Engineering at the University of Indonesia.
Baty began his advertising career in 1971 as an account executive at Ogilvy & Mather. A year later he moved to the media department, where he progressed from media planner through media manager to media director. He left Ogilvy & Mather in 1980 to set up his own agency, BB & E Advertising. The name was changed into B&B Communications in 1983.
Baty is a born organizer. He is the president of the Indonesian Ad Council and a member of the National Press Council. He also lectures at private organizations and universities and speaks at seminars.
According to Baty, Indonesia's advertising has developed tremendously. In the past five years, for example, the advertising budget increased 38 percent nationwide. Over five times the growth rate of the economy. To improve sales, producers will have to increase their advertising efforts.
"That's why advertising has become a vital element in marketing," said Baty.