MarkPlus expands business into Singapore

MarkPlus expands business into Singapore

Dadan Wijaksana, Singapore

Having opened an office in Singapore and marked its existence in
the offshore market, top marketing strategy consultant
MarkPlus&Co remains upbeat about facing much stiffer competition
in the region's most dynamic business hub.

MarkPlus president and founder Hermawan Kertajaya said the
company's years of experience in handling multinational firms in
Indonesia, plus the comprehensive nature of the marketing
services the company offers, should enable it to cope with the
new challenge.

"It won't be easy, of course, but were we not confident about
prospects for doing business here, we would not have opened the
office here in the first place," the marketing guru said on the
sidelines of a MarkPlus Forum here last week -- the first to be
held in the city-state.

MarkPlus Forum is a monthly gathering of the marketing
community, hosted by Hermawan -- listed as among 50 gurus who
have shaped the future of marketing, by the prestigious Chartered
Institute of Marketing -- in the form of a dinner-talk series to
bring to light updated marketing ideas, concepts and cases.

"We were also underrated when we first set up the company in
Jakarta in 1989. But look where we are now," added Hermawan.

To date, MarkPlus&Co has been the strategic adviser to plenty
of multinational, national and state-owned companies in Indonesia
on various aspects of businesses that the company offers -- which
basically centers on consulting, research, education, interactive
knowledge and knowledge multimedia.

In Indonesia, it has offices in Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang,
Surabaya and Medan.

As part of its "go-international" drive, MarkPlus opened its
Singapore office in May to challenge hundreds of similar firms
already established there, and plans also to set up another in
Kuala Lumpur next year.

Betting on stronger trade relations between ASEAN state
members following the AFTA agreement, Hermawan is confident
Singapore will remain a market with potential.

"Not to mention that the setting up of an overseas market will
show the world that Indonesia is not only able to send unskilled
workers but is also able to export highly skilled professionals,"
Hermawan said.

A company statement also said that, having experience in
helping brands grow in Indonesia, the company was also eager to
provide consulting services to Singapore brands wishing to expand
their businesses into Indonesia.

Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Moch. Slamet Hidayat echoed
that sentiment, saying, "The company undeniably possesses in-
depth knowledge of the Indonesian market and, as a result, I hope
that many Singaporean companies will make use of this to discover
and explore new markets in Indonesia."

Also present at the forum were respected Indonesian
businesspeople Eva Riyanti Hutapea and Rudjito.

"What's good about MarkPlus is that it can provide a
comprehensive package of services to clients -- not just
consulting, but also reliable research and training -- aside from
its strong networks," said Eva, former chief executive of
Indofood, who now heads a division at the Indonesian Chamber of
Trade and Industry (Kadin) on small and medium-sized enterprises.

"Not only do they provide a comprehensive package: They also
strive to ensure that the client will implement it," said
Rudjito, president of the region's largest microfinancing
institution Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI).