Rhenald has something to teach the country

K. Basrie, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

His first-ever role as a co-star in a TV commercial brought protests from colleagues, friends and fans.

"I received so many protests, especially from my audience who used to attend in my seminars and lectures. They were not happy with my appearance in the commercial," said Rhenald Kasali, a noted management lecturer, marketing guru, leading business consultant and columnist in various media.

"They are worried that my brand will be degraded because I am promoting jamu Tolak Angin in TV commercial," he said, referring to the ad in which he co-stars with top artist Sophia Latjuba for the Sido Muncul traditional herbal cure for the common cold.

Most wondered, he told The Jakarta Post in a recent interview, about Rhenald's reasons for taking part in the commercial in which Sophia exclaims in the closing moments that even an intellectual consumes herbal medicine.

The complaints came to him also in the form of faxes and e- mails. In short, most of his fans regretted his decision to star in a TV commercial for jamu (herbal medicine), which many Indonesians regard as "cheap" and "only for low-class people".

But Rhenald, who is regularly invited to give lectures at various universities across the country, has a crystal-clear answer. No, it's not that he's repositioning his brand, but rather he is starting to reposition the image of traditional Indonesian herbal medicines in the eyes of locals and foreigners.

"Really, I had good intentions (for co-staring in the commercial). I wanted to educate people to start appreciating Indonesian products," Rhenald, now 41, explained,

For quite a long time, he went on, jamu has been perceived in the same vein as Srimulat, the Javanese traditional comedy troupe whose members dress in simple style and whose jokes are phrased in simple language and are designed only for low-class society.

Rhenald said his dream is that one day Made-in-Indonesia herbal medicines will be on a par with the likes of The Body Shop.

"Then, it's no longer attractive for me to co-star such TV commercials since they already have the brands," he said.

According to him, he was chosen to co-star in the commercial by a team set up by the jamu producer, whose members included noted author and writer Arswendo Atmowiloto.

Born in Jakarta on Aug. 13, 1960, Rhenald, who received his masters and Ph.D degree in management from the University of Illinois at Urbana & Champaign in the United States, is now head of the postgraduate program for management students at the University of Indonesia.

He disclosed that life was not so good to him shortly after he graduated from the University of Indonesia in 1985.

"It was very hard. While my friends were already working as bankers and directors, I had to live modestly and concentrate on school and books," Rhenald, who once worked as a journalist at Promosi Ekonomi business magazine, which is published by the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce, and later at the Jakarta Jakarta entertainment magazine.

With his wife Elisa, whom he married in 1989, Rhenald went to America to continue his studies. There, the couple lived in a "very uncomfortable" little apartment. To survive, Elisa earned money as a driver for students and as a babysitter.

One time, Rhenald recalled, his wife -- who had no health insurance -- got a heavy flu and finally fainted. In panic, Rhenald rang 911 for emergency assistance. When he whispered to Elisa what he had done, she suddenly regained consciousness and demanded that Rhenald cancel the call as the ambulance would cost them US$350.

"I hastily canceled the call but then I saw her collapse again," he said laughing.

The two now live with their two boys, Fin Yourdan, 11, and Adam Makalani, 6, in the Jatimurni area of Pondok Gede, East Jakarta, where Rhenald is also a member of the local RT (neighborhood unit).

From the States, Rhenald went back to his old campus to teach. Thanks to what he calls his power to communicate ideas and knowledge with other people, he was hired by a large number of private and state firms as a management consultant.

His former and current clients include Garuda Indonesia, BCA, Kompas, BNI 46, Excelcom, Pusri, Matari Advertising, Kasogi International, and Sucofindo. Rhenald was also the man behind the birth and provides the ideas for the special Marketing Perspective column in the Post that appears once every two weeks.

Today, the schedule of the book collector is very tight. Besides giving lectures and training courses, as well as attending seminars, Rhenald is also a speaker on a number of TV and radio business talk shows, such as Solusi Bisnis Rhenald Kasali on ANteve and Bedah Bisnis Rhenald Kasali on M97 FM Radio.

"But I always try to be at home with my wife and kids every weekend to share light moments with them and hear their mum's complaints about the boys," he said.

Rhenald is also regularly invited to teach postgraduate students in various universities outside Java, like Udayana University (Bali), Tanjung Pura University (Palangkaraya), Lampung University (Lampung), Sam Ratulangi University (Manado), and Bengkulu State University (Bengkulu).

Knowing that most of these universities would be unable to pay for his flights and hotel, most of the time Rhenald asks his clients to help part sponsor his teaching trip.

"It's a kind of charity."

Rhenald realized that his academic status has played a significant role in gaining him popularity. "Therefore, I always want to share what I get outside."

"This year alone, we will be able to bring some Rp 2 billion to the campus for various purposes, such as the renovation of our classrooms, library, computer lab, and the publication of our internal journal," he said.

Now, he runs a consultancy firm called RKS Management (www.rks-management.com) which offers management training and consultancy services. The new company is the successor to IMeDE (Institute of Marketing Education), which he built up with his friends earlier.

His obsession now is to be an inspiration for Indonesia.

"I want to dedicate my life and knowledge to my country. I am a teacher and will remain a teacher, meaning that I will be very happy to do that."

And what about his new job as a TV commercial star?

Next year, he said coyly, his face would be appearing again in an advertisement. "This time, it will only be in the print media," he said.

In marketing, many believe that brands that carry with them a true persona and beliefs and experiences similar to a personality will rise to a new level.

After all, it's hard not to like someone with a good personality, right?