High Five: Indonesia
Indonesia is the world’s largest island country, but being split into 17,000 islands, it's also a confluence of cultures. I had fun putting together some great pieces of recent work that celebrate the cultural diversity of this magical country...
Ovo x Indomaret - 'Kaka & Bim-Bim'
Director: Ef Loygara
Translation:
Saleswoman: “Do you have Ovo. There’s a discount voucher available if you pay with Ovo." Customer 1 (Kaka): "Can!" Saleswoman: "Can, bro!" Saleswoman to 2nd Customer: "Kaka (Bro), do you want the offer too?" Customer 2: "I’m Bim-Bim. That guy was Kaka." Saleswoman: "Yes, Kaka (Bro). This is the offer." Customer 2: "I’M BIM-BIM!" Saleswoman: "Understood, Kaka" Customer 2: "OK! I’ll use Ovo...But I’M BIM-BIM" Saleswoman: "Thank you Kaka". VO: "It's more profitable to use Ovo at Indomaret" Customer 1: "You too long!" Customer 2: "Sorry, Kaka!"
This is terribly funny where they use cultural slang and turn it on its head. Kaka is the slang word for 'bro' / 'sis'. Kaka can also be someone’s name. At Indomaret, a local convenience store chain, the saleswoman introduces a cash-back offer from Ovo (an e-wallet) to the first customer, who’s name coincidentally happens to be Kaka. She then refers to the second customer also as Kaka (bro), but he clarifies his name is Bim-Bim. As she continues to call him Kaka, he finds an unusually expressive way of clarifying that Kaka was the other guy’s name. His is Bim-Bim. The interplay of cultural referencing to establish a promotion, done with dramatic humour, makes this a very popular campaign at the moment.
Kredivo - '#Sefleksibelitu' / 'This Is Flexible'
Agency: bujukrayu
This made the list due to its entertainment value, of merging modern-day arcade gaming (ala Mortal Combat) where a chameleon fights with three characters, the first being a masked Latino wrestler; the second being a mythical ghost called ‘Pochong’, and the third being a mythical character named Gatot who had a superpower to shrink himself. Connecting this to a fintech payment app that gives you flexibility to repay your instalments was a great fit. The beauty of this film is that you don’t need a translation to know what’s happening.
XL Axiata - 'We Are More'
Agency: M&C Saatchi Indonesia
Indonesia is largely a patriarchal society where women are marginalised and stereotyped as homemakers and child caregivers. This film follows the journey of an urban Indonesian girl, and establishes how XL as a telecom brand has been by her side, enabling the giant strides she takes in every phase of her life, from graduating, to being a career women, to getting married and having a family. The way this campaign breaks the unconscious bias towards portrayal of women, giving her a rightful place in contemporary Indonesian society, makes this film special for me.
Marjan - 'Bangitkan Harapan' / 'Raising Hope'
Translation:
VO: "This is a village in a magical valley. Dewi Sri is a saviour with the villagers, she is getting ready to welcome the harvest. Suddenly, the mythical and pest army (Kala Wereng visualised as Mad Max characters ) arrived to cause chaos. They are excited to have discovered fertile land." Man: "Prepare all your precious crops. I’ll be back!"
Marjan is a popular syrup consumed during Ramadan. Every year, they merge Hollywood with Indonesian folklore and create content that’s amusing. For 2022, they bring together The Protector Dewi Sri (Indonesia’s version of 'Mulan') with the bad boys of 'Mad Max', to tell yet another entertaining story, quenching your thirst for entertainment.
Gojek - 'There’s Always a Way for People Who’re Doing Great'
Agency: In-house at Gojek
Translation:
VO: "Thumbs up for those of you who are never late, even from the place where no person has ever been to. Thumbs up to those who can satisfy people at home who have lots of wants. For the best seller who sends the package as soon as the customer wants it. For those of you who believe that there must be a way with Gojek, you are great!"
Gojek is a super app that believes 'There’s always a way'. In this film, Gojek showcases its features to congratulate people who’re always on time and always find a way to make things happen despite their circumstances. The film starts by giving a thumbs-up to people who’re always on time, despite traveling from scary places infested with the urban legend of the baby genie who’s known to cause havoc in your life. It then gives a thumbs up to an urban working mother, who finishes a zoom call to find that each member of her family wants something different to eat, which she can order on the app. Gojek gives a thumbs-up to all sellers who’re providing on-time delivery for their best-selling products to their customers using the Gojek app.
