Ex-Cognito execs launch PR firm to bridge Indonesia's 'connection gap'

A new firm has emerged in Indonesia's public relations landscape—Clover Connection, the brainchild of Diu Oktora (pictured, right) and Rommy Rustami (pictured, left), two former Cognito Communications executives turned independent consultants and now co-founders of their own agency.

Clover Connection is designed to fix what they call the "connection gap" that has plagued the industry. The duo aims to reframe what public relations should be—not a game of visibility metrics, but a business built on trust, empathy, and relevance.

"We saw a gap in the market that many traditional PR agencies often overlook. While most focus heavily on the communication aspect—crafting messages, managing narratives, and building visibility—we believe that's only part of the equation," Oktora told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

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For Clover, that means looking beyond visibility to build interpersonal trust—within companies, between brands and media, and among communities. Oktora recalled a campaign she led on children's health to illustrate this difference.

"Traditionally, the approach would've been standard: send out press releases, host an event, bring in big-name influencers," she said. "That creates buzz—but it rarely sticks." Instead, her team sat down with families, partnered with community health workers, and involved local leaders in co-creating the message. "That shift to a human-centred, relational approach turned the campaign into something sustainable, meaningful, and far more impactful."

Both Oktora and Rustami trace their PR philosophies back to their roots in journalism. Oktora's background lies in field reporting—covering everything from national politics to natural disasters—while Rustami cut his teeth in business media, trained to decipher data and derive meaning.

What began as a friendship grew into a professional partnership when the two joined Cognito, a Jakarta-based PR firm with 25 years of experience. After several years of learning and leading campaigns, they decided to strike out on their own—initially with separate projects, and eventually as co-founders of Clover.

Their central thesis is simple yet often overlooked: communication means little without genuine relationships. Clover blurs the lines between strategic consultancy and full-service agency. Their goal is to embed deep insights into creative execution—and to elevate brand narratives through stakeholder relationships, not just media soundbites.

The name Clover Connection references the four-leaf clover—symbolising luck, balance, and prosperity, Oktora explained. The agency's logo draws from this symbolism, with each leaf representing a core pillar of their work: strategy, creativity, collaboration, and impact.

At launch, Clover offers media relations, campaign development, internal communications, and strategic counsel—with emphasis on sustainability and inclusive messaging, across both retainer and project-based work. Early conversations are underway with organisations across sectors like FMCG, energy, healthcare, finance, government, and the non-profit space.

In the next six months, Clover aims to secure anchor clients, grow its portfolio, and gradually expand its team. Ideal candidates, according to the founders, are not only skilled but also "curious, adaptable, and socially aware."

"For us, great communication and strong connections go hand in hand, and we want team members who embody that mindset in everything they do," Oktora added.

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