Independence Day special: Adland's fight for Indonesia's progress

After an eventful start to the year with an emotional election season in April, Indonesian came together over the weekend as the nation celebrated its 74th Independence Day with much fanfare. In the lead-up to the big event, an online community of women took to National Monument Square with kebaya outfits and started the #SelasaBerkebaya movement to encourage other women to wear traditional costume kebaya on Tuesdays.Meanwhile, train operator Kereta Api Indonesia also distributed flags to passengers on board and rallied them to sing the national anthem together. The creativity portrayed didn't stop there. Capturing the Indonesian spirit was also beloved brand Gojek Indonesia, which launched the cerdikiawan (life hacker) campaign recently, inviting the public to share their very own smart and brilliant solutions to everyday problems.So, in line with Independence Day, Marketing Interactive spoke to agency leads on what their hopes for creativity and the future are.Ricky Subrata, chairman, BBDO Indonesia My hope on this 74th Independence Day is for our creative industry to create a movement to neutralise the extremists and eradicate the corrupt practices.Subarata added that despite the great job being done by the current government, the deeply rooted religious extremism and corruption practices inherited by the previous regimes still rear their ugly heads from time to time. "The government needs the participation of the society to solve those fundamental issues," explained Subrata.The steps, according to him, can start as small as the #SelasaBerkebaya movement. It ensures that the local multi-cultural traditions and values are remembered, and not replaced by religious extremist attributes and laws. At the workplace, he said companies can also implement kebaya Tuesdays and integrate its culture into relevant creative works.Subrata added: "I hope to see other movements from our creative industry that our nation can participate in so that we stand united as one Indonesia. Merdeka!"Lia Sunarjo, managing director, FAB Group I would like to see more innovative solution-based businesses from Indonesia that can also be applied in many other countries in Asia and the world.Citing Gojek as an example, Sunarjo said the ride-hailing company has successfully re-purpose a service and a profession, and made it relevant to today's lifestyle needs and behaviour."I believe that it is not solely the role of the government to provide solutions or be the engine of progress, but it is everyone's job to do so. It is crucial that the private sectors and the young generation take an active role in taking the nation forward," she said. Such efforts can also stretch beyond services and fintech to sectors such as music, film and design.Additionally, she hopes that Indonesia can build on its core belief of "unity in diversity". By respecting diversity, Sunarjo said it will be easier for Indonesia to keep up with globalisation and adapt to differences across the world. "Our diversity is what makes us unique, and the unity is what makes us strong as a nation," she added.Ivan Hadywibowo, CEO, Flock IndonesiaI wish for the country to shift its focus from natural resources to human capital.Wibowo said his wish is in line with the country's newly-appointed president’s agenda for the next five years. "In recent years, local creative talents been breaking boundaries and carrying the Indonesian flag high on the world stage. There’s no better time in country’s history for the creative industry to contribute to our country’s progress," he said.As the nation progresses into an "era of creative excellencies", Wibowo expects such achievements to be the beginning of more breakthroughs to come. "It makes me incredibly proud that our local talents are showing to the world that we can compete in various industries," he added.Nadya Tamara, associate media director, Carat My hope is to bring back our “Gotong Royong” spirit.Within the media industry, Tamara said the spirit can be demonstrated in the production of solid campaigns with effectiveness and efficiency. Such outcomes often involve a lot of parties from both the agency and client sides and require "mutual vision"."The spirit that brings this country together and together we can achieve so much more. We can all contribute no matter what your background is. Let’s roll our sleeves and work for a better IndONEsia," she added.Radityo Prabowo, CEO,  Daniel J Edelman (DJE) IndonesiaI hope that Indonesians will be more collaborative, putting behind our differences and putting forward a similar vision of building our nation to be even greater."I also hope to see a more equality on education, infrastructure, access to information as well as human rights protection. I have a confidence that Indonesia can move forward as a nation of opportunities, not just for foreign investments but also for its citizens in building their own dreams, through creative economy, art and culture, also science and technology," he added.