Indonesia is forcing global brands to rethink how market entry is communicated

Indonesia remains one of Southeast Asia's most attractive expansion markets, but communications experts say many international brands are still approaching it with the wrong playbook.

Rather than relying on global campaigns alone, successful entrants are investing in relationships, cultural relevance and trust long before their products hit the shelves.

Across interviews with communications leaders from APRW and Louken Group, alongside hospitality platform RedDoorz, one message emerged consistently: the biggest challenge is no longer introducing a brand, but convincing Indonesians that it genuinely belongs.

Indonesia is one market only on paper

According to Anu Gupta, director at APRW, one of the biggest mistakes foreign companies make is assuming that strategies successful elsewhere in Southeast Asia can simply be replicated in Indonesia.

"Indonesia is highly diverse, with different consumer behaviours, cultures and media landscapes across its regions," Gupta said. "From a communications perspective, companies often underestimate the importance of engaging local stakeholders and adapting their messaging to Indonesia's fast-moving, digitally driven media environment."

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Haoming Lee, CEO of Louken Group, concurred, saying that while Indonesia is a large market, it is also highly layered - culturally, geographically, economically, operationally and socially. As a result, a communications strategy that works in one city may not necessarily resonate in another.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that Indonesia is simply a 'large market' waiting to be captured.

Lee argued that brands often underestimate how operational readiness - from pricing and logistics to local partnerships and regulation - shapes whether communications can ultimately succeed.

"Indonesia is not a market where communications can compensate for weak readiness," he said.

Localisation has evolved beyond language

If Indonesia's diversity has become widely acknowledged, what constitutes effective localisation has also changed. Rather than adapting slogans or translating campaign copy, agencies increasingly describe localisation as cultural interpretation.

"Effective localisation is not about changing who you are as a brand - it is about communicating your values in ways that resonate with local audiences," Gupta said.

"The strongest brands maintain a consistent global purpose while giving local teams the flexibility to adapt messaging, storytelling and engagement strategies to the market."

Lee summarised the philosophy succinctly: "The way we think about it is: keep the brand truth consistent, but localise the proof."

For brands supported through Louken's Lighthouse Indonesia programme, localisation often manifested through collaborations with Indonesian partners, exclusive product editions or curated retail experiences instead of wholesale changes to brand identity.

"The mistake is when companies either over-standardise or over-localise," Lee said. "The sweet spot is cultural translation, not cultural imitation."

Trust begins long before customers buy

Both agencies argue that communications objectives have fundamentally shifted from generating awareness to establishing credibility.

Rather than speaking only to consumers, successful entrants increasingly build relationships with media, policymakers, creators, business partners and industry stakeholders before commercial launches.

For Singaporean companies expanding into Indonesia, APRW has positioned executives as thought leaders on topics including digital transformation, healthcare and workforce development through media engagement and partnerships with local institutions.

Louken similarly frames market entry as a "trust-building exercise" rather than simply a sales campaign.

Through its Lighthouse Indonesia initiative and Nova Now activation in Jakarta, Singaporean retail brands were introduced through curated physical experiences supported by creators, media and ecosystem partners.

Lee described this as building a "proof ecosystem" before asking consumers to purchase.

"Product proof, partner proof, community proof, media proof and experience proof all have to work together."

RedDoorz finds lessons in relationships

Those observations closely mirror the experience of hospitality platform RedDoorz, which has expanded across Indonesia while working with APRW.

Although the company entered Indonesia because of strong structural fundamentals - including resilient domestic tourism demand and an estimated 60,000 independent hotels that could benefit from technology and revenue optimisation - it soon realised communications required a different playbook.

"What we deliberately adapted in Indonesia is how we connect with both travellers and property owners," said Mohit Gandas, country director of RedDoorz Indonesia.

Indonesia is a highly community-driven market, where trust, relationships, and local relevance matter deeply.

Rather than changing its core positioning as a hospitality technology platform, RedDoorz localised customer engagement, partnerships and campaigns around cultural moments such as Ramadan, Lebaran and school holidays.

The company also learned that Indonesian purchasing decisions depended on more than convenience.

"One of the biggest surprises for us has been how relationship-driven and trust-based the Indonesian market is," Gandas said.

"In many markets, consumers make decisions largely based on price and convenience, but in Indonesia, emotional connection, word-of-mouth, and community influence play a much bigger role than we initially expected."

The experience has subsequently influenced RedDoorz's regional communications strategy, including its operations in the Philippines, where the company has adopted more local storytelling and relationship-driven communications with both customers and hotel partners.

Digital has expanded the communications journey

Indonesia's vibrant creator economy and highly engaged online audiences have also redefined communications planning.

Rather than replacing traditional media, agencies increasingly see digital ecosystems as interconnected networks where creators, communities, earned media and physical experiences reinforce each other.

Lee believes this has fundamentally changed the role of communications.

"Communications is no longer just about awareness. It is part of discovery, education, validation, conversion and community-building."

For brands entering Indonesia, he argued, the more important question is no longer what the brand wants to say, but who consumers trust enough to say it.

AI speeds execution - but not cultural judgement

As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in communications workflows, these executives see value in its ability to accelerate localisation - but not replace human expertise.

Gupta said AI has improved audience analysis, media monitoring, multilingual adaptation and planning efficiency. However, "cultural intelligence cannot be automated."

The greatest risk is producing content that is technically accurate but culturally tone-deaf, ultimately undermining the trust and authenticity that brands work so hard to build.

Lee echoed the concern.

"The risk of over-automating localisation is that everything becomes technically correct but emotionally wrong."

He believes AI can identify patterns and generate first drafts, but understanding religious sensitivities, humour, local pride and stakeholder dynamics still depends on human judgement.

A more crowded communications future

Competition is expected to intensify over the next three years as sectors including technology, financial services, healthcare, electric vehicles, beauty, fashion, wellness and consumer brands continue expanding across Southeast Asia.

Yet the executives argue that communications success will depend less on louder campaigns than deeper market understanding.

For Gupta, the winners will be companies that "invest in credibility, localisation and long-term relationships."

For RedDoorz, the advice is similarly direct. "Don't treat it as just another market in Southeast Asia," Gandas said.

"Indonesia is incredibly diverse, both culturally and geographically, so success requires a deep understanding of local nuances."

Lee believes operational readiness will increasingly separate successful entrants from unsuccessful ones.

"The brands that win will be the ones that treat Indonesia as a market worth building with, not just selling to," he said.

Be part of PR Asia Indonesia 2026 on 15 July 2026 – the first time this regional communications flagship lands in Jakarta – bringing together communications leaders ready to redefine influence, reputation, and impact!

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