Korean soul, Indonesian pulse: How Cheil's cultural fusion builds advantage

In a crowded market teeming with both global giants and hyper-local challengers, Cheil Indonesia is carving out a different kind of edge - one that lies not in scale or speed, but in synthesis.

The agency’s CEO Joo Hwan Kim (pictured), who has spent 24 years within Cheil across South Korea, India, and now Indonesia, believes its edge stems from its ability to bridge cultures and functions, blending Korean precision with Indonesian sensibilities. “We are in a better position when it comes to the K culture. So that gives us an opportunity,” he said in an interview with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

At Cheil Indonesia’s core is what Kim calls a globally informed, locally resonant model. From eCommerce and content creation to PR and experiential marketing, Cheil houses major capabilities under one roof - a structure imported from its Seoul headquarters, but refined for the Jakarta market.

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The K-wave advantage

Cheil Indonesia puts data at the heart of its full-stack offering. This commercial focus - combined with its cultural fluency - is proving timely in a digitally charged Indonesia, where consumer expectations and brand ambitions are shifting fast.

Through social media, Indonesian consumers - especially Gen Z and Millennials - are exposed to global trends in real time, yet they still crave local relevance and cultural authenticity, Cheil noted. “If I compare Gen Z in Korea, the US, and Indonesia, somehow they’re sharing some available similarities,” Kim said.

From K-pop and K-dramas to Korean cuisine, these cultural exports have become more than just entertainment - they’re influential forces shaping local tastes and consumer behaviour.

To illustrate just how deeply Korean culture has seeped into the local market, Kim pointed to signs hiding in plain sight - the growing presence of Korean fonts on products made entirely in Indonesia. These aren’t surface-level nods; they’re proof of a market actively embracing Korean cues, and of local brands eager to align with that appeal.

The agency’s strategy aims to meet these demands. Cheil believes its deep familiarity with Korean culture and ability to connect both cultures gives the agency access that few others in the market can claim. 

Learning from Samsung, then scaling

One recent Cheil Indonesia campaign that embodied this cultural interweaving was for the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6. The project, titled Nusantara x Hangul, fused Bahasa Indonesia with the Korean alphabet, working with Balinese illustrator Yessiow to create visuals combining ramyeon and mie ayam - printed as stickers for the phones’ backs. The work lived across social, retail, and digital platforms.

This, Kim said, is where global content standards meet local emotion. Of course, Cheil’s deep ties with Samsung, its original in-house client, provide the agency with an enviable proving ground.

“We’ve been very advantageous to work for a client like Samsung. But at the same time… they always require a high level of precision,” Kim explained. “That sets a benchmark for other brands.”

That relationship with Samsung and Cheil’s cultural fluency have attracted attention from other Korea-affiliated entities, such as the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME) and Korean tourism boards, as well as local players eager to tap into the K-wave. “A lot of needs from the clients when it comes to the K culture,” Kim said.

Still, Kim is under no illusion that Korean experience alone is enough. “All these best cases we try to apply for the Indonesian market are not always working because Indonesia is a different country,” he added. That means Cheil’s planners constantly mine local insights, social norms, and media behaviours - then cross-reference them with practices from Cheil’s over 50 global offices.

It’s what Kim calls “glocalisation” done right - backed by research, executed with local flair, and measured by what matters. “If we’re running a sales campaign, we measure sales results. If it’s brand impact, we follow the impact measures.” Brands can’t achieve everything at once, he admitted, but every effort is tied back to clear objectives.

Building for the next five years

Looking ahead, Kim envisions Cheil Indonesia as Southeast Asia’s most advanced data-driven performance marketing agency, powered by what he calls the highest engagement content. Investments are flowing into tech development, eCommerce, and analytics. Key hires such as executive creative director Fajar NF underscore this push.

Cheil Indonesia is also experimenting with generative AI - for internal operations, storyboards, and concept drafts - but Kim is adamant that AI is a tool, not a shortcut. “Creativity requires a human touch and emotional bonding,” he said. “We use AI for internal process optimisation and reengineering, which gives a lot of freedom to work on some valuable things like thinking about creative ideas.”

But perhaps the most defining trait of Cheil Indonesia under Kim’s leadership is its dual identity - a truly Korean company that thinks Indonesian, staffed with people who understand both worlds. This ethos is also what Kim hopes to instil more deeply across his growing 150-member team.

“Creativity comes from counter-intuitive or unexpected combinations. That’s why it’s important to seek out diverse inputs: learning, developing, studying, experiencing new places,” Kim concluded.

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