LinkAja takes a page out of Thai ads to galvanise Indonesians

Indonesian eWallet app, LinkAja, has released a film titled #Apa2Bisa (#EverythingCanDo) to challenge the benchmark and galvanise Indonesians to be proud of what they can achieve with a little inspiration from their northern neighbours. The film was inspired by Thai commercials and its unique ability to tug a heartstring and be humourous as well. According to LinkAja, many of these commercials were tickling the funny bones of not just the locals but of all the neighbouring countries in the region.

In markets such as Indonesia, Thai commercials have become the industry benchmark for a successful ad: delivering over-the-top, emotional, and downright hilarious content that is only semi-aligned with any specific product, said LinkAja. 

The film was done in collaboration with Tang Jai Tham Creative Lab (TJT) and shot in Bangkok. Keeping the execution authentically Thai, the company also engaged a full suite of Thai talent and crew from Vanilla Films, a sister company of Mum Films of Suthon Petchsuwan. According to LinkAja, TJT's creative portfolio showcases the agency's experience in engaging audiences from across the region. "We wanted to work with a team that could bring this to the table. In fact, their understanding and the appreciation of cultural nuances were ideal with what we were looking for," added LinkAja. The film was shot by TJT's creative director, Apiwat Pattalarungkhan.

While there wasn't any specific Thai commercial that inspired the creative concept behind the film, LinkAja's spokesperson told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that it tried to capture the characteristics found in funny Thai commercials. The spokesperson added that such humour can be found in the details. According to the spokesperson, the production cost for the film was approximately THB2 million. "From this film, we aim to increase MAU, continuously improving the brand's health, especially on the equity department," the spokesperson added.  Whereas on the marketing front, the film and campaign, LinkAja's spokesperson said that it will be mostly through a digital platform.

“As an Indonesian, living in Bangkok for the past 12 years, you learn to appreciate both cultures and how it impacts our lives. Therefore, whilst we wanted to deliver on LinkAja’s message – encouraging Indonesians to stand proud we saw an opportunity to break through the clutter," said Irvine Prisilia, creative director at TJT Creative Lab. Therefore, for LinkAja's latest campaign, it decided to leverage the Thai methodology but celebrated the Indonesians.

"The success of this film proves once again that collaborations are both borderless and limitless, especially when you’ve got amazing clients like the team at LinkAja that appreciates and understands the creative process," she explained. 

LinkAja was launched in 2019 by Telkomsel's fintech company Fintek Karya Nusantara (Finarya). In 2021, the eWallet app received funding from Gojek, shortly after it attracted investment from rival company's Grab. According to a joint statement, the funding enhanced the ability of both companies to strengthen the adoption of digital financial services and accelerate financial inclusion in Indonesia.  As part of the partnership, LinkAja was included as an additional payment method on the Gojek app in Indonesia, enabling users to pay for select additional Gojek services with LinkAja. Users were also able to make payments for select Gojek services when transacting on the LinkAja app.

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