Ogilvy Indonesia appoints head of social

Ogilvy said the newly created role shows the agency’s commitment to the development of long-term, strategic social media solutions for brands in Indonesia.  

Searle will work to accelerate the adoption of social media solutions by clients in Indonesia. He moves from Wieden + Kennedy Shanghai, where he was responsible for growing the agency’s social media capabilities, running digital and social campaigns for Nike, Umbro and Fiat.

Katryna Mojica, head of Ogilvy Indonesia, said while social media is widely used across Indonesia, programmes tend to be “short-term and promotional” in nature.

“There is so much more opportunity to use social media as a strategic tool that can build long-term equity for brands,” she said.

Searle said now is the time for brands to “double down” on the Indonesian internet or risk playing a “costly catch up” in the next few years.

He added that content marketing is one opportunity for brands, given the “under-developed nature of Indonesia’s online media landscape”.

“If a brand was to dedicate even a small part of its marketing budget in this area, there is the chance to quickly establish themselves as a category thought leader and in the process go on to create a platform where all the categories' conversations happen yet which is owned by them," Searle said.

“This will mean that any investment made will quickly be repaid multiple times over in terms of media savings and the brand being perceived as the leader in the market, resulting in proven above average sales,” he added.