Clove-cigarette brand forges link with 'Indonesian soul'

“With the new campaign Dji Sam Soe wants to widely spread the message, that the true Indonesian masterpiece lies in the quality of Indonesian people itself,” Andre Dahan, marketing director at PT HM Sampoerna Tbk.

The campaign is being spearheaded by JWT Indonesia. The agency recently scooped the account in a four-way pitch that also included Lowe, Landor (Sydney) and TBWA. Landor is the incumbent agency.

In a bid to modernize the brand, in the last few years, the communication had moved away from Dji Sam Soe’s Indonesian heritage,”said DD “Lulut” Asmoro, CEO, JWT Indonesia. “This created a bit of dissonance in the mind of DSS’s consumers. The brief given to us by the client was to reconnect the brand with all things Indonesian, albeit, without taking it back into history.”

Launched in a back street of Surabaya in 1913, Dji Sam Soe has evolved from a tobacco product into an icon that represents the spirit, heart and soul of Indonesian adult smokers. It is a market leader in the hand-rolled clove cigarette segment that has some other well-known local brands such as Djarum Super, Gudang Garam Internasional and Gudang Garam Surya. “DSS is the ‘king of kretek (clove cigarettes)’ and a part of the Indonesian fabric of life,” added Asmoro.

The new campaign titled Jiwa Indonesia yang Sesungguhnya (True Indonesian Soul)—comprising a 120-second TVC accompanied by 90-second and 60-second edits—is aimed at “discerning adult smokers” who are DSS’s primary target audience.

“Even though the Indonesians come from diverse cultural heritages, values such as modesty, collaboration, perseverance and patience run through every person across the archipelago,” explained Johan Shabudin, chief account officer, JWT Indonesia. “The discerning adult smokers have depth of character and never forget the values they hold dear and their origins. These are the values that build a true Indonesian masterpiece. The campaign captures vignettes of manifestation of these very human values.”

According to Shabudin, the timing of the campaign is also important as increasingly the society is concerned about the erosion of values; where style wins over substance, image rules and success is instant. “Dji Sam Soe is aware that our adult smokers are looking for guidance, a reaffirmation of the timelessness of the values they hold dear, which is where the brand plays a role.”

CREDITS

J. Walter Thompson Jakarta : DD “Lulut” Asmoro, Chief Executive Officer
Daniel Siswandi, Chief Strategy Officer
Ivan Hadi Wibowo, Chief Creative Officer
Leonard Wiguna, Creative Director\
Erwin Santoso, Creative Group Head
Jonathan Nata, Art Director
Arsyad Dede, Senior Copywriter
Yutha Oktavina, Executive Producer
Johan Shabudin, Chief Account Officer
Sherly Basri, Account Director
Niken Angganawati, Account Manager
Aryanti Widi, Senior Account Executive

PRODUCTION HOUSE: SE7EN SUNDAY
Jan Wentz, Film Director
Stuart Graham, Director of Photography
Head of Production, Saifful Shah
Director’s Executive Producer, Gill Kenny
Executive Producer, Rodney Louis Vincent & Ajeng Louis Vincent

CLIENT: PT HM. Sampoerna, Tbk
Andre Dahan, Marketing Director      
Jerry, Head of Brand
Ahmad Nasyiruddin, Marketing Manager
Vita Novencia, Brand Manager
Gladys Pratiwi, Associate Brand Manager
Mulyawati Retno Triasih, Brand Executive