Indonesia, the largest archipelago nation in the world and the largest economy in Southeast Asia, has a population of nearly 300 million, making it the fourth most populous country in the world, with a GDP ranking 16th globally. Indonesia has a vast internet user base; according to the latest data, there are 204.7 million internet users in Indonesia, with an internet penetration rate of 73.7%, making it one of the fastest-growing regions for internet users in Southeast Asia.
Additionally, the population structure in Indonesia is relatively young and includes a large Chinese community, which is significantly influenced by Chinese culture. This, coupled with the booming internet economy, provides fertile ground for Chinese mobile applications to expand overseas.
Religion, language, politics, and other topics will not be detailed here, as these can be easily found using any search engine. This discussion mainly focuses on the experiences of companies venturing into the Indonesian market.
The Indonesian market, with its population of two hundred million, has seen an increase in casual gaming like Domino, attracting more players to the market over the past two years.
According to a review by a marketing firm:
Since around June 2023, we have been actively launching campaigns in the Indonesian market without interruption. From understanding the cultural background and user habits to precise targeting and audience segmentation, then to creative material and visual effects, and finally to optimizing ad bids and monitoring real-time data, it has been a long process of continuous operation. From Domino to Thunder Zeus, Starlight Princess to Mahjong, the creative department has produced nearly three thousand materials over 17 months of deployment, with varying degrees of success.
From initially observing Roi development to optimizing the cost of acquiring first-time paying users, and now to monitoring the retention of paying users, the direction of optimization has become clearer, and the rhythm of optimization more intuitive.
Advertising is essentially a process of bad money driving out good money, requiring continuous testing and innovation. As long as we maintain a long-term focus and relentless spirit of improvement, whether it's the Indonesian market, Southeast Asia, or even the gradually developing markets in Africa and other regions, the process of deploying information flow advertisements is always about improving, with no perfect solution, only better ones.
Recent views on the Indonesian market:
During the deployment phase, we continuously communicate with clients about ad performance, direction, and market changes, engaging in deep discussions to further enhance our deployment capabilities. Regardless of the KPIs, the ultimate goal is always the client's final Roi.
Currently, it seems that the market and users are becoming more mature, and advertising deployment is becoming increasingly irrational. There is internal competition and some are engaging in deceitful tactics to profit from clients, leading to chaos in the Indonesian market.
User retention is decreasing, the cost of initial deposits is unpredictable, making it difficult to discern the future prospects of the Indonesian market. Some clients rooted in Indonesia are moving away, exploring other country markets, while newcomers with apprehensive hearts continue to explore and hold on.
