Online communities: Coming of age

Given the current economic environment, any increase in economic activity - let alone advertising - would be a surprise. Beating the trend, interactive advertising on Indonesian Internet sites shows the new web-savvy generation has come of age. By Pavan Kapoor

As the lifestyle ofI ndonesians change and people seek to satisfy their needs with the least amount of waste of time and energy, the Internet with its inexhaustible information database has become the source of consumer service for products ranging from toiletries and cosmetics to cars and homes.

A number of big websites such as www.jual-beli.com and www.pasarbaris.com have developed expertise in serving consumers effectively as well as snatching a sizeable portion of advertising revenues every year. Several other new websites are serving web surfers, happy to get up-to-date information on what is happening in and around Jakarta.

What’s on in Jakarta
THE WWW.WHATSNEWJAKARTA.COM IS a well-designed, comprehensive website which aggressively keeps abreast of what’s new in Jakarta, as its name promises. Deisy Wong, the creator of the website, says she got the brainwave to create the website while on holiday in Cambodia. Judging by the 24,000 email addresses in her archives over the past three years since opening the site, she seems to have succeeded in giving Indonesians a hip and detailed website where they can log on to for day-to-day needs. “We get 40,000 hits a day and in January 2008 we measured 9.2 million hits,” says Deisy, who plans to change the site’s design this year.

The web site offers the latest events, cinema, nightlife and restaurant information besides a large data base of other useful information for the ‘Jakartan.’ The large number of advertisers is impressive too including service companies and numerous well-known restaurants and clubs. (more…)

Coffee passion - Part II

Segafredo Zanetti was soon followed by other international coffee chains, with Dome, The Coffee Bean and Starbucks joining her in Plaza Indonesia in 2002.

Monica doesn’t perceive any of the coffee chains as her competitors. Although Dome serves coffee, it is highly concentrated on food. The Coffee Bean and Starbucks are considered the fast food version of coffee where you have to pay for your coffee over the counter first then bring it to your table and sip it.

Drinking a cup of coffee at Segafredo is like ordering food in a fine dining restaurant. You sit and order your coffee, and it is served to you and then you pay the bill. The cafe specializes in coffees with food only a side-attraction.

Then there’s the coffee: Segafredo grows its coffee beans in one of the biggest plantations in Brazil whereas other coffee chains obtain their beans from different countries.

When Massimo Zanetti opened Segafredc, Zanetti he had a mission. He wanted to spread the taste, culture and the method of true Italian coffee. He started with just one small caf6, then expanded throughout Italy.

It is now an international chain with 70,000 franchises serving 50 million cups of coffee each day. Zenette has indeed accomplished his dreams. (more…)