Branding Indonesia

We kind of saw it coming, but the pace surprised us all. Jorg Dietzel Brand Consultants has opened its first overseas rep office - right in the middle of Jakarta's Sudirman business street.

The interest was great during our announcement press conference at the Shangri-la, and it was followed by a live interview on MetroTV's breakfast TV.

Naturally, branding in Indonesia is not without its challenges: Awareness of the need for branding is low, the infrastructure can be a challenge, and we have already spent a few hours in Jakarta's notoriously bad traffic.

But there are many opportunities: We are currently talking to the government of a Northern province about tourism branding and a media client about rebranding their channel.

Success or failure in a venture like this, especially in the service business called consultancy, depends on having the right people on the ground. I am lucky to have found a knowledgeable partner in Ary Sudiarto, our new Jakarta rep.

He'll make sure that we talk to the right clients and that I will have enough time left to concentrate on the Singapore clients. (As always, Old Business beats New Business.)

Welcome on board, Ary.