Only 1% of Indonesians Think Brands Should Pause Ad Campaigns During COVID-19 Pandemic
Study By Video Ad Tech Company Unruly Reveals COVID-19 is Reshaping Consumer Content Consumption, Spending Habits and Advertising Preferences; 8 out of 10 Indonesians Spending More Time Watching Online Videos
JAKARTA— May 21, 2020 — Keep on advertising – that’s the resounding message from Indonesian consumers to brands trying to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic, with only 1% saying brands should pause their advertising. But what sort of advertising do consumers want to see?
With a lot of ad campaigns being put on hold or cancelled following the COVID-19 outbreak, a new study by video ad tech company Unruly has revealed that the majority of Indonesians are looking for brands to provide more positive and informative content during the pandemic.
Almost half of Indonesians want ads that make them feel inspired (45%) and amused (42%), while a third want funny, uplifting content to distract them from what’s going on.
Unruly, part of Tremor International, surveyed more than 4,800 consumers around the world to see how the pandemic is impacting consumers’ interests and behaviors.
The spread of COVID-19 and social distancing in Indonesia have resulted in rapid, unprecedented changes in consumers’ behaviors and feelings. Consumers’ daily routines across Indonesia have drastically changed, with only 19% continuing as normal, while 75% are practicing social distancing and 7% are self-isolating. As a result, their views on how brands should advertise to them have also changed.
A quarter (24%) want brands to be more informative in their ad campaigns, with Indonesian consumers particularly looking for advertisers to provide messages around COVID-19 (28%) and to share how they’re supporting staff and customers (19%).
The study also revealed that time spent online has dramatically increased across Indonesia — with 84% of consumers saying they are spending more time than before on their mobile phones. Usage of laptops (57%), games consoles (54%) and connected TVs (50%) have also seen significant increases.
But what are they doing online? Almost eight out of 10 consumers (78%) in Indonesia say they are spending more time watching online videos than before the pandemic, while 77% are spending more time on social media. Meanwhile, almost two-thirds (61%) are spending longer on video calls and 57% are spending more time watching TV on demand.
Other key findings include:
- Away from their digital devices, almost two-thirds (64%) of Indonesians are spending more time cooking, while there’s also been a significant increase in the amount of time people are spending reading (50%) and exercising (47%);
- People in Indonesia are turning to comedy during the Coronavirus pandemic, with consumers more likely to watch comedy shows (53%) than the news (47%);
- Nearly 70% of Indonesians are spending more money on home entertainment since the pandemic.
“The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in rapid, unprecedented changes in consumer behaviours and their preferences across Indonesia,” said Sam Ho, Insight & Solutions Manager, APAC, at Unruly.
“The vast majority of consumers still want to see ads, but the key to success is in the content and the way a message is conveyed. The magnitude of these changes require brands to be nimble in adapting their advertising strategies to maintain and grow connections with consumers, provide support and minimize disruption to performance.”
About Unruly
Unruly wins minds and steals hearts through the power of our data-driven, omnichannel marketplace. Part of the Tremor International group (AIM: TRMR), we use emotional data to deliver brand-safe, awesome advertising to more than 1.2bn people around the world.
With more than 2,700 direct publisher relationships globally, and exclusive video access to more than 50 News Corp titles, Unruly delivers premium supply across all screens and ad formats at scale.
Founded in 2006, Unruly was the first vendor to bring emotional intelligence to video advertising. Unruly is committed to raising standards in digital marketing and is a founding member of the WFA’s Global Alliance for Responsible Media. We’re connected to the world’s biggest DSPs and work with 95% of Ad Age top 100 brands.
Unruly was acquired by Tremor International, a global leader in advertising technologies, in January 2020.
