The Hoffman Agency opens an office in Jakarta named Hoffman Agensi Indonesia

The Hoffman Agency has launched a Jakarta office, the company’s seventh in the Asia Pacific region.

Hoffman Agensi Indonesia will apply the same creative and collaborative approach so unique to the Hoffman brand in helping companies build their public profiles in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

The firm believes its storytelling methodology travels well, but with a local twist. “Just like McDonald’s prepares Bubur Ayam in Indonesia, we will localize content to align with the needs of Indonesian journalists.”

Not a newcomer to the market, the company has undertaken client assignments over the past six years ranging from building brand awareness for cybersecurity expert Avast Indonesia and increasing the Green Building agenda in Indonesia with Build Eco Xpo to helping companies understand the intricacies of product certification with TÜV SÜD Indonesia.

The Hoffman Agency handled previous assignments in Indonesia in collaboration with Qycomms based in Jakarta. Cici Utari, principal of Qycomms, now becomes part of the founding team of Hoffman Agensi Indonesia.

“There’s a connection with Cici that’s tough to quantify. Both agencies share plenty of common ground, not the least being a client-centric mentality. A Hoffman-branded office in Indonesia was really a natural progression of the relationship,” said Caroline Hsu, managing director, Asia Pacific at The Hoffman Agency.

The company’s Indonesian team fills a void in a market where mega shops that include Edelman, Burson-Marsteller, Fleishman Hillard, Ogilvy and Weber Shandwick operate alongside local agencies.

“We deliver the best of both worlds — the sophistication and international standards of a big player with a high-touch mentality normally associated with boutique shops,” explained CEO Lou Hoffman.

He added that this is a long-term investment, similar to the company’s entering China in 1999. PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts that Indonesia will represent the fifth largest economy in the world by 2030, with an estimated figure of $5.424 trillion. Source: World Economic Forum.

Hsu, who previously spent seven years at Google, noted, “There’s a reason Google has made Indonesia a market of focus with activities such as the Gapura Digital initiative to bring Indonesian small businesses online to updating the Waze app with a feature based on the last number of license plates to help Jakarta drivers follow the regulations of the odd-even traffic policy.”

The Hoffman Agency entered Asia in 1996. As the only international communications consultancy that tilts toward Asia – more than 50 percent of its staff members are based in Asia – the company’s regional operation includes offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo.