Sebagai marketer dan brand strategist, gw bisa bilang bahwa kehadiran Tropicana Slim di film ini, atau justru ketidakhadirannya, merupakan bentuk cerdas dari brand association.

Di versi web series-nya yang berlatar Italia, logo Tropicana Slim muncul di pojok layar (disebut “logo bug”) dan produknya sempat di-zoom out. Ini disebut passive product placement. Strategi ini sah-sah saja, bahkan sering digunakan brand besar seperti Heineken di Skyfall, Facebook di The Social Network, dan Apple di Sex and the City.

Tapi versi filmnya beda. Kali ini, Tropicana Slim seperti menghilang. Nggak ada logo. Nggak ada produk. Nggak ada satu pun adegan yang menyinggung merek tersebut. Tapi ketika film tayang, Tropicana Slim justru aktif di media sosial. Di Instagram mereka, sudah lima kali membahas Sore: Isteri dari Masa Depan. Salah satu unggahannya bahkan dipin di pojok kiri atas profil mereka.

Apakah Tropicana Slim salah satu sponsor? Nggak ada pernyataan resmi. Tapi ini bisa jadi bentuk indirect brand integration, bahkan bisa juga disebut brand piggybacking. Istilah kerennya, ambush marketing. Ketika sebuah brand "numpang momen" demi memperkuat asosiasi, tanpa benar-benar terlibat dalam produksinya.

Dalam pembelaannya di Pengadilan Tindak Pidana Korupsi Jakarta, Tom Lembong menekankan bahwa AI bersifat objektif dan bebas dari bias pribadi maupun emosional. Ia bahkan menyebut bahwa AI bisa berperan sebagai pengacara. Really?

Pernah bekerja di platform P2P, I think I need to highlight bahwa semua investasi yang menjanjikan imbal hasil tinggi tidak pernah lepas dari risiko tinggi. Mayoritas platform P2P memberikan pinjaman ke segmen yang memang berisiko: seperti UMKM, bisnis-bisnis baru seumur jagung, bahkan yang tidak punya agunan jika terjadi gagal bayar. Saking berisikonya, segmen ini kadang dilabeli sebagai segmen buangan perbankan.

On my way home from a yoga session in West Jakarta, I noticed several large banners that said “Bank Jakarta.” I had never heard of it before, so once I got back to my room, I did some digging. It turns out Bank Jakarta is the new name for Bank DKI, the regional bank owned by the Jakarta provincial government.

As someone new to Jakarta, my impression of the bank so far has been far from positive. I’ve only seen the messy side—system glitches that made transactions difficult, reports of fund embezzlement involving Satpol PP members with estimated losses of IDR 50 billion, and even a corruption case linked to a shady loan to PT Sritex, allegedly done without proper analysis and involving top former bank officials. That case alone is estimated to have cost the bank over IDR 3.5 trillion.

Despite these issues, on 22 June 2025, during Jakarta’s 498th anniversary, the bank officially rebranded itself as Bank Jakarta. It’s been almost three weeks since then. The new name and logo might be fresh, but the institution behind it carries a 64-year history—and a lot of baggage. It makes me wonder: What exactly is Bank DKI trying to achieve with this rebrand?

They say it marks the beginning of a new transformation phase—more modern, professional, and ready to compete nationally and regionally. I’ve read that they’re even preparing for an IPO in early 2026, hoping to raise around IDR 3 trillion.

But will people buy into this new identity? After nearly a decade of working with brands, including in brand research and marketing, I know that in theory, rebranding can help reset public perception. But in practice? It’s a different story. A new image is one thing, regaining trust is another—and that doesn’t happen overnight, especially when the wounds are still fresh.

Takeaway?Rebranding can be a powerful tool to signal change and a new beginning, but it’s not a magic fix—especially when public trust has been damaged. A new name and logo mean little if the underlying issues remain unresolved. For a rebrand like Bank DKI’s shift to Bank Jakarta to succeed, it must be backed by real improvements in governance, transparency, and customer experience. Trust takes time to rebuild, and people judge brands not just by what they say, but by what they do.

Painfully slow internet connections, failed payment, spams, misleading homepage message, unresolved issue, multiple calls, frustrated user

Should it be so complicated to resolved the issue or actually there is a better way of managing this?

Cara orang menggambarkan posisi atau arah suatu objek sangat dipengaruhi oleh budaya dan bahasa. Tapi, kerangka ini nggak kaku. Dalam satu komunitas, sistem bisa bergeser karena pengaruh luar.

Yogya, misalnya, mulai terasa lebih “relative” dibanding dulu. Mungkin karena makin banyak wisatawan dari kota-kota besar yang terbiasa pakai arah kiri-kanan, masyarakat lokal pun menyesuaikan, demi mempermudah komunikasi.

Dan, ini bukan cuma soal cara menunjukkan arah, tapi juga gambaran dari dinamika bahasa dan budaya yang saling memengaruhi. Bahasa hidup bersama penuturnya, dan terus bergerak mengikuti siapa yang diajak bicara.

There are countless stories waiting to be told; plans made, dreams started, ideas set in motion. Yet, too many of them were left unfinished, buried under layers of excuses.

But then, a story from a friend stirred something in me. A quiet reminder: try again. Just once more.

Be the kind of person who sees things through. Be someone who finishes what she starts.

This episode shares a bit of glimpse into MSMEs financing the Philippines.

Believe it or not, data has been here and there throughout human history. However, it remained an immensely untapped valuable asset until the British mathematician Clive Humby made a bold statement about it in 2006.  

Data is the new oil.  

What does it mean?

Welcome back to the Experience Research Lab. This Tuesday, I present our second segment, the 'Research Tuesday'.

In this segment, I will talk about nothing else but research, something that you may have too often heard from school to wherever you are currently working.

But, do you know what research means and why you need it?