MADE IN INDONESIA RULE ENFORCED

While the world is opening up and most countries from Australia to Malaysia are abandoning their “Made in Oz” or “Made in Malaysia” policy, Indonesia did the reverse and implemented a “Made in Indonesia” regulation for all TVC productions.

The regulation had always been in place, but agencies resorted to loopholes, and the Indonesian government looked away and focused on more pressing matters.

Foreign directors were brought into Jakarta as long as they created TV ads under the banner of local production houses, and foreign talents were casted as long as they didn’t look too foreign (meaning blonde and/or blue-eyed). The government waived the restriction on multinational brands since they were, after all, global players.

So the “Made in Indonesia” policy never took hold, until a few months ago, when the head of a local ad shop (who had connections within the government) pushed for the serious implementation of the policy.

Now, the news is out; the die is cast, and the law is being enforced.

The original “Made in Indonesia” ruling prohibits the use of foreign talents, foreign directors and even the use of foreign backgrounds (e.g. international settings). How the government plans to implement and monitor this still boggles the mind. But some practitioners in the industry say this will help embattled agencies from losing revenue to regional productions.

Regional and global players are scratching their heads and wondering how their regional or global advertising will be affected. Does this really solve the problems facing the creative agencies? Is the government serious about enforcing the rule this time around?

We just have to wait and see. Is that an Indonesian cowboy ambling across the Marlboro billboard?