Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 502

Proceedings of the International Conference of Innovation in Media and Visual Design (IMDES 2020)

Analysis of Tokopedia Advertising #DirumahAjaDulu

and Its Correlativity to Tokopedia Branding Position in
Pandemic Era
Edo Tirtadarma1,* Budi Darmo2
1
Universitas Multimedia Nusantara
2
Universitas Tarumanegara
*
Corresponding author. Email: edo.tirtadarma@umn.ac.id

ABSTRACT
In this pandemic era caused by covid-19, people have to change their purchasing habits. They have to go online instead
of doing offline shopping. Tokopedia, as a local marketplace in Indonesia, provides a solution for it. Tokopedia
guarantees that everything people need available in their marketplace, and they promote this vision using their television
advertisement called #dirumahajadulu. With this advertisement campaign, Tokopedia tried to set a statement to the
public about their needs during pandemic situations. The researcher analyzed Tokopedia tv commercial advertisement
using Philip Kotler's 6 steps branding conceptual model. The results of this research contains every narrative aspect and
visual of 6 steps branding conceptual model by Philip Kotler in Tokopedia advertisement #DirumahAjaDulu and his
correlativity to the advertising theory that makes Tokopedia has a clear and consonant brand positioning-differentiation-
integrity standing.

Keywords: Advertising, strategy, brand, branding, positioning.

1. INTRODUCTION other traditional marketplace forms. People can’t buy

their daily needs the old ways, they can’t go to the
In 2020, all the nation faces the same crisis when supermarket to buy some groceries, can’t hangout like
Covid-19 emerged. Nations around the world are they used to, can’t meet their relatives, and they can’t
struggling to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and its spent every weekend with their love ones the way they
economic impact. In two months or more, the economy used to.
stops. According to the article published by International
Monetary Fund titled “World Economic Outlook, April The new jargon calls it “the new normal.” Because of
2020: The Great Lockdown,” it is said that: “The the situation, all people must adapt; leaves and changes
COVID-19 pandemic is inflicting high and rising human their old behaviour into something new. One of the
costs worldwide, and the necessary protection measures clearest things, that has changed is the way people spent
are severely impacting economic activity. As a result of their money to buy daily needs. All the people have to
the pandemic, the global economy is projected to contract switch they behaviour from offline to online. This new
sharply by –3 percent in 2020, much worse than during habit, also impact one of the biggest online marketplace
the 2008–09 financial crisis” [1]. called Tokopedia. William Tanuwijaya dan Leontinus
Alpha Edison founded Tokopedia in February 6th 2009.
Covid-19 existence made an impact on almost every They have a mission to reach economic equality through
sector of human life. One of the changes, that all human digital technology. To respond to the Covid-19 situation,
faces is the way we live changed completely. One thing Tokopedia also does some branding strategies to support
that has been changed is how people act when they have the government plan to adapt this situation Tokopedia
to buy things they need. People have to maintain social launch a campaign #DirumahAjaDulu (translation: stay
distancing and avoid crowded places such as malls and at home for now). This advertising strategy does its part,

Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license -http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. 8
 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 502

as a result, Tokopedia grow its brand image, and organization should understand the brand positioning and
strengthen its positioning in the target audience’s mind in use it as a context for making decisions [4].
this pandemic situation.
Base on the data provided by iprice.co.id and the
Tokopedia is one of the top lead local online current situation, there is a problem that researchers want
marketplaces that have many users. To increase customer to analyse regarding Tokopedia branding campaign
action, Tokopedia provides website and mobile #DirumahAjaDulu:
application so the customer can reach and do the
1. Is TV commercial advertising
transaction anytime and anywhere, no matter what the #DirumahAjaDulu by Tokopedia have all the
gadget they have in the current pandemic situation. necessity 6 steps of Philip Kotler Branding
According to the data released on July 21th 2020 by Conceptual to build a good brand image in this
pandemic situation?
iprice.co.id, Tokopedia becomes the most visited local
online marketplace brand total visited 86.103.300 user in
this month [2]. This data also supported by the same 2. LITERATURE REVIEWS
results provided by statista.com, one of the world’s
online leading data providers [3]. This shows how much 2.1. Brand, Branding, Brand Positioning
change happened to how people behave to adapt to this Definition
current pandemic situation. Indonesia's Government
encourages people to stay at home, work from home, People behaviour changed during Covid-19 and also
shop from home, and do all things they naturally do changed the way their see established brand. This kind of
outside from the safe of their home because doing their mindset impact their opinion or mindset impact the image
activity from home keep them and their family safe. of existing brand. Tokopedia is one of the local online
Because of this situation, Tokopedia sees it as a moment marketplaces that launch a strategic advertisement to
to launch its strategic campaign advertisement campaign strengthen its brand image in their audience's mind.
#DirumahAjaDulu to strengthen its brand image. According to Philip Kotler in his book Principles of
Marketing, defined brand as a "name, term, sign symbol
(or a combination of these) that identifies the maker or
seller of the product" [5]. (Philip T. Kotler, 2017).
To deliver that information about the “name”, brand
must set a positioning in their audience mind. After that,
the brand must do a branding. Branding by definition is a
marketing strategy tool which is used to give meaning to
products by shaping a brand in the consumer's mind. The
objective of branding is to attract and retain loyal
customers [6].
A Good brand must set a position in the customer’s
mind. Positioning in marketing is essential as it plays a
Figure 1. E-Commerce statistics in Indonesia provided crucial role in making the product relevant to the target
by statisa.com. Tokopedia takes number 2 position in audience. It explains and strengthens the value of a brand,
Q1 2020 as most visited e-commerce local brand i.e. why and how it solves the problems, makes life
easier, or simply why every penny spent buying this
By the data that the researchers gets (appendix no. 1), product/service is worth it.
it is clear that Tokopedia has significantly increased its Philip Kotler defines brand positioning as “the act of
traffic in Q1 and Q2 2020 during the pandemic. During designing the company’s offering and image to occupy a
that quartal, Tokopedia as the first local marketplace distinctive place in the mind of the target market.” In
brand in Indonesia, initiated a campaign that shows in its simpler words, brand positioning describes how a brand
TV Commercial ads #DirumahAjaDulu to get positive is different from its competitors and where or how it
attention about their brand in the middle of the pandemic should be placed in customers’ minds.” [7].
situation.
A good positioning has a “foot in the present” and a
The ultimate goal to do branding is to locate the brand “foot in the future.” It needs to be somewhat aspirational
in consumers' minds to maximize the company’s so the brand has room to grow and improve. The result of
potential benefit. A good brand positioning helps guide positioning is the successful creation of a customer-
marketing strategy by clarifying the brand’s essence, focused value proposition [4].
identifying the goals it helps the consumer achieve, and
showing how it does so in a unique way. Everyone in the By definition above, Tokopedia as the top leading
online marketplace in Indonesia, trying to set a new

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position to respond to the pandemic situation. To do so, “This conceptual model is very relevant for marketing
Tokopedia is launching a new strategic advertisement in this age of growing digital and social media. We live
called #DirumahAjaDulu. Tokopedia hopes it can in the era of consumer empowerment led by abundant
persuade the audience and help Tokopedia set a new information and networked communities. A brand must
positioning in customer minds about their brand in this have a clear and consonant brand-positioning-
pandemic situation. differentiation-integrity standing.” [8].
Based on the theories above, we can conclude that the
2.2 Philip Kotler’s 6 steps Branding Conceptual brand positioning that Tokopedia wants to achieve is to
Model offer services with online technology benefits. With the
advantage of online technology, Tokopedia can help the
Philip Kotler said there are six steps to make a good
audience to fulfil their needs by buying online through
brand image. The marketing journal summarized this into
their mobile application or website, cashless and in the
diagram as stated below in picture [8].
same time Tokopedia offering a promise that the people
will feel safe and secure because they don’t have to go
outside their homes to do so. To shape people's mindset
about this value, Tokopedia launch strategy
advertisement #DirumahAjaDulu to persuade the
Figure 2. Philip Kotler’s 6 steps branding conceptual audience and make them believe that all their needs can
model summarised by marketing journal be fulfilled by staying at home.
1. Brand purpose: things to offer to the audience
2.3 Advertising Definition
2. Brand positioning: set a special position in the
audience mind According to Committee of American Marketing
3. Brand Differentiation: things that made the Association, advertising definition is
brand different from the competitors.
"any paid form of non-personal presentation and
4. Brand Identity: visual about the brand promotion of ideas, goods and services by an identified
5. Brand Trust: build trust in the audience mind sponsor.” Thus, through interpreting the quality of
and loyalty. products and services as outlined in the advertising
message, and the public is expected to receive the
6. Brand Beneficence: must have impact into
message properly and then they take action as expected
audience and social.
nor wanted by the advertiser” [9].
A brand must have a purpose to offered to the
Another definition to Advertising according Robin
audience. Brand purpose always answers the question of
Landa is, an advertisement (or “ad”) is a specific message
what job or the goals want to achieve or the brand's
constructed to inform, persuade, promote, provoke, or
promise offered to the audience to do the action. David
motivate people on behalf of a brand or group. (Here,
Aaker, an expert in brand building, has suggested that a
“group” designates both commercial concerns and
brand should not only define its functional purpose, the
government agencies and nonprofit organizations) [10].
job that it is going to do, but also to express the brand’s
In Rhenald Kasali book Manajemen Periklanan, defined
higher purpose. The higher purpose suggests emotional
advertising as a message that contains a preposition to
and social benefits that will come from choosing that
offering a product to the public through specific media.
brand by the audience.
Advertisement aims to persuade people to buy [11].
A brand will need brand trust that will shape audience
So, the core of advertisement is paid form the
loyalty into regular action. A brand that can make this
persuasion method for a large-scale group of people with
happens always be believed by the audience to deliver
a message delivered by a non-personal presentation, and
what it claims. The final consideration is whether the
as the results, the public does action as the advertiser
brand delivers brand beneficence. Brand’s beneficence is
wants.
that a brand must serve either a person or a social impact.
A brand nowadays must decide what they want to make
and sell. They should consider the promise that they offer 2.4 The Benefit or Purpose of Advertising
has a beneficence problem or not. Marketers need to Besides persuading the target audience to buy a
target not only the minds of the customers but also their product or service from the advertiser, Advertisement has
hearts and well being [8]. other purposes, stated as follow [12]:
As for closing statement that is quoted from 1. To make the audience aware of any new product
marketing journal, said that: or service introduced in the market.

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 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 502

2. Advertising supports a sales team in selling The road map gives the researchers an analysis of
products or services. In a specific case, if a Tokopedia advertisement #DirumahAjaDulu impact on
brand is very popular, it would be easy for the the audience needs in the pandemic era.. The components
salesman in the field to persuade and convince that the researchers want to analyze from Tokopedia
the prospective customers to buy that product or
advertisement are how Tokopedia set a new branding
service.
position to the audience in the pandemic moment.
3. Advertising targets a large audience and hence,
it talks to a large scale of group at the same time 4. ANALYSIS OF TOKOPEDIA
with one step.
ADVERTISEMENT
4. Advertising is important for launching a product
or a new campaign (message) in a new market 1. Brand Purpose: in this advertisement,
and gaining demand for it for a new customer Tokopedia trying to give a purpose which is a
set. solution to the audience the middle of Covid-19
crisis. A solution for the audience to change
5. Advertising creates brand preference or their behavior during a pandemic to stay at
perspective. Comparing a product of one brand home. Tokopedia gives solutions as e-
with the same type or category of other brands' commerce that can provide the audience's needs
products helps the customers know which through online technology basis in this
product is better than others. pandemic situation. The visual narrative was
6. Advertising helps in intimating the general presented in appendix no.2.
public against the imitation of any brand name. 2. Brand Positioning: in this TV commercial,
7. By advertising its products and services, a firm Tokopedia launched it because there was
increases its goodwill by assuring better quality condition where health care items was a rare
products and services. item to find, and it comes with expensive price.
By launching this TV commercial, Tokopedia
8. Advertising builds competition in the market as set new Positioning as a marketplace to calm its
all the brands try to distinguish themselves to audience's minds and guarantee that their needs
other in terms of quality, uses, benefits and price will always be available, with free delivery cost
with other similar brands through advertising. around Indonesia at a reasonable price. This tv
This in turn benefits the consumer to get a better commercial also becomes Tokopedia’s support
quality of the products they can get. to the Indonesia Government’s decision about
social distancing. (appendix no.3)
3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3. Brand Differentiation: in this step, through its tv
commercial advertisement, Tokopedia set a
The research method uses a literature study approach.
differentiation by not doing a tactical
The researchers will analyze Tokopedia advertisement advertisement in this pandemic situation. For
campaign #DirumahAjaDulu base on the theories that example, Shopee as Tokopedia biggest
were mentioned above. Components that will be competitor, still doing tactical ads strategy focus
analyzed are:: on selling items (profit-oriented). In spite of the
1. 6 Steps Branding Conceptual Model inside competitor step, Tokopedia set a differentiation
Tokopedia advertisement #DirumahAjaDulu. by guaranteeing a safety about audience needs
rather than focusing on getting a profit, as we
2. Tokopedia new positioning in this pandemic show in appendix no.4.
moment.
4. Brand Identity: Tokopedia has visual brand
identity, with green as the primary color. And
its signature brand mascot owl. As the opening
scene, the audience can hear bird chirping, it
represents Tokopedia signature voice of their
mascot, owl. The hands in early scene represent
their audience behavior, on another scene
represent Tokopedia employees using a green
color shirt. The background color, the items,
Indonesian maps using Tokopedia signature
color, green. It’s a distinctive Tokopedia visual
brand identity. This tone and manner are used in
the entire Tokopedia TV commercial scene, as
stated in appendix no.5
5. Brand Trust: through its ads #DirumahAjaDulu,
Figure 3. Road map research Tokopedia trying to deliver a message to shape
audience belief that whenever they do online

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shopping in Tokopedia, the item that they want is the sound effect of voice bird chirping in the
to buy always ready, so the audience don’t have introduction scene as signature iconic voice of their owl’s
to worry about their needs. Tokopedia hopes mascot. In brand trust's step, through this TV commercial
through this TV commercial ads, can put a trust ad, Tokopedia hoped that they could gain trust in their
in audience heart and mind. The explanation
heart and mind as a safety offering that guarantees local
about brand trust in the scene is stated in
appendix no.3. marketplace brands that will provide their needs at a
reasonable price. In the final step, brand beneficence,
6. Brand Beneficence: in Tokopedia tv Tokopedia initiates this tv commercial
commercial ads, they also want to give support #DirumahAjaDulu to support Indonesia Government's
to the government, delivering a message jargon about social distancing. They are also concerned
through the narrator that speaks inside the TV
about the safety of their audience's social life where they
commercial ads reminding their loyal customer
(target audience) to stay at home. Maintain live.
social distancing to stop Covid-19’s spread and As final result, Tokopedia made their new positioning
keep their customer safe. Also, giving the about themselves through advertising persuasion
audience moral support by saying “together we
technique that contains Philip Kotler’s 6 Step Branding
can through this situation”. It is a form of social
support by Tokopedia that they concern about Conceptual Model. Therefore, Tokopedia gets a new
their audience safety, but they also concern positioning and becomes the first local marketplace brand
about the safety of others too where they live. that concerns and offers comfort, safe, and secure
feelings into their audience minds related to their daily
7. In this ad, Tokopedia also advises its loyal needs. Therefore, Tokopedia has a clear and consonant
audience to say at home. That they don't have to
brand positioning-differentiation-integrity standing
worry about their needs because Tokopedia
always checks the availability of their items. when they initiate tv commercial #DirumahAjaDulu.

8. In #DirumahAjaDulu advertisement, REFERENCES

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[8] Marketing Journal. (2016, March 22). Branding:

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Appendix no. 4

APPENDIX

Appendix no. 5

Appendix no. 1

Appendix no. 2

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