Background
Annual Meetings (AM) International Monetary Fund (IMF) – World Bank Group (WBG) is the world’s largest meeting in the economic sector. With 34,000 participants from 189 countries, the Annual Meetings IMF-WBG was successfully held in 2018 and attended by leaders of the world’s financial institutions, economic and finance ministers, central bank governors, as well as businessmen from various sectors.
Indonesia was selected as the host country, becoming the fourth country in ASEAN to hold the event after Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. Given the enormous scale of international activities that had to be undertaken, Indonesia had an urgent need to make this event a success, both in terms of substance and implementation.
Challenge
Public communication regarding the implementation of AM IMF – WBG was crucial to foster public support during the event. However, Indonesia faced several communication challenges caused by the following factors: (a) IMF’s historical record which left a negative stigma as the cause of Indonesia’s 1998 economic crisis; (b) Negative issues regarding the event cost, which was considered too expensive compared to less significant benefits and impacts for Indonesia; (c) The narrative guide from the IMF-WBG which was dominated by a viewpoint of global interests.
Strategic Solution
Konner Advisory was appointed by the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (MCI) to map current and potential emerging issues, then recommend communication and crisis mitigation strategies during the AM IMF – WBG period. Konner Advisory was also asked to carry out extensive digital campaigns without managing a specific account. Therefore, our strategy was focused on community and influencer activation as well as creative content amplification on various digital channels.
To see how much of the public’s current resistance and negative response towards the holding of AM IMF-WBG, Konner regularly conducted media monitoring on online media and social media. We analyzed these findings using Social Network Analysis (SNA) approach to generate issue mapping and sources of information, leading to the findings of the relationships between the two. This step was essential to developing appropriate counter-narratives and amplifications both in mass and social media.
In order to balance the negative information spreading around, we also proposed several activities that would generate positive echoes through digital campaigns. Our proposed programs are (a) Collaboration with a financial consultant to hold three series of “financial literacy” seminars to convey a subliminal message about the benefits of AM IMF WBG in Indonesia; (b) Instagram storytelling involving financial consultants to provide information and understanding about the 1998 economic crisis; (c) Holding UGC program and Influencer Meet Up to convey positive messages about the direct and indirect benefits of AM IMF – WBG, especially in the tourism and MSME sectors. The Influencer Meet Up involved 60 participants who were invited to get hands-on experience as IMF-WBG “delegates”.
During the AM IMF – WBG event in Bali, Konner Advisory and MCI initiated the establishment of the Indonesia Communication Center (ICOM), or an Indonesian media center, that was aimed to accommodate content needs from a national perspective. As the current AM IMF-WBG content guidelines focus on global interests, the national media could use ICOM as their source of information to highlight the benefits of AM IMF-WBG for Indonesia. Konner Advisory’s role was to make concept notes related to ICOM management, create ICOM brand identity, conduct media monitoring, compile recommendations and daily narratives, and produce creative content for social media during the event.
Result
The activation of AM IMF – WBG pre-event was carried out 3 months prior to the IMF – WBG event, which resulted in the following:
Influencers Meet Up
Influencers Meet Up
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Social Media Performance
Social Media Performance
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