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Boldly original: SASA billboards captivate Jakarta netizens
Indonesian seasoning brand SASA made headlines yet again with another creative advertising maneuver
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I
ndonesian seasoning brand SASA made headlines yet again with another creative advertising maneuver. On Thursday, Jakartans making their way through busy highways were greeted with a sign depicting a SASA pack of monosodium glutamate (MSG) containing a brightly colored Siamese fighting fish.
The illustration went viral on social media. Internet sleuths came up with various theories to decipher the meaning behind SASA’s choice of bizarre visuals. However, according to the CEO and president director of PT SASA Inti, Rudolf Tjandra, the answers are closer to home than they think.
“We understand that the people have grown tired of serious educational ads,” He explained. “That’s why we came up with something funny and entertaining because our company believes in the principle ‘Happiness is Sasa’.”
The Siamese fighting fish is a popular pet that’s only grown in popularity in the last three years of the pandemic. By making the fish the main star of the billboard, Rudolf said, he hoped that viewers would remember SASA as a relatable brand that had made its way to their homes and hearts.
“With so many accusations of MSG consumption endangering public health, we understand that not many people are aware of the nutritional value contained in MSG. Of course, we can’t expect everyone to know that MSG has been deemed safe by the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency [BPOM] and FDA [Food and Drug Association],” Rudolf added. “When in reality, there are many other food ingredients that can actually be dangerous if consumed in excess.”
This is not the first time that SASA has gained traction for its marketing. As a pioneer of kitchen spices in Indonesia, SASA is also an innovative powerhouse in the creative advertising communications industry. SASA hopes to continue inspiring people from various communities, event reaching those beyond Indonesia.
