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Removal of digital ads sparks concerns of foul play
A number of digital billboard advertisements featuring presidential candidate Anies Baswedan that were paid for by a group of volunteers have been mysteriously taken down ahead of schedule, stoking concerns of foul play from netizens, while Anies’ camp threatened to take legal action.
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Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan greets his supporters during a campaign event in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, on Jan. 9, 2024. (Antara/Andry Denisah)
A number of digital billboard advertisements featuring presidential candidate Anies Baswedan that were paid for by a group of volunteers have been mysteriously taken down ahead of schedule, stoking concerns of foul play from netizens, while Anies’ camp has threatened to take legal action.
The Olppaemi Project, an Anies fan group on X, kick-started a fundraiser campaign on Jan. 5 for the former Jakarta governor to be featured in digital ads, in a nod to a tradition among K-Pop fans to pay for digital billboard ads for their favorite idol on their birthday.
Anies has in recent weeks been garnering attention among Indonesian K-pop fans on social media, where several fan accounts have popped up, evoking the style of pages dedicated to K-pop idols. This came not long after his live-streaming debut on popular video-sharing platform TikTok in late December, during which many K-pop fans drew similarities between Anies and how K-pop idols would talk to their fans on live streams.
Having garnered Rp 90 million (US$5,757) in donations as of last week, the Olppaemi Project pitched some of the ads on LED screens in front of the Graha Mandiri building in Central Jakarta, the Grand Metropolitan Mall in Bekasi on the outskirts of Jakarta and in Medan, North Sumatra.
While these ads were scheduled to remain live until Jan. 21, the ads in Jakarta and Bekasi were mysteriously taken down just hours after they went live on Monday due to what the Olppaemi Project claimed to be “circumstances beyond our control”.
The group later said on Tuesday that it was discussing the matter with the relevant authorities, including with the advertising agency operating the digital billboards. It also announced that a new ad had since gone live in Surabaya, East Java.
The sudden removal of the digital ads in Jakarta and Bekasi spawned the hashtag #AniesDeserveBetter on X, as many social media users condemned the sudden removal, with some speculating that regional administrations may have played a part in the removal.
