IDN Media Receives Funding from Local Tech Company, to Introduce "Indonesia Creators Economy"

Was first launched in 2017, IDN Creator Network is a marketing agency that aims to connect creators and brands to run campaigns effectively. The tons of requests for marketing with storytelling techniques is actually the first idea to launch the platform, to maximize strategy and deliver brand messages in the right way.

In its debut, IDN Creative Network is said to have collaborated with more than 130 top Indonesian influencers. All of them are divided into eight categories, Fashion, Beauty, Lifestyle, Parenthood, Food, Music, Travel, and Comedy. Along the journey, they have become a creator platform worked with more than 10,000 creators and more than 300 brands.

Entering the early 2022, after IDN Media received an external investment (undisclosed) from an Indonesian based well-known tech company, IDN Creator Network is rebranding to "Indonesia Creators Economy (ICE)". This rebranding is deliberately held by the company aiming to provide integrated services to adapt to the changing trends.

IDN Media's Co-Founder & CEO, Winston Utomo said that he has seen a massive decentralization transition in recent years, where the creative economy is no longer rely on few people, but rather the content creators themselves.

"Understanding these changes, IDN Media believes there must be a platform to help navigate and provide seamless collaboration among content creators. Therefore, we established ICE with a vision to democratize the Indonesian Creator Economy through technology," Winston said.

Specifically for the first year, ICE will be presented five services, including content creator marketing, content creator trading, content creator representation, financial technology solutions, and brand & product development.

As a creator platform, ICE wants to offer collaboration between brands and creators with an easier and more effective work system. ICE will also offer payment systems and financial products to increase efficiency and speed towards every collaboration.

"We want ICE to be a one-stop platform for creators. An all-in-one platform. This is our commitment to grow Indonesia's creative economy," Winston said.

Bridging brand and influencer

Currently, the demand for digital marketing activities, especially those that involving influencers, is significantly growing. Based on the Influencer Marketing Hub's data, the pandemic has accelerated the influencer marketing growth in 2020, and this number is expected to continue in 2021.

From $1.7 billion in 2016, influencer marketing's market size is expected to have grown at $9.7 billion by 2020 and is expected to rise up to $13.8 billion by 2021.

In Indonesia, there are several platforms that provide a place for content creators, influencers, and brands using marketing activities with this concept. Starting from platforms such as Partipost, AnyMind Group, Hiip, and Lynk.id which aims to provide integrated tools for creators.

The tech company, Gojek, also announced a collaboration with Allstars influencer marketing platform to make it easier for Gojek's MSME partners to connect with influencers for marketing-related activities. Allstars is to provide a platform to connect brands with influencers for promotional purposes on social media. In addition, influencers also needa bridging platform, especially for those who have recently shifting career.

–Original article is in Indonesian, translated by Kristin Siagian