Why We Launched Podcast “Ngobrol Pegipegi”
Brands have their minds twisting and creativity tested to another level. When reaching the market is not again as simple as it used to be, attention could be the most expensive value to attain. Our primary senses are being used to extract knowledge as information doesn’t only come from the ones we read. It is also touched, felt, and heard. Through podcast as the topic we’ll be discussing today.
The podcast industry in Indonesia has gain a substantial amount of new fans throughout the years. According to the Podcast User Research by DailySocial in 2018, 67,97% of smartphone-using respondents are familiar with podcast, with 80.82% of them listening in the past six months. While half of them are still in doubt of their interest in podcast, we’re pretty convinced that we can tap in the interest of entertainment section.
Through a great talk with Pegipegi’s Public Relations Devi Agustina, a question then appeared: Why did we come up with Ngobrol Pegipegi? In charge of this podcast project from scratch, here’s the journey from her point of view.
“We understand where we stand. As one of Indonesia’s leading Online Travel Agency, what we do here is more than offering products, great promotions, and easy travel access. There are more duties to that; there are deeper responsibilities to that. Thus, we are tapping into one value: inspire,” Devi explained. “Why not maximize the things that are already out there, and turn it into something influential?”. When it comes to the industry, Devi understands that ‘travel’ is an escape topic. How? For starters; when people are drained of their daily responsibilities, they go traveling. When people get defeated by their life scenarios, they go traveling. Even when people are at their happiest, they go traveling. Traveling is an escape topic, a happy thing.
“We also understand that people don’t travel really frequently. On average, people only travel 2–3 times a year. Therefore, your proximity with Pegipegi might not be so frequent, but on the other side you can listen to these podcasts that come out on a weekly basis. We hope that people will listen and maybe we can inspire and help them in their travel journey. It’s an agreeable way to interact with our users,” Devi added.
“Alongside with this, one thing for sure, trends are evolving in PR practices and how we treat the media channels. We’ve seen that there are major shifts in how our users consume media and it gives opportunity for brands like us to communicate directly to our users. One of them is through podcast,” said Devi. “So, in regards to Pegipegi’s mission to make the world of travel more accessible for Indonesians, the podcast idea was born. We see this as a way to be informative in a way that could add interest in traveling.”
Behind ‘Ngobrol Pegipegi’
Ngobrol comes from a casual Indonesian slang that means chat or having a conversation, while ‘Pegipegi’ stays true to our name. We want this title to well represent our brand and value as an Online Travel Agency, and as a guideline of what we’ll be talking about; which is travel itself.
In Indonesia’s history of podcasts, creators like to talk about phenomenons, fashion, sports, or music. But no one ever tapped into the topic ‘travel’. “I can proudly state that Pegipegi is the pioneer of travel podcasts in Indonesia. Yes, it’s the first one yet. But with that, also comes great expectation and responsibility.” Up to the tiniest details should be taken into consideration. “Since no one had done this but us, it’s crucial to make sure that we are giving out the correct information; information that people actually want to listen.” Through the name ‘Ngobrol Pegipegi’, we want our listeners to chill and feel comfortable while they extract as much travel information as possible.
‘Ngobrol Pegipegi’: The strategic thinking
In our brainstorm sessions, we have always been thinking of collaborating with a well-known platform that has their own podcast access — also, a partner that has a relevant market as what Pegipegi currently has. As we aim to tap on the communities, we want to have a collaboration that brings the best out of our idea.
As expected, our decision turned out great. Our podcast has correctly reached our audience, inspiring them to travel through different insights and topics. And there it is! Ngobrol Pegipegi finally launched its premiere episode in October 2019, featuring travel blogger Muhammad Takdis to share about backpacking travel.
Throughout the next episodes, we also invited inspiring people and travel bloggers to talk in Ngobrol Pegipegi. One of them includes Iyas Lawrence, who talked about his experience riding the motorcycle “Tri Mas Nyetir” straight to Bali. In addition to that, Ngobrol Pegipegi also include travel recommendations; for instance, romantic getaway ideas for Valentine’s day featuring Claudia Kaunang, early-year short escape suggestions with Terry Endropoetro, or solo traveling tips with Kadek Arini.
“Since the first episode aired, I’ve always been excited to hear about the impacts that this podcast brings. And admittedly, I’ve been hearing good things” said Devi. “My surroundings — from friends, family, and social media, have been giving credits for the knowledge they got from Ngobrol Pegipegi. They appreciate how Ngobrol Pegipegi can inspire them to travel and seek for more knowledge. In the future, I can’t wait to hear from you and your friends, even wider societies.”
The strategic thinking 2.0: The year 2020
A new year, a new strategy for Ngobrol Pegipegi. “We would like to expand our strategies, and changes are going to be made. One of them includes using our own channel to post as we want to increase our traffic.” This new year, we are standing on three content pillars: travel information, inspirational travel stories, and current trending topics. “Our primary thinking is to boost our brand awareness. As the public means so much to us, we aim to be closer to them.”
In the first three months we ran Ngobrol Pegipegi, we were able to cover such broad travel contents. Yet, today, we’re heading toward a different approach, which is using those three focused pillar content. “That is why, this year we aim to achieve more with new goal and strategy.” Devi mentioned.
“It was quite a transition, but a month has passed by and we are thrilled that this collaboration turns out better than we expected. In 2020, Ngobrol Pegipegi has reached a peak, where our listeners are increasing by 20% in January 2020 only.” At this point, Devi understands what those hard work has finally lead to. Ngobrol Pegipegi has reached even better results this year.
Overcoming challenges
“As a Public Relations, we are also a storyteller. Through podcast, it is more efficient for us to share stories and information of the things you need to know about travel when you get ready in the morning, on the commute to and from work, or en route to anywhere when doing your errands (shopping, paying bills). Thus, we are pouring our knowledge through talks with experts, relevant sources, and more. Matter fact, we want to be a ‘friend’ when one feels alone.”
Throughout the years, Pegipegi has been socially spreading information through platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. As Devi mentioned, this time, Pegipegi looks forward to do more. “I think people will appreciate listening to deeper information. It’s not again just from our perspective as a brand, but it’s the chance for them to hear it straight from the experts.”
Until today, Devi admits it is not the easiest task to manage this podcast all along. Although the data results are showing positive progress, she is still not convinced that everyone is already aware of the “podcast” idea — Ngobrol Pegipegi to be exact. “It’s my duty to rapidly introduce Ngobrol Pegipegi. This opportunity is not to be missed!” claimed Devi.
In the future, Pegipegi is not closing any possibilities to dig into other topics — like seeing travel through the eyes of tech, engineering, or discussing about travel figures that are currently on hype.
Are you a podcast enthusiast? Leave the comment to let us know which topics that we should cover.
Ever wanted to make impact in your career and life? Go to the Pegipegi’s Career Page and let’s #GrowTogether to make travel more accessible for all Indonesians.
