Behind Ruangguru’s Marketing Bonanza: Who. What. Why.
On Thursday, July 18, 2019, Ruangguru wooed everyone who watched television. That evening, just like any other day, Indonesians did. A national television channel popped up once the TV brightened. At 7 p.m., it featured Ruangguru’s 5 Year Anniversary Special program. It was prime time.
Ruangguru’s hour-long star-studded special-made television show on that July evening was aired live across 10 national television stations.
“Other brands have done two or three stations, but not 10,” Ruangguru’s Product Marketing Manager Yesisca said. At the time, Ruangguru became a pioneer in the practice of invading your television screens.
“I don’t think I even imagined creating our own television marketing program,” Yesisca—better known as “Sisca”—said. “What I like most about startups is that we are not trapped in a rigid system. If we have an idea, try it out. Improve it if it can be improved, and try something new if not.”
That mindset has fueled Yesisca, truly the woman behind Ruangguru’s marketing bonanza, and she has created more for TV: weekday hour-long special programs, two months-long championship show, a televised mini-movie, even a K-POP concert. All presented by Ruangguru.
In this piece, Yesisca shares a few insights based on her journey.
1. Refine Your Market. Identify Your Audience.
Ruangguru’s goal is for all students to enjoy learning, and all students mean they come from all areas and backgrounds.
The TV is now one of the most effective mediums in spreading the word for a geographically and demographically diverse audience, and according to Yesisca, Ruangguru can’t solely focus on the more digitally-abled students centralized in cities.
2. Follow The Data: “We want to be sure and confident before we make big bets.”
Everything her team produces begins and ends with data.
In the planning of a show, data is crucial. It tells Yesisca what has the biggest potential for success and what doesn’t. If the team fails, there is also data to be analyzed, and it’s important that they ask, “Where did we fail? Why? How?”
Here’s a tip from Yesisca for you: test your project first, get some data, and move forward accordingly.
3. Creativity Is Not First
Creativity is like cosmetics for Yesisca. In her words, “Don’t think about it [creativity] too much at first because it will change based on the goals and data.”
There are three steps for her, and creativity is not first:
1. Identify a solid goal backed-up by strong data
2. Determine use of the medium
3. Package it creatively
4. Embody the Product
“It’s not just about understanding how to sell. Here in product marketing we learn that we create these products because we are trying to solve a problem in society with this product,” Yesisca said.
It is important for marketing content to have a “soul,” Yesisca said. For her team, it is by embodying the product’s values and characteristics in their marketing initiatives, and because her team understands the products to the T—they collaborate with the product team often—they truly believe the product will improve a student’s learning process.
If you’ve questioned Ruangguru’s frequent appearances on your television screens, now you understand. Yet creating TV shows hasn’t always been the get-go for Yesisca, nor was she an expert since the beginning.
Yesisca had little-to-no background in marketing. Suddenly, in her early working days 3.5 years ago, Ruangguru’s leadership needed her to lead the product marketing team. There were numerous trials and errors, she said, but ultimately all she could do was learn.
“In Ruangguru, I’ve met a lot of smart and confident people, and I thought, ‘Now I have the opportunity to learn from them.’ Maybe their business intuition, or really anything, I can learn from them,” Yesisca said. “I realized that once you seek learning, you enjoy learning, and it helps you narrow down a path, a purpose.”
Now, learning has a special place for Yesisca, and so does education. Yesisca talked about how she would spark up whenever a parent talks about the benefits of Ruangguru for his or her child. “That’s what keeps me moving,” she said.
The joy for Yesisca lies in the who, what, and why of her work. You’re welcome to join her journey with the rest of #TimRuangguru too. Click here!
