Marianne Admardatine

Chief Executive Officer

H+K Strategies

Jakarta

---

"Leave your comfort zone and be brave in trying new things"

When Marianne Admardatine launched H+K Indonesia in April 2020, she told clients the firm’s services wouldn’t suffer due to Covid — and went to work to live up to that promise, restructuring and diversifying the operation within the first 100 days. By the end of 2020, the office’s staff had grown from 10 to 50 serving 30 clients, including the likes of Indonesian utility PLN and Bank of Indonesia as well as for Nestle, Unilever, and Disney+ Hotstar. And H+K Indonesia continues on its hot streak; it’s the fastest-growing office in the H+K network.

How do you define innovation?
Innovation is a new solution/ideas/approach to get a better more relevant result. Something that was not done before and is adaptable to the current environment

What is the most innovative comms/marketing initiative you've seen in the last 12 months?
The use of gaming to reach the young audience such as some of the UN initiatives in reaching out to the young generation.

In your opinion, what brands and/or agencies are most innovative around PR and marketing?
Telkomsel, Samsung, Hyundai, LG.. to name a few.

Describe a moment in your career that you would consider 'innovative.'
The latest one was when we invested in data and analytics and ultimately a full on content studio for that fast real-time content creation for our clients within less than a year.

Who do you admire for his/her approach to innovation?
There are many, and not just a person, but brands like Hyundai, GoTo (tokopedia and gojek) - who create milestones through one innovation and another.

How do you get out of a creativity rut?
I seek outdoors, spending time with people and read or watch different content.

What advice would you give to the PR industry around embracing innovation?
You can't get a different result by doing the same thing. Leave your comfort zone and be brave in trying new things. Be relevant to today’s environment and trends. Only then we can continue to evolve and innovate.

What would you be doing if you weren't doing your current job?
A traveller who loves story-telling of my adventure in different countries (even write a book!) and eventually settles down by owning a beach-front library & cats’ cafe.

Which book/movie/TV show/podcast/playlist/other cultural source has helped you get through this year or provided inspiration?
I am a huge K-Drama buff. There are lots of life lessons and positive messages in many of their scripts that give me comfort while trying to manage so many things in my life. I am also a fan of BTS, and their music and lyrics carries positive messages and the importance of being ‘aware’ and self-love. It's an inspiration to be a better person all around. 

What's your favourite time of day and why?
Morning. Breakfast time. It's the moment I feel most fresh, energized and in tune with my self. Mornings give me that sense of calmness while preparing for the rest of the day.