JAKARTA, PRINDONESIA.CO - Community activities are part of communication tools that play roles, such as bridging and connecting companies and communities, increasing brand awareness, generating sustainable impacts, building the image and reputation of the company, and fostering loyalty.

As told by Evi Andarini at PR Meetup # 19 at the Metro TV office, Thursday (31/1/2019), Bukalapak initially developed because of the support of the bicycle community. "We are big because of the male-dominated bicycle community. Until now our users are 70 percent male, " she said.  "We also support pelapak initiatives in creating communities. We facilitate their gatherings," Evi said. To produce a sustainable impact, her company appoints one ranger (the name for the volunteer pelapak) who is in charge of mentoring other pelapak in an area.

According to Evi, now is not the time to wait for the right moment. "We must actively create stories," she explained. For example, by making videos about inland pelapak who have difficulty accessing the internet. "This can be a video and press release material that is timeless," she said. The audience will feel carried away by the atmosphere of the video.

Meanwhile Henny Puspitasari did not deny the forerunner of community activities on Metro TV was starting from the tsunami of Aceh. At that time the TV stations were rife with the me too program, which was a similar program but the names were different. "News TV stations like us were predicted to die within three years. But when the tsunami happened, it was our TV station that was the most listened to " she recalled. From there came the initiation of Metro TV Berbagi as a form of community activity for disaster victims. This program is engaged in health, education and disaster. Metro TV also bridged the Aceh tsunami information to foreign parties so that assistance from donors and non-profit institutions arrived.

Of course this can not only help ease the burden of the victim. Over time, the reputation of Metro TV as a news TV station was raised, even the prediction of a news TV station that would die within three years was not proven. "We can prove by producing different programs, we can survive until now," she said. (rvh)