BALI, PRINDONESIA.CO – According to Arif Mujahidin, Director of Communication of Danone Indonesia, the digital era has led to a number of transformations in the world of public relations (PR). One of them is online visibility that must be supported with offline visibility. In addition, communication that can no longer be done in one direction must contain dialogue and feedback. Then an approach through a comprehensive channel, the rise of online media, the number of digital activists and stakeholders, to the creation of digital content that has various forms and styles.

In facing all of these transformations, continued Arif while speaking at the conference session of PR INDONESIA Jamboree (JAMPIRO) #5 in Bali on Tuesday (29/10/2019). PR was tasked with maintaining and gaining public trust by raising the company’s social value through storytelling.

Arif also conveyed several strategies that have been carried out with his team to manage trust from the stakeholders. Such as:

Stories about Sustainability

“Sustainability is a good story,” said the man who previously worked as Head of Corporate Affairs in Sari Husada. He argued, if a company only focused on the product, it would be boring for sure. Therefore, Arif with his team focused on conveying the commitment that the products produced had a good impact on health and emphasized that the company did not damage the environment in conducting business.

Trust in Human Relations

Establishing good relationships with external parties such as influencer, blogger, vlogger, and journalist to give an in-depth understanding of the industry. When understanding has been established, these producers of information can avoid the hoax trap.

Offer Experience

To gain trust from the public, Danone has several programs that invite the public to go to the field to see directly the company’s activities both business and social. For example, a visit to the recycling centers, discussions with nutritionists, and media visits.

Collaboration with Communities

Danone Indonesia supports and is directly involved in community activities that are related to the company’s vision and mission. For example, participating in collecting and sorting plastic waste in the 2018 Asian Games venue with Indo Relawan Community, mountain cleaning with Trashbag Community, and participating in Jakarta Clean Up activity.

Strengthen Social Media

The rise of social media, assures us of the principle of content is king. However, to win the public trust in the digital realm, it’s not enough with the skill of PR alone. “It must be strengthened with scientific data,” he said. Like the work of Danone Indonesia in the health and nutrition world, hoaxes are widely circulating. “We deal with it by making official statements that actually do not come from us, but are supported by data from the association such as BPOM (Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency),” Arif said.

According to him, there are many success factors to build trust. “What is important is that we as PR must build organic relations, trust with journalists and influencers. So that when a crisis occurred, the atmosphere remains conducive, can be handled well, and the company is able to maintain public trust. (den)