MARKETING PUBLIC RELATIONS ACTIVITIES TO DEVELOP THE BRAND AWARENESS: A CASE STUDY OF ACE HARDWARE INDONESIA

Abstract

ACE Hardware Indonesia is one of the largest retailers in Indonesia providing home improvement and lifestyle products. ACE Hardware who operates under Kawan Lama Group was established in Indonesia since 1955. Dynamic business environment and increasing number of competitors require ACE to implement the right strategy to stay on top of the market and win the customer’s choice. Based on the TOP BRAND survey 2019, ACE is spotted in the #1 Top Brand in the home improvement and decoration category. This means that ACE has become the Top of Mind in its sector. The implementation of Marketing Public Relations activities influences the development of the brand awareness. The implementation is based on the marketing concept; push, pull, pass strategy. This research is a descriptive qualitative research and a case study as the method. The data collected in this research was obtained from the in-depth interview session with the informant, documents and pictures analysis. The paradigm used in this research is an interpretive paradigm. The result of this research shows that the implemented Marketing Public Relations activities can be categorised using P.E.N.C.I.L.S theory by Thomas. L. Harris. The MPR activities including publications, events, news coverage, community involvement, xiii inform or image, lobbying, and social responsibility. The long-term implementation of the MPR activities is proven effective for the development of the brand awareness to achieve the Top of Mind level.