Indonesia's media agency leaders predict smarter, more connected ecosystems in 2027

As Indonesia heads into 2027, media planning is becoming less about individual channels and more about how audiences move between them. Social, creators, search, streaming and commerce are increasingly connected, pushing agencies to build ecosystems that follow consumers from discovery to action.

At the same time, attention is becoming harder to earn and trust harder to build. Audiences are more active in validating brand messages through creators, communities, reviews and AI, making authenticity, cultural relevance and meaningful engagement increasingly important.

AI will also play a bigger role on both sides of the media equation - helping agencies automate and interpret, while becoming a new gateway for consumers seeking information, recommendations and products. This is likely to put greater focus on AI discoverability alongside traditional search and social.

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As investment follows attention and outcomes, creators, commerce media, connected TV, short-form video and AI-enabled content are set to gain further traction, while traditional media continues to evolve within a more connected ecosystem. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke with media agency leaders across Indonesia to find out what they see as the key priorities for the year ahead.

Dinakar Das, chief investment officer and COO, media, dentsu Indonesia

As we enter 2027, we are fully imbibing the era of algorithmic planning.

Human practices are being codified, data histories modelled into signals, and conversations increasingly turning into social movements that shape brand currency.

At the same time, political, economic and climate-driven crises will persist. Growth is still out there, but increasingly difficult to spot, interpret and unlock. Agencies will need to bring these signals onto one canvas, make sense of complexity and bring method to the madness.

I see four fundamental shifts. First, calendarised campaigns will give way to cultural ecosystems, moving from planning around individual moments to continuously reading, shaping and participating in culture. Second, media-led activation will evolve into commerce, eCommerce and influencer ecosystems, moving beyond reach and engagement to connect creators, influencers, affiliates, marketplaces and eCommerce directly to demand generation, conversion and measurable growth.

Third, tool-led automation will evolve into AI-driven task stacks, redesigning how work gets done and allowing talent to focus more on judgement, creativity and higher-value problem-solving. Fourth, conventional creativity will evolve into generationally powered idea engines, harnessing younger and more diverse talent to solve business problems with greater cultural relevance and originality, while making talent retention a competitive advantage.

The winners will become integrated growth powerhouses: indispensable to clients, relevant to consumers and compelling places for the best talent to stay and grow.

Erwin Airlangga, chief strategy and growth officer at Havas Moonfolks

Much like Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, Indonesia is one country, but not one media audience. Yet too often, we still plan media channel by channel.

Today, that approach is becoming harder to justify. People can move from entertainment to social, from social to search, and from discovery to commerce. Media is converging around how people live, not how we organise channels.

In 2027, the advantage will be less about finding where the audience is, and more about understanding how they move between environments. Media planning will need to connect these environments, with investment following the role and value each moment creates.

A TV moment can spark a search. A creator can add context. Social can turn attention into conversation. Commerce can turn interest into action. The opportunity is to make these moments work together, not treat them as separate channel tasks.

When culture moves faster, the value of media depends on how quickly we can recognise what is changing and act on it.

Human intelligence, powered by AI, data and technology, can analyse signals across platforms and audiences, helping brands identify what matters, anticipate shifts and make better decisions. This is what we mean by Accelerating Human Connection.

In 2027, the strongest brands won’t just buy media. They’ll make every media moment travel further.

Fitri Rizayati, managing director of i-dac Indonesia

The biggest shift in 2027 will be audience self-governance.

Audiences are no longer passive recipients; they actively validate and challenge brand messages through reviews, creators, communities, and AI. The crowd is moving from an audience that receives information to decision-makers who actively challenge it.

Media consumption is becoming intentional and investigative. While advertising creates awareness, trust is built elsewhere. Brands must be credible enough to be validated, relevant enough to be discussed, and easy to discover across search, social, communities, and AI.

Budgets will adapt accordingly. Beyond mass media for scale, investments will shift toward creator ecosystems, social search, and AI discoverability, moving the goal from buying attention to building decision-journey influence.

With social platforms acting as search engines and AI as a discovery gateway, brands must optimise for both human audiences and the systems shaping their choices.

Rohan Mahajan, COO, media services, Omnicom Media Indonesia

Creators will increasingly shape what brands mean to consumers, evolving from content producers to brand custodians. The brands that succeed will empower creators to co-create and advocate for them, rather than simply amplify messages.

Media investment will continue shifting towards channels that better connect consumer attention with business outcomes. Connected TV is likely to attract a larger share of budgets as advertisers seek premium video environments with greater accountability.

We also expect continued growth in retail media and commerce ecosystems, particularly through eCommerce, quick-delivery and super-app platforms such as Grab, where brands can engage consumers closer to the point of purchase.

At the same time, traditional media is unlikely to decline significantly in Indonesia. Television and out-of-home will continue to play an important role in delivering scale and building trust. The focus will be on better integrating brand-building and commerce.

We believe that it is important to build ecosystems where branding and performance work seamlessly instead of choosing between the two.

Generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and other conversational assistants will become increasingly important touchpoints in the consumer journey, resulting in brands competing for share of answer.

Success will depend on ensuring brands are discoverable, relevant and trusted within these emerging ecosystems, while leveraging new advertising and engagement opportunities as they develop.

Saravanan Mudaliar, managing director of Publicis Media Indonesia

By 2027, Indonesia’s media landscape will be defined by one hard truth: attention will be everywhere, but meaningful attention will be harder to earn.

Audiences will move fluidly between TikTok, social search, creators, streaming, WhatsApp and commerce platforms, often discovering, validating and buying in the same journey.

For brands, the biggest shift will be moving from buying channels to building connected attention ecosystems.

Media budgets will follow formats that prove both cultural relevance and commercial impact: short-form video, creators, retail and commerce media, connected TV, AI-enabled content, microdrama and sharper measurement.

Spend will be questioned in places where reach is high, but attention, trust or outcomes are weak. Traditional media will not disappear, but its role must be reimagined as part of a smarter full-funnel system.

In 2027, it will not be any more only reach, but smart reach - how brands convert attention into trust, conversation and action will win.

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