Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024
E-ISSN: 2723-6692
P-ISSN: 2723-6595
http://jiss.publikasiindonesia.id/
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024 979
The Role of Influencer Collaboration as A Marketing Strategy In
Promoting New Product Collection: A Case Study of
Thenblank X Isyana Sarasvati
Gracia Gunardi
LSPR Communication and Business Institute, Jakarta, Indonesia
Email: [email protected]
Correspondence: graciagunardi01@gmail.com
*
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Internet, Social Media;
Marketing Strategy;
Influencer Collaboration;
THENBLANK, Isyana
Sarasvati
Internet, social media, mobile apps, and other digital
communications technologies have all become a part of everyday life
for billions of people around the world. A global phenomenon, as
mentioned by Backaler is that influencer marketing is growing in
countries around the world. One example of a local fashion brand
that has recently just adopted influencer collaboration as its
marketing strategy is THENBLANK. The study objectives of this
research are to analyze the role of Isyana Sarasvati as a marketing
strategy collaborator in promoting THENBLANK’s new product
collection, to know how Isyana Sarasvati contributes to
THENBLANK’s marketing strategy, and to identify the factors that
THENBLANK considers when choosing an influencer to collaborate
with. The method used in this research is a qualitative method with
semi-structured in-depth interviews as the data collection method.
The theories and concepts used in this research are the Stimulus-
Response Theory, AISAS Model, Pillars of Influence, and Marketing
Strategy. The result of this research shows the collaboration
between THENBLANK and Isyana was successful because of the
compatibility of personality and character. THENBLANK also
collaborates with Isyana because they want to increase the brand
value, brand image and social status of customers, and this was in
accordance with their selection. The role of Isyana as an influencer
is also very good and contributes through making a song scoring,
providing criticism and input, and many more.
Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
1. Introduction
Throughout the last decades, there have been significant technological advancements.
However, many of these developments become so attached to our daily lives that they often go
unnoticed, and their impact is almost forgotten (Palandrani, 2020). To date, the Internet, social media,
mobile apps, and other digital communication technologies have become part of everyday life for
e-ISSN: 2723-6692 🕮 p-ISSN: 2723-6595
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024 980
billions worldwide (Dwivedi et al., 2018). Therefore, it is safe to say that the Internet has completely
reshaped how businesses carry out their promotional activities (WLG, 2018).
The Internet is described as a globally connected network system facilitating worldwide
communication and access to data resources through a vast collection of private, public, business,
academic, and government networks (“Internet,” 2020). This means that the Internet makes
information conveniently accessible worldwide as well as for individuals and small businesses to get
connected. Due to this, marketing trends constantly come and go, evolving as brands strive to better
leverage the latest technologies and respond to shifts in the marketplace (“15 Top Trends That Will
Impact Marketing In 2022”, 2022). According to data released in 2022, the total number of Indonesia’s
Internet users has reached 204.7 million users as of January 2022. The internet penetration rate of
Indonesia reached 73.7% from the 277.7 million total population in early 2022. Kepios's analysis
shows that Internet users in Indonesia increased by 2.1 million, or equivalent to 1.0%, between 2021
and 2022 (Kemp, 2022).
Figure 1 Internet and Social Media Use in Indonesia in 2022
From Kemp (2022)
e-ISSN: 2723-6692 🕮 p-ISSN: 2723-6595
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024 981
Advances in communication and information technology have further strengthened the role of
the Internet in both communication and business. Moreover, in January 2022, the total number of
Indonesia’s social media users was 191.4 million users, as seen in Figure 1. By early 2022, the total
number of Indonesia’s social media users reached 68.9% of the total population. Kepios analysis also
shows that social media users in Indonesia increased by 21 million or about 12.6% between 2021 and
2022 (Kemp, 2022). This means that social media becomes a part of everyday life in Indonesia and it
is important for businesses and brands to keep up with the evolution of the platforms and to keep
looking for ways to optimize the use of the tools available (Sreenivasan, n.d.).
The way of communicating on social media today has changed views and provided opportunity
for everyone to give their voice, opinions, and content, thus making influencer marketing unique and
distinct. According to Bruns (2019), a social media influencer is defined as an individual who is
considered an opinion leader on a social media platform on a particular topic of interest, including
beauty, food, lifestyle, and fashion. According to Kádeková & Holienčinová (2018), influencers are
not marketing tools but are social relationship assets with which they can collaborate to achieve
marketing goals.
There has been significant growth in collaboration between brands and influencers to offer
products to its target audience on social media in recent years. A global phenomenon said by Backaler
(2019) is that influencer marketing is growing in countries around the world. According to Diamond
(2019), influencer marketing is the art and science of engaging people who are influential online to
share brand messaging with their audiences in the form of sponsored content, whereas endorsement
is an advertisement that uses a well-known character or celebrity who has recognition, trust, respect,
and awareness among people (The Economic Times, 2022). Key opinion leaders or influencers are
considered experts or social liaisons who influence the attitudes of others about products and brands
(Godey et al., 2016).
Influencer marketing or collaboration has continued to develop in the last decade as a strategy
used by digital marketers to spread brand messages. Influencer marketing dates back to the 1930s.
According to Suciu (2020), one of the first widely acknowledged “influencer” collaborations dates
back to 1760, when Wedgwood first made a tea set for the wife of King George III. In this case, during
that era, royalty was the influencer, and Wedgwood was quick to claim that his brand had “Royal”
approval. Fast forward to the 20
th
century, Coco Chanel, otherwise known as Chanel, was one of the
first and most enduring influencers in the fashion world. Another recent example of influencer
collaboration by a global fashion brand called Gentle Monster presents a collaboration with Jennie of
BLACKPINK named Jentle Home.
Influencer marketing which involves a collaboration between brands and influencers, is a
powerful approach that can help companies grow (Santora, 2022). In addition, they are individuals
with a specific niche and can effectively influence their audience.
A few reasons to consider collaborating with influencers in creating new products are first it creates
greater reach, especially when partnering with influencers who have large followers on social media,
it creates unique market insight as the influencers a brand chooses to collaborate with will have
insights about their followers, making it very useful to the business, and lastly is to increase sales
revenue especially when working with influencers who has an existing list of influencer friends
willing to support their business ventures through sponsored posts (Febrina, 2019).
One example of a local fashion brand that recently just adopted influencer collaboration as its
marketing strategy is THENBLANK. THENBLANK is a local fashion brand founded in 2012 by Mutiara
Kamila Athiyya. THENBLANK has a concept of 'Easiness Comes Easy', meaning that this brand is
committed to providing the best daily wear that prioritizes quality, comfort, minimalist style, and
timelessness. The reason for choosing THENBLANK is because THENBLANK is a unique local fashion
brand by changing its strategy from endorsements to influencer collaboration.
e-ISSN: 2723-6692 🕮 p-ISSN: 2723-6595
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024 982
Mutiara Kamila Athiyya, the Managing Director of THENBLANK, said that there has been a shift in
THENBLANK’s marketing strategy. The previous marketing strategy was endorsement to influencers,
now THENBLANK is implementing an influencer collaboration strategy to issue special collections.
According to Mutiara, her business development can be achieved because of the applied marketing
strategy (“Thenblank Sukses Berkat Berkolaborasi dengan Influencer”, 2020). She said, “pemasaran
lewat kolaborasi dengan influencer dinilai tepat karena metode endorsement dan iklan sudah terlalu
ramai dan masif digunakan.” (“Thenblank Sukses Berkat Berkolaborasi dengan Influencer”, 2020,
para. 6). Furthermore, Mutiara admitted that THENBLANK’s sales had doubled since THENBLANK
issued a special collection of collaborations with influencers. In the past, THENBLANK has worked
with influencers to issue a special collection, namely Dwi Handayani, Ayudia Bing Slamet, Isyana
Sarasvati as of 2021 (Yasa, 2019).
According to a statistic by “How Influencers Choose Which Brands to Partner with Exclusive
Insights from 50+ Influencers” (n.d.), 64% of influencers look for on-brand or relevance in
collaborations, as seen in Figure 4. Influencers do not want to promote products and services from
brands that are irrelevant to them, just as brands do not seek out influencers who are not relevant to
them as well (Solis, 2015). Furthermore, according to Solis (2012), there is a pillar of influence called
the 3Rs, which include Reach, Resonance, and Relevance, as seen in Figure 5. First, Reach is a measure
of popularity, proximity, and goodwill. Second, Resonance is a measure of the duration, speed and
level of interactivity around content or conversations. High resonance means more people will see
every update. This includes frequency, period, and amplitude. Lastly, Relevance is that individuals
aligned through the topic of the material create connected circuit relationships that transmit
information across a focused community. This includes authority, trust, and affinity.
Figure 2 What Influencers Look for In Brand Relationships
Source: Mediakix, n.d.
e-ISSN: 2723-6692 🕮 p-ISSN: 2723-6595
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024 983
Figure 3 Pillars of Influence
Source: Solis (2012).
Before collaborating with influencers, there are five points marketers and business owners
need to ensure, according to Geyser (2021). First, is to consider the authenticity of the influencer.
Next, relevancy. For example, a clothing brand may want to collaborate with fashion bloggers or
influencers who usually produce fashion-related content. Third, influencers do not always gain
influence through consistently producing quality content. Next is to find out if the influencer can
engage with their audience about past brands or products they are promoting or collaborating with.
Marketers should scroll through some of their posts and captions. And lastly, even if marketers have
found the perfect influencer, they may not collaborate if the brand cannot pay as expected. Several
influencers may want to promote your product in exchange for free products but do not expect that
they will spend their time creating high-quality free content.
The most vital factors of these five factors are the influencer’s credibility, authenticity, and
relevance (Geyser, 2021). Many influencer collaboration campaigns failed because these
requirements were not met. As more and more brands want to explore influencer marketing, it is
important to proceed with caution (Barker, 2019).
Influencer collaboration aims to showcase your brand to potential customers (Thephagroup,
2022). In this case, both Morphe and Jaclyn Hill failed in collaborating with each other. This is a point
of how important the role of influencer collaboration is as a marketing strategy. The role of influencer
is needed to facilitate the process of collaboration, promotion, and the success of this promotion as
well as the capacity to cause change or effect.
The objectives and benefits of this research are as follows: To analyze the role of collaborating with
Isyana Sarasvati as a marketing strategy in promoting THENBLANK’s new product collection; to know
how Isyana Sarasvati contributed to THENBLANK’s marketing strategy; and to identify the factors
that THENBLANK considered when choosing an influencer to collaborate with.
2. Materials and Methods
The research methodology used in this research is qualitative methodology. This method is
used by researchers to investigate the meaning, interpretation, symbols, processes, and relationships
of social life (Crossman, 2020). The reasons for choosing qualitative methodology are that the
researcher wants to explore, investigate, and learn about the phenomena of the research topic and
understand each informant's perceptions. This methodology will also help the researcher to discover
in-depth findings.
Furthermore, case study research is being utilized in this research. According to Creswell
(2013), a case study method investigates real-life cases over time through detailed and in-depth data
e-ISSN: 2723-6692 🕮 p-ISSN: 2723-6595
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024 984
collection involving multiple sources of information and reporting case descriptions and case themes.
A case study method is a study that investigates and explores a person, a group of people, or an entity
through careful and in-depth data collection.
The reason for choosing this method is that a case study method allows the researcher to
analyze the information closely within a particular context and to understand something unique to
the case (Guest et al., 2013). In this research, the researcher wants to examine and analyze how Isyana
Sarasvati contributed to THENBLANK’s marketing strategy, the role of collaborating with Isyana
Sarasvati as a marketing strategy in promoting THENBLANK’s new product collection, and the factors
THENBLANK considers when choosing an influencer to collaborate with. The research is conducted
in Depok through Zoom and email platforms. It started in March 2022 and is expected to finish in
August 2022.
Data Collection Technique
Data collection techniques that can be utilized are interviews, field observations (direct and
participant), questionnaires, and analysis of public and company documents (Shanks & Bekmamedova,
2018). In this case, the data collection techniques that will be used are an in-depth interview.
1. Primary Data, Primary data means the data collected directly by researchers. The use of primary
data in this research is to produce accurate information in accordance with factual conditions
and current phenomena and appropriate informants so that the results of this research are useful
and beneficial for practitioners and the community; in this case, the primary data selected for
this study is semi-structured in-depth interviews.
An in-depth interview aims to gain a more detailed and better understanding of
the research topic (“Semi-structured, Narrative, and In-depth Interviewing, Focus Groups, Action
Research, Participant Observation”, 2017). The reason for selecting an in-depth interview as the
primary data is to present a more in-depth understanding of the phenomenon than what would
be obtained from quantitative methods such as through questionnaires. Unit of analysis: In this
case, the researcher is interested in studying the role of influencer collaboration; therefore, the
unit of analysis is individual, as different influencers have different results and impacts on a
brand.
2. Secondary Data: Besides the use of primary data, the researchers will also collect secondary data.
The secondary data used will be obtained from previous journals, books, and articles from other
researchers, authors, and writers. Notably
Data Verification Technique
The data verification technique that will be implemented is triangulation. In this case, the
researcher will use data triangulation, especially source triangulation, where the researcher will
conduct interviews consisting of internal informant (Managing Director of THENBLANK and Sales
and marketing Manager of THENBLANK), external informants (THENBLANK customers), and
communication and marketing experts. Then, the researcher will choose triangulation measures to
get an in-depth understanding and to compare the views of each informant.
Data Analysis Technique
According to Miles et al. (2020), there are three concurrent flows of activity, including data
condensation or reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification, as described below.
e-ISSN: 2723-6692 🕮 p-ISSN: 2723-6595
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024 985
Limitations of The Research
Although this research has several contributions to the knowledge and information of the role
of influencer collaboration as a marketing strategy: a case study of THENBLANK x Isyana Sarasvati,
there are limitations worth considering in future research. First, this research is only qualitative
methodology which is not statistically represented. Second, the research solely focuses only on
influencer collaboration as a marketing strategy, while many other tactics could be used depending
on the brand’s marketing strategy. Third, the limitation lies down on the Stimulus-Response Theory
as the researcher encountered obstacles in finding other sources that discuss the Stimulus- Response
Theory so that it cannot be compared with other sources. Fourth, the Stimulus-Response Theory is
only used to see customers’ responses based on the interviews, while further research can analyze
the effects of the customers’ responses. And lastly, the researcher was unable to interview Isyana or
her team because there was no response from the contact person.
3. Result and Discussion
Marketing Strategy
1. Segmentation
Segmentation is the process of identifying market segments and the process of dividing the broad
customer base into consumer sub-groups consisting of existing and potential customers
(Camilleri, 2018). This includes demographic, psychographic, behavioral, and geographic.
Demographic: The informants had different perceptions about the age range and social
status of the targets of this collaboration. Mutiara and Rina consider the target age range to be 25-
34 years, while Meliana and Dewanti have different age ranges, namely 18-30 years and 25 years
and above to 30. Regarding social status, Mutiara, Meliana, Rina, and Dewanti agreed that the
target's social status was from B to A. Mutiara and Meliana called B to A, while Rina called B+, and
Dewanti called B. This shows a difference in perception in assessing the social status of the
collaboration target.
Psychographic: from a psychographic point of view, there are differences in informants'
perceptions of the values and lifestyles that THENBLANK wants to implement. Mutiara believes
that the target market tends to be friendly, part of the community, and flexible. Meanwhile, Rina,
Meliana, and Dewanti believe that customers' lifestyles tend to be simple, minimalist, and relaxed.
About the value of the product, one customer believes that the value of a good product is Isyana,
while the other customer believes that the value that THENBLANK wants to implement is 'fashion
is a reflection of you'. There are also differences in perceptions of customers' hobbies and interests,
with each informant giving a different answer. It shows variations in psychographics and customer
preferences to consider in designing collaborations.
Behavioral: In terms of purchasing behavior (behavioral), there are differences in
informants' perceptions of the behavior of buyers who are interested in this collaboration. Mutiara
and Rina believe that interested buyers are people who think hard and are not triggered by virality.
They will search and seek information about the quality and functionality of the product first
before buying. On the other hand, Meliana and Dewanti believe that buying behavior is impulsive
because Isyanation supports Isyana and they are triggered to buy the same products as Isyana has.
In addition, there are differences in perceptions of the frequency of purchases in a year and the
frequency of purchases of loyal customers. Mutiara and Rina believe that loyal customers can buy
one to two times a month or twice a week, while Meliana and Dewanti believe that the frequency
e-ISSN: 2723-6692 🕮 p-ISSN: 2723-6595
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024 986
of purchases can be five to seven times a year or every time there is a new product. About
THENBLANK product material, Meliana and Dewanti believe that the material is good,
comfortable, and the design is good. Meanwhile, Mutiara and Rina have different views, with
Mutiara emphasizing on product quality and Rina emphasizing on product size. It shows variations
in perception and buying behavior that need to be considered in marketing strategies and product
development.
Geographic: The informant believes that this collection will attract attention especially in big
cities such as Jabodetabek, Bandung, Surabaya, Bali, Semarang, and Yogyakarta, as well as abroad
such as Singapore and Malaysia. They considered the exposure of the Isyana name in these cities
and recognized that there was a significant market share there. In addition, the collection is also
available on e-commerce platforms such as Shopee Singapore and Malaysia, indicating that they
are also considering the international market. Despite this, there has been no strategy devised
specifically to target the Singapore and Malaysia markets, so they are not sure if this collection will
interest them unless they are part of Isyanation. This shows the need for more research and
strategies to reach international markets more effectively.
2. Targeting
From the targeting analysis is that there is a difference in perception between internal and
external regarding the target market for this collaboration. According to internal, the target market
is 85% women and 15% men, with an age range of 25 to 34 years, but it does not rule out the
possibility outside that range, with economy class B to A. Nevertheless, both internally agreed that
although they have segmentation and target market, the marketing strategy used is
undifferentiated marketing as they have a wide product range that can be worn by females and
males with various age ranges. This means that they ignore differences in the market that involve
approaching customers with a single market offering (Camilleri, 2018).
Meanwhile, Externally believes that the target market is fans of Isyana and her friends,
focusing on the age range of students up to 20 to 30 years old, especially millennials and
Generation Z. Although there are differences in perception, both agree that the focus of marketing
is more on overall market awareness, without differentiating between genders or age ranges,
because THENBLANK has a wide range of products and can be used by all circles.
3. Positioning
In terms of positioning, there is a difference in perception between internal and external.
According to Mutiara and Rina, before collaborating with Isyana, THENBLANK was positioned as
an affordable brand. However, after collaborating with Isyana, they changed their position to
better quality but still affordable in its class. However, customers have a different perception,
where before the collaboration with Isyana, THENBLANK was seen as a local brand that was not
widely known, but after the collaboration with Isyana, THENBLANK was considered to be able to
compete with other brands and even became the first choice when looking for fashion references.
In addition, there are different perceptions about THENBLANK's competitors. According to
internally, THENBLANK's competitors are UNIQLO, This Is April, and Cotton Ink, where UNIQLO is
considered a direct competitor because it has a similar design and value to THENBLANK. However,
e-ISSN: 2723-6692 🕮 p-ISSN: 2723-6595
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024 987
according to customers, THENBLANK's competitors are This Is April, Hardware, and Cotton Ink,
with the main differences lying in price, event promotion, and product quality.
Despite differences in perception, informants agreed that THENBLANK was positioned as an
affordable, stylish, yet superior-quality brand. This reflects the brand positioning strategy set for
THENBLANK, which emphasizes a combination of quality, style, and affordability.
Discussion
Based on the result analysis, first from the Stimulus-Response Theory, although everyone has
different trigger reactions, it can be said that Isyana triggered Meliana and Dewanti's stimulation
because they bought the product because of her and they also mentioned that Isyanation is quite
fanatical and always triggered by Isyana as if they wanted to have the same things as Isyana. The
benefits for THENBLANK and Isyana, the prospective customers may only know THENBLANK or
Isyana, but after this collaboration more people know both.
Second, from AISAS Model, according to the concept and statements from internal parties, the
customers know and notice a collaboration of THENBLANK and Isyana from Isyana’s Instagram and
immediately follow THENBLANK’s Instagram. Then both customers are interested in purchasing the
product -- Meliana wants to buy it for herself while Dewanti wants to buy it for herself and her friends
as gifts. After they are satisfied with the product collection, they share information as well as
recommend it to their friends. However, according to Yuliana, THENBLANK also should promote this
collaboration through various communication media to help activate the campaign even more.
Moreover, according to Mutiara and Rina, Isyana contributed to the collaboration by providing
criticism and input, concepts of photoshoots and video shoots, mood boards to storyboards, and
insisted to make her own song for the main event campaign video.
Third, from Pillars of Influence, it can be said that Isyana has met the popularity indicator as
one reason why THENBLANK is working with Isyana is to raise the social status of its target market
from C to B to B to A and Isyana's target market is in accordance with what THENBLANK is targeting,
and thus it also in accordance with conducting the event at FLIX Ashta. The benefits for THENBLANK
and Isyana, the prospective customers may only know THENBLANK or Isyana, but after this
collaboration more people know both. Furthermore, Isyana also has met the relevance indicator as
Isyana has the personality and character in accordance with THENBLANK and liked by her target
audience. She is also very participative and understands the product knowledge as this is shown by
how she promotes the collection until it seems it is a part of her. And lastly, Isyana has also met the
resonance indicator as she is known by most Indonesian citizens in the age range of 20-35 years old,
especially social status B to A that THENBLANK wants to target. Isyana is also a hardworking person
that although she has never collaborated with any fashion brand, Isyana still gives her best and
provides criticism and input from the customer side. Therefore, THENBLANK and Isyana's
relationship will remain good even after the collaboration has ended. Because their business terms
are good, they even know each other personally and they can hang out just to get together without
discussing this collaboration.
As for the marketing strategy concept, THENBLANK targets both female and male with the age
range of 20 above to 35 years old and works in the creative, startup industries with the social status
of B to A. The target customers also have a simple, minimalist, and relaxed fashion style but Isyana
e-ISSN: 2723-6692 🕮 p-ISSN: 2723-6595
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024 988
and THENBLANK as well as its target customers do not necessarily have to have the same values and
motives. Mutiara and Rina also believed that the buying behavior that will be attracted to this
collaboration is someone who is thoughtful – they would seek and find out the quality and
functionality information first, but Meliana and Dewanti think otherwise. The geographic targets are
big cities such as Jabodetabek, Bandung, Surabaya, Bali, Semarang, Yogyakarta, and even Singapore
and Malaysia. The positioning before and after of collaborating with Isyana also changed and
THENBLANK's competitors are UNIQLO, This Is April, and Cotton Ink. Below is the perceptual
mapping of THENBLANK’s competitors.
Figure 4 Perceptual Mapping
Source: Author, 2022.
Findings/Summary of Analyses
Below is the table of summary of analyses.
Table 1 Summary of Analyses
Research
Object
Dimension
Element
Results
Stimulus-
Response Theory
Stimulus
Sensory system (light,
heat, sound, touch,
and internal factors)
Although everyone
has different trigger
reactions, it can be said that
Isyana triggered Meliana
and Dewanti's stimulation
because they bought the
product because of her.
They also mentioned that
Isyanation is quite fanatical
and always triggered by
Isyana as if they wanted to
have the same things as
Isyana.
Response
Everyone has
different reactions
that trigger them
e-ISSN: 2723-6692 🕮 p-ISSN: 2723-6595
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024 989
AISAS Model
Attention
Product, service, or
advertisement
The customers notice a new
product collaboration.
Interest
Gathering
information
The customers are
interested in purchasing the
product.
Search
Internet, official
websites, product
comparison sites or
by asking family and
friends
The customers first know
the collaboration from
Isyana’s Instagram and
immediately search the
collaboration on
THENBLANK’s Instagram as
well.
Action
Purchase
The customers purchase the
collection.
Share
Word of mouth,
talking to other
people or by posting
comments on the
Internet
They were satisfied, and
they shared the information
and recommended it to
their friends through word
of mouth.
Pillars of
Influence: 3Rs
(Reach,
Relevance,
Resonance)
Reach
Popularity
This can be concluded that
Isyana has met the
popularity indicator for one
of the reasons THENBLANK
is working with Isyana to
raise the social status of its
target market from C to B to
B to A and Isyana's target
market is in accordance
with what THENBLANK is
targeting.
Proximity
Two reasons for conducting
the event at FLIX Ashta were
because of the potential
target market and they want
to make a new experience
for those who came to the
premiere more mysterious
and intimate.
Goodwill
The benefits for
THENBLANK and Isyana:
the prospective customers
may only know
THENBLANK or Isyana, but
after this collaboration,
more people know both.
Resonance
Frequency
As Isyana
participated from the very
first – about 1 year of
preparation, she
understands the product
knowledge, this is shown by
how she promotes the
collection until it seems it is
a part of her.
Period
After more than six
months since the first
release, the collection on
e-ISSN: 2723-6692 🕮 p-ISSN: 2723-6595
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024 990
THENBLANK Instagram is
still visible.
Amplitude
Isyana's level of
engagement in her fans and
THENBLANK followers is
good as it can be seen an
increase in the level of
engagement, follower
growth and sales.
Relevance
Authority
Isyana is known by most
Indonesian citizens in the
age range of 20-35 years,
especially social status B to
A that THENBLANK wants
to target.
Trust
Even though she has never
collaborated with any
fashion brand, Isyana still
gives her best and provides
criticism and input from the
customer side.
Affinity
THENBLANK and Isyana's
relationship will remain
good even after the
collaboration has ended.
Because their business
terms are good, they even
know each other personally
and they can hang out just to
get together without
discussing this
collaboration.
Marketing
Strategy
Segmentation
Demographic
The customer’s age ranges
from 20-35 years old.
This collaboration
targets both females and
males.
The social status is B
to A.
Psychographic
The industry the customers
are working in would be a
startup, fashion, or
influencer industry.
The personality traits are
customers who like
simplicity – not too much
colour, classic, and casual,
easy going and an observer
of the fashion, creative and
music industry.
The customer lifestyle tends
to be simple, minimalist,
and relaxed.
Behavioural
The customers who will be
attracted to this
collaboration is thoughtful.
e-ISSN: 2723-6692 🕮 p-ISSN: 2723-6595
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024 991
The frequency of purchases
of THENBLANK’s customers
are about 7 to 8 per year
while the loyal customers
will be about 10.
The benefit of
THENBLANK’s products are
materials are good, offer
comfort, and also good in
design.
Geographic
Big cities include
Jabodetabek, Bandung,
Surabaya, Bali, Semarang,
Yogyakarta, and even
Singapore and Malaysia.
Targeting
Undifferentiated
marketing strategy,
differentiated
marketing strategy or
concentrated
marketing strategy
The targeting is both male
and female, with the age
range of 20 to 30.
Although they have
segmentation and target
markets, the targeting
strategy is undifferentiated
marketing.
Positioning
The benefit sought,
different from a main
competitor,
credibility
The positioning is better
quality yet still affordable in
its class.
The competitors are
UNIQLO, This Is April, and
Cotton Ink.
Source: Author, 2022.
4. Conclusion
Based on the results of research conducted on THENBLANK and Isyana Sarasvati, it can be
concluded that: The role of collaborating with Isyana Sarasvati as a marketing strategy in promoting
THENBLANK’s new product collection are Isyana's target market is in accordance with what
THENBLANK is targeting which is B to A, collaborating with Isyana makes THENBLANK raises its
brand value, brand image as well as positioning, and although she has never collaborated with any
fashion brand, Isyana still gives her best and provides criticism and input from the customer’s point
of view. How Isyana Sarasvati contributed to THENBLANK’s marketing strategy by providing
criticism and input, concepts of photoshoots and video shoots, mood boards to storyboards, and
insisting on making her own song for the main event campaign video. The factors that THENBLANK
considered when choosing an influencer to collaborate with the target market including the age, social
status, lifestyle, values and motives, buying behaviour, and geographical areas.
5. References
Barker, S. (2019, April 30). Which Are the Biggest Influencer Marketing Fails? Medium.
https://medium.com/@shane_barker/which-are-the-biggest-influencer-marketing-fails-
291f3ee4e463
Bruns, I. (2019). Perceived Authenticity’ and ‘Trust’ in Social Media driven Influencer Marketing and
their influence on intentions-to-buy of 18-24-year-olds in Ireland [Dissertation, Dublin Business
School]. https://esource.dbs.ie/handle/10788/3536
e-ISSN: 2723-6692 🕮 p-ISSN: 2723-6595
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024 992
Camilleri, M. A. (2018). Market Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning. In Travel Marketing,
Tourism Economics and the Airline Product. Springer, Cham, Switzerland, 4, 69–83.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3289470
Crossman, A. (2020, February 2). An Overview of Qualitative Research Methods. irect Observation,
Interviews, Participation, Immersion, Focus Groups. . Thought Co.
https://www.thoughtco.com/qualitative-research-methods-3026555
Diamond, S. (2019). Digital Marketing All-in-One for Dummies (1st ed.). . John Wiley & Sons, Inc. .
Dwivedi, A., Nayeem, T., & Murshed, F. (2018). Brand experience and consumers’ willingness-to-pay
(WTP) a price premium: Mediating role of brand credibility and perceived uniqueness. Journal
of Retailing and Consumer Services, 44, 100–107.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.06.009
Febrina, S. (2019). Dekalb, Illinois, Muslim Women’s Agency Negotiating and Re-affirming Their Muslim
Identity [Thesis Director, Northern Illinois University].
https://search.proquest.com/openview/0576ddeba777bb7a294c75d922856057/1?pq-
origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
Geyser, W. (2021, September 9). 5 Things You Need to Ensure Before Collaborating with Instagram
Influencers. Influencer Marketing Hub. https://influencermarketinghub.com/5-things-you-
need-to-ensure-before-collaborating-with-instagram-influencers/
Godey, B., Manthiou, A., Pederzoli, D., Rokka, J., Aiello, G., Donvito, R., & Singh, R. (2016). Social media
marketing efforts of luxury brands: Influence on brand equity and consumer behavior. Journal
of Business Research, 69(12), 5833–5841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.04.181
Guest, G., Namey, E. E., & Mitchell, M. L. (2013). Collecting Qualitative Data: A Field Manual for Applied
Research. Sage Publication, Inc.
Kádeková, Z., & Holienčinová, M. (2018). Influencer Marketing as a Modern Phenomenon Creating a
New Frontier of Virtual Opportunities. Communication Today, 9(2), 91–105.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329247338_Influencer_marketing_as_a_modern_p
henomenon_creating_a_new_frontier_of_virtual_opportunities
Kemp, S. (2022, February 15). Digital 2022: Indonesia — DataReportal – Global digital insights.
DataReportal. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-
indonesia#:~:text=Social%20media%20statistics%20for%20Indonesia,in%20Indonesia%20i
n%20January%202022
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2020). Qualitative data analysis: a methods. 380. Los
Angeles: SAGE.
Palandrani, P. (2020, February 10). A Decade of Change: How Tech Evolved in the 2010s and What’s In
Store for the 2020s. Global X by Mirae Asset. https://www.globalxetfs.com/a-decade-of-change-
how-tech-evolved-in-the-2010s-and-whats-in-store-for-the-2020s/
Santora, J. (2022, February 14). 17 Key Influencer Marketing Statistics to Fuel Your Strategy. Influencer
MarketingHub. https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-statistics/
Shanks, G., & Bekmamedova, N. (2018). Case study research in information systems. In Research
Methods (pp. 193–208). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102220-7.00007-8
Solis, B. (2012). The Rise of Digital Influence (20th ed., Vol. 3). Altimeter.
https://www.slideshare.net/Altimeter/the-rise-of-digital-influence
e-ISSN: 2723-6692 🕮 p-ISSN: 2723-6595
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 5, May 2024 993
Solis, B. (2015, November 30). Built In Chicago: The 3 Rs of Influence. Brian Solis.Com.
https://briansolis.com/2015/10/built-chicago-3-rs-influence/
Sreenivasan, S. (n.d.). How to Use Social Media in Your Career. Nytimes. Retrieved March 22, 2022,
from https://www.nytimes.com/guides/business/social-media-for-career-and-business
Suciu, P. (2020, December 7). History of Influencer Marketing Predates Social Media by Centuries – But
Is There Enough Transparency In The 21st Century? Forbes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2020/12/07/history-of-influencer-marketing-
predates-social-media-by-centuries--but-is-there-enough-transparency-in-the-21st-
century/?sh=1b1536ca40d7
The Economic Times. (2022, October 2). What is “Endorsements.” The Economic Times.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/endorsements
Thephagroup. (2022, October 11). Cross brand collaborations: ‘x’ marks the spot. Thephagroup.Com.
https://thephagroup.com/blog/cross-brand-collaborations/
Wilson, B. (2019). Digital influence: unleash the power of influencer marketing to accelerate your
global business. Information, Communication & Society, 22(10), 1528–1530.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1578398
WLG, G. (2018, September 27). 5 Ways the Internet has Changed Business. Lexology.Com.
https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=29ea4e0c-590d-4f01-8060-ccf0cf54209c
Yasa, A. (2019, June 27). Strategi Thenblank Pasarkan Produk Fesyen Perempuan. Entrepeneur
Bisnis.Com. https://entrepreneur.bisnis.com/read/20190627/263/938431/strategi-
thenblank-pasarkan-produk-fesyen-perempuan-