The Challenge

With the long fasting hours of Ramadan in Indonesia’s tropical climate, the risk of dehydration is high. As the country’s top sports drink¹, the objective was to position POCARI SWEAT as the ideal solution for maintaining hydration. 

However, Ramadan marketing in Indonesia has traditionally been highly competitive, especially for food and beverage brands. This is particularly so as about 79%² of consumers in Indonesia are more receptive to advertising during Ramadan. During this period, the market would be saturated with ads featuring familiar themes of self-improvement, family bonding, and generosity. 

^{1 Euromonitor | Volume Share Isotonic drink in Indonesia, Jan-Dec 2021}

^{2 Tradisi Iklan Ramadan: “Super Bowl” Versi Indonesia dan Dominasi Sirup Marjan, Geometry, 14 February}

The Solution

Dentsu Creative Indonesia and POCARI SWEAT have taken an unconventional approach to Ramadan marketing with a horror-comedy campaign, "Cairan Tubuh Bocor, Emang Bikin Horor" (“Losing Body Fluids? That’s a Horror!”).

Breaking through the saturated Ramadan ad space required a bold strategy—one that dentsu Indonesia masterfully executed by tapping into a unique insight: the growing consumption of horror content during the holy month. While Islamic beliefs suggest that demons are locked away during Ramadan, data from streaming platforms³ indicate that horror content surges in popularity during this period. 

Hence, Dentsu Creative Indonesia sought a disruptive approach by leveraging the paradox of Ramadan and horror for POCARI SWEAT’s 2025 Ramadan initiative, an evolution of the brand’s positioning of “Ion Tahan Bocor” (“Leak Proof Ion”). The campaign’s centrepiece is a video commercial, which humorously compares the signs of dehydration—dry lips, pale skin, and weakness—to horror movie tropes. To amplify engagement, the campaign features popular influencer, Fadil Jaidi, his father Pak Muh, and their pet cockatoo, Ocong, whose comedic dynamic has captivated millions of Indonesians.

^{3 Genre Komedi, Horor, dan Religi Dominasi Tren Podcast Indonesia, Tempo, 4 November 2024}

The Results

The campaign was launched via the local influencer, Fadil Jaidi’s social media platforms, amassing 108 million views and 659,000 engagements across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok within a week.