The Visual Analysis and Perception’s of Social Media Users in
Indonesia to Telkomsel Advertisement
Ira Wirasari and Eka Darma Sinta
Fakultas Industri Kreatf, Universitas Telkom, Bandung, Indonesia
Keywords: Advertising, Social Media, Creative Strategy, Message Effect.
Abstract: Various advertisement cellular providers offer an easy internet access for their customer in Indonesia. Those
advertisements inflict the growth of social media users and also increasingly limitless and several cause
cybercrimes in Indonesia. Based on those phenomenon, Telkomsel launched an advertisement about
awareness for cybercrime. This advertisement is containing about the cybercrime that caused by the social
media growth. This research aims to determine the meaning message and a creative strategy that contained
in the advertisement and analyze the perception of media social users in Indonesia about the meaning of
Telkomsel advertisement. The research method is used qualitative method with semiotic approach and to
analyze the creative strategy the researcher using the creative strategy theory. This research is also analyze
the perceptions of social media users to the advertisement using facet model effects method. The data
research was collected by interviews, questionnaires and literature studies. The results of this study indicate
that: The meaning of the message contained in the Telkomsel advertisement show that the messages are
used is a creative strategy for the advertisement. The message of the advertisement is reached the stage that
the viewer of the advertisement understands the meaning of the message.
1 INTRODUCTION
The era of digital communication is currently
growing. Internet becomes popular among the
people, especially on teenagers. Seeing those
phenomenon, many cellular provider companies
offer their products with cheap and affordable
internet rates. This phenomenon is proved by a lot of
various advertisement providers that directly offer
their product advantages (cheap and affordable
rates) in many mass media. So the people can easily
access the internet anywhere and anytime. This
situation is triggering the growth of social media
users becoming limitless and causing cybercrime.
Looking at the phenomenon of social media trend
and cybercrime, Telkomsel represents a digital
campaign advertisement entitled "Jangan Asal
Internetan" which different from their competitors.
The advertisement have purpose to the audiences
whoever see this advertisement can raise their
awareness of using social media.
According to Sumadiria (2014) in his book
Sociology, Mass Communication, he sees this social
phenomenon in every urban population of
productive age, where the majority are teenagers
who feel they educated and intellectuals will feel
ashamed and alienated in social status if not
incorporated in social media sites that are
representations of cyberspace. This phenomenon
that makes social media sites is now only become a
tool or media to seek popularity and excitement for
its users.
This research would contribute to the visual
communication design study especially to the
advertising study. This research is also contributing
about consumer insight study in Indonesia and social
media study that can affect the society. This research
can be used as input and reference material in
knowing the meaning of a message in visual an
advertisement and knowing how far influence of
advertisement message can be accepted by audience.
Using the semiotics theory which become the
basis of this research, this theory used to analyze
visual elements in the advertisement. Semiotics is
the study of signs (sign), the functioning of the
mark, and the production of meaning of the sign.
This means that a sign has two aspects are captured
by the human senses called signifier and then the
aspect of meaning interpreted by the first aspect of
the so-called signified. Through verbal and visual
elements obtained two levels of meaning that is
118
Wirasari, I. and Sinta, E.
The Visual Analysis and Perception’s of Social Media Users in Indonesia to Telkomsel Advertisement.
In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Sociology Education (ICSE 2017) - Volume 2, pages 118-122
ISBN: 978-989-758-316-2
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

denotative obtained at the first level of semiosis and
connotative meaning obtained at the next level.
Semiotic approach lies at the second level or at the
level of the signified, so the meaning of the message
can be understood as a whole (Tinarbuko, 2009).
Semiotics are very related to advertising because
advertising is part of the marketing communications
that contains marketing strategies and messages with
communication theory. Advertising messages then
developed with marketing strategies persuade
consumers to choose their product or service (Lee
and Carla, 2011). The core of the overall advertising
strategy is the creative messaging strategy,
sometimes called the creative framework. The
creative framework for a brand is summarized in a
single statement called "positioning statement". A
positioning statement is a key idea that brings
together what is expected to be understood from a
brand in the mind of the consumer and by
considering how competitors are positioning their
brands (Shimp, 2003).
An advertising may affect the response of the
audience to evaluate its effectiveness and creates six
types of consumer response. They are hear see, feel,
think/understand, believe, connected, and
acting/doing something to create a response to
advertising messages. The six of audience response
are called the facet models of effect (Moriarty et al.,
2011). These six effects are glossy facets like
crystals or diamonds that together form a consumer
response to advertising messages. Practical tips box
summarizes the six facets and consumer responses
can be measured to find out wether the objectives
have been met or not (Moriarty et al., 2011). Now, a
lot of media use to advertise one of them is social
media, social media is a medium that enabled
internet users represent themselves and interact,
share, and communicate with other users and form
social bonds virtually.
2 RESEARCH METHODS
The research approach used is qualitative with the
descriptive approach, which describe the intent to
obtain data in the form of meaning contained in the
actual conditions of the research object. Data
collection techniques use around books, journal
articles, research studies and questionnaire related to
the impact of the development of advertising, social
media and creative strategy. Data is analyzed based
on obtained data, after that data is reducted, then the
last are making verification of the data and
conclusion.
3 DISSCUSSION
3.1 The Meaning of Telkomsel
Advertising Message
In the first stage researcher will analyzed advertising
visualization to find the meaning of advertising
message, Telkomsel advertising consists of 3 parts
of the story therefore, will be analyzed every part of
the story of the advertisement. The advertisement
Telkomsel created by using the digital format
inserted campaign with a commercial purpose for
the Loop products to increase the number of new
customers and maintain customer loyalty forever.
This advertisement is shaped drama with a total
duration of 01 minutes and 40 seconds playing in
YouTube. Researchers choose Youtube’s advertising
based on the target audience which are 18-22-year-
old teenagers who often spends more time surfing
the internet than watching television. Following the
results of visual analysis of Telkomsel
advertisement:
3.1.1 The Meaning of First Story
Figure 1: Visual First Story.
Source: (Telkomsel Loop, 2016).
In the first storyline in figure 1 is told of a young
woman who suddenly she had an attack of a
mysterious phone call from an unknown person. She
felt frightened when someone like knowing its
existence. Then she rushed to lock the doors of his
house to give him a sense of security. At the end of
the story, it turns out she put her phone number on
twitter social media profiles. It is indeed common in
many communities where people loved to put
personal information on social media accounts such
as phone numbers and even home address in detail
so widely known by others to freely access their
social media accounts. The message to be conveyed
by this first story is introspection on the behavior
that can cause dangerous for us. Unconsciously
perhaps social media users are sometimes not aware
of doing that.
The Visual Analysis and Perception’s of Social Media Users in Indonesia to Telkomsel Advertisement
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3.1.2 The Meaning of Second Story
Figure 2: Visual Second Story.
Source: (Telkomsel Loop, 2016).
In the second storyline in figure 2 is told that a
young man who likes to show off personal activities
and also new valuable items he bought into the
social media sites. But because of this habit, there is
an unidentified person frequently knows their social
media status. One day, the teenager went on
vacation but forgot to lock the door. Fatal
consequences he showed off his house unlocked
through his social media status, then the man gets an
opportunity to steal valuable items.
3.1.3 The Meaning of Third Story
Figure 3: Visual Third Story.
Source: (Telkomsel Loop, 2016).
In the third storyline in figure 3 told of a young
woman exercising alone. She did not realize that
someone is watching her from a far . The mysterious
person likes to follow the latest status of the young
woman because she often uploads the photos on
social media accounts. The young woman apparently
did not realize his behavior can be bad for him. The
mysterious man was about to abduct him at the end
of this story. The meaning of the message to be
conveyed by this third story is a very clever woman
should keep herself. Photo is personal consumption
which would have saved herself. Show off face is
one of many women in social media . But it seems
only event exclusively for popularity on social
media such as adding many followers and also like
that a lot.
3.1.4 The Overall Meaning of the
Advertising Message
To find the overall meaning of the advertsising
message, first we have to analyze the denonative and
connotative meanig. The denotative and conotative
meaning of the Telkomsel advertisement are
explained in the table 1:
Table 1: Visual Analysis.
Sequence
Denotative
Meaning
Conotative Meaning
1
The woman is
beside her hand
phone
Indicates she is waiting a
call or a message from
someone.
2
She hang up
her hand phone
Indicates she will have a
conversation with
someone.
3
There was an
unknown
person in
charge of the
woman's phone
number
Keep his/her identity
secret to be a mystery
After deciding on a creative strategy of the
advertisement, then it can be concluded that the
meaning resulting from all these advertising. Since
Telkomsel has positioned itself as the only brand
provider to campaign for the awareness of social
media users, this is creative strategy that they use to
positioning themselves in the minds of consumers.
Basically showing off is the nature habit of human
beings as social beings who want to stand out from
the other. Because, active in social media it is the
way to show her/hisself. But the societies and social
media followers character are unlimited, so we can
unknowingly offend and hurt other people's feelings.
This is what can lead to social inequality in society
so the for the occurrence of a crime can occur at any
time it is become a reasons why social media users
must be aware anytime. The overall meaning of the
story that can be drawn from this advertising is a self
harm.
3.2 The Perceptions of Social Media
Users to Telkomsel Advertisement
Effective advertising messages will meet the wishes
of advertisers and the target audience will, then give
a proper response to match the expectations of
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advertisers. In the advertisement, the content of the
message is an important thing to be delivered to the
target audience so the advertisement must have an
unique message different with others competitors.
Analysis of advertising effects using six types of
communication goals is perception (see/ hear),
emotion (feeling), cognition (understanding),
associations (connected), persuasion (trust) and
behavioral (acting). The results of studies involving
50 respondents by using questionnaire obtained the
following results.
3.3 Respondents Data
Respondents consisted of 29 women and 21 men.
Their average age is 17-18 years: 1 people, 19-20
years: 5 people, and 21-22 years: 44 people. Range
respondent income per month amounted to 500,000,-
up to 3.000.000,-. all respondents expressed an
active and often access the social media.
3.4 Research Data
3.4.1 Aspects of Perception (See/Hear)
50 respondents have viewed and watch the ad
Telkomsel Loop and fill out a questionnaire study. A
total of 46 respondents (92%) understand the
messages conveyed by this advertisement. This
proves that the perception of the audience after
seeing this advertisement understand the messages
conveyed by advertisements Telkomsel Loop. When
the message is understandable then consumers will
react and be interested. The result is awareness of
the advertisement or brand, which fit into memory at
least until the point where the consumer knew
(Moriarty et al., 2011).
3.4.2 Aspects of Affective
50 respondents have viewed and watch the
advertisementand fill out a questionnaire study. A
total of 32 responded (64%) felt that they had done
indefinitely sharing on social media after seeing this
advertisement. That means the majority of
respondents feel that he ever done anything like that
in the story line advertising. Telkomsel can touch the
emotions of respondents who watch it directly and
be aware of bad behavior in social media. strong
emotional response is not only because it affects the
perception, but also determine whether an
unconscious reaction to the consumer becomes
aware of or do not know him in influencing memory
(Moriarty et al., 2011). It is proved Telkomsel
advertisement influence affective responses
audience.
3.4.3 Aspects of Cognition
As many as 49 respondents (98%) understand the
limited use of social media after see these
advertisements. It proved Telkomsel advertisement
can get the audience cognition because after seeing
this advertisement, the audience finally understand
the limitations on use of social media and become
wise of using social media.
3.4.4 Aspects of Association
48 respondents (96%) found this advertisement
reflects the behavior of today's youth in the use of
social media is limitless. Association is a
communication technique through symbolism. So
Telkomsel represents the advertising through digital
campaigns in accordance with the social media
phenomenon that was popular to capture the
audience's attention.
3.4.5 Aspect of Persuasion
As many 47 respondents (94%) believe that the
sharing behavior without limit in social media can
be so bad that they increase their vigilance in the use
of social media after seeing this advertisement. This
proves the persuasion this advertisement is woks
effective because of the audience choose to increase
vigilance in using social media.
3.4.6 Aspects of Behavioral
Action is not just buying a product after seeing the
advertisement, the consumer’s response is not
immediate. A total of 34 respondents (68%) stated
Telkomsel users will maintain loyalty to the brand
after seeing this advertisement. In the other side the
action comes from customers who responded that
they would maintain brand loyalty to Telkomsel
brand.
4 CONCLUSIONS
After going through the stages of analysis, it can be
concluded that Telkomsel advertisement using the
message in the advertisement as an advertising
creative strategy. The meanings resulting from the
analysis of connotation meaning, through semiotics
approach found that visualization of this
advertisement is advertiser strategy to increase
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social media user awareness to cybercrime and also
increase consumer’s loyalty of Telkomsel.
Telkomsel advertisement is affected consumer
perception on comprehension after viewing the
advertisement, through their cognitive, affective and
behavioral aspect. The advertisement can influence
the audience to raise the awareness of using social
media and most of the Telkomsel customers will
keep their loyalty after seeing this advertisement.
This research can become a contribution of thought
to the development of further research in the field of
advertising.
REFERENCES
Damayanti, N., 2016. Komunikasi Visual Gambar Ilustrasi
Tradisi Pada Naskah Jawa Masa Kolonialisme. Jurnal
Kajian Seni. Vol 2 No.2.
Lee, M., Carla, J., 2013. Principles of Advertising, A
Global Perspective, Routledge. England,
2nd
edition.
Moriarty, Sandra, Nancy, M., William, W., 2011.
Advertising, Kencana Prenada Media Group. Jakarta,
8th
edition.
Shimp, T. A., 2003. Periklanan Promosi, Komunikasi
Pemasaran Terpadu, Erlangga. Jakarta.
Sumadiria, H., 2014. Komunikasi Massa, Simbiosa
Rekatama Media. Bandung.
Tinarbuko, S., 2009. Semiotika Komunikasi Visual,
Jalasutra. Yogyakarta.
Telkomsel Loop, 2016. (online) available at:
www.loop.co.id/janganasal. Accessed on 22 January
2016.07:32
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