The long path of public relations (PR) practice in Indonesia stretches back to times before the country’s independence. However, it is not easy to be able to look at every part of the history and its development to this day. This is because there is almost no documentation or books that discuss it comprehensively.

Recognizing the significance of history in shaping contemporary PR practices, the Association of Indonesian Public Relations Companies (APPRI) initiated a book entitled “The Journey of Public Relations in Indonesia”. Head of APPRI Research and Development for the 2021-2024 period, Asti Putri, said that the book offers something different. “There has never been a book about PR that is very Indonesian-focused. This is the first book that delves into the unique Indonesian PR journey and in which discusses the development of our profession from pre-independence to post-pandemic times,” she said at a gathering event held in Jakarta, Saturday (4/5/2024).

Asti explained that the book, which took three years to complete, contained historical recordings based on interviews with around 60 sources, each of whom came from representatives of PR agencies, media, government, the private sector and universities. “We are trying to make this book as complete and neutral as possible, so that it can be owned by all PR practitioners in Indonesia,” she added.

Adding to Asti’s explanation, APPRI Chairperson for the 2017-2020 and 2020-2023 periods, Jojo S. Nugroho said that the book, which consists of hundreds of pages, was written and compiled using a focus group discussion (FGD) approach, because there are not many official documents that record every piece of historical milestone of PR development in Indonesia. “We did a lot of cross checks with senior practitioners because we can’t just rely on written references. Direct explanations from those historical actors actually enrich the information and add weight to this book,” he explained.

 

Launched by the New APPRI Committee 

In fact, the preparation, launch and distribution of this book is a project of APPRI committees from 2 different periods. Head of APPRI Education and Training for 2024-2027 period, Niken Widi Hapsari said that the book was initiated and being put together under the leadership of Jojo S. Nugroho, and will be launched, distributed and optimized for use by the new management under the command of Sari Soegondo as APPRI Chairperson for the 2024-2027 period. 

Regarding this matter, Sari explained that the new APPRI management would solicit support and invite for contribution from members in an open working group to formulate the book launch and marketing strategies. She also hopes for cross-organization collaboration in order to make the book a success. “Our aim is that this book can be owned by every university and every organization that houses practitioners, for this book is exceptionally comprehensive and must be studied,” she stressed.

Sari, who is also the founder of ID COMM, continued that the book very well records the history of PR in Indonesia. Although, there are two central figures in the PR industry and the world of communications, who passed away during the making of the book, and their quotes were not obtained. They are the pioneer of PR consulting company in Indonesia, Mrs. Inke Maris, and the former Indonesian Minister of Information during the New Order era, Mr. Harmoko. “At that time we wanted to do an interview with them, but unfortunately both of them were already unwell,” she recalled.