Carsome and Carro take rivalry from Indonesia’s streets to LinkedIn

Last Friday, a LinkedIn post by Benjamin Koellmann, chief operating officer at used-car marketplace Carsome, went viral. In it, he wrote about how one competitor in Indonesia – quickly identified as Singapore-headquartered Carro – hired a woman to stand in front of a Carsome inspection center, holding marketing posters “in a desperate attempt to lure away our customers.”

Photo credit: Benjamin Koellmann

According to Koellmann, instead of asking the woman to leave, Carsome employees invited her to take breaks in the air conditioned office, offering her donuts and bubble tea as a show of compassion on a hot day. He also highlighted that Carsome is “different” from its competitor.

But an industry source shared a photo with Tech in Asia that shows Carsome using a similar strategy. In the photo – lifted from an Instagram Story – a man wears a signboard advertising a Carsome experience center in South Jakarta.

Carro declined to comment on the matter. In a statement, Carsome says that they are not questioning the marketing and sales channels, which are “commonly shared.”

“Rather, we are commending how our team upholds the values we hold dear and show compassion when carrying out our duties,” says the company.

A screenshot of the Instagram Story featuring the Carsome employee

This kind of marketing strategy is relatively common in Indonesia, especially in car-centric cities like Jakarta. Companies routinely ask field marketing employees to stand on the roadside to distribute flyers or wear advertisement signboards.

“This is not a big deal for people here,” says the industry source, who asked to remain anonymous. “But for people who seldom step into Indonesia, it seems like a good story.”

Koellmann, currently based in Singapore, spent four years of his career in Indonesia, where Carsome has a local team in place.

The woman in question has also explained her side of the story on Instagram, saying that neither she nor her family have any problems with the assignment, and that she actually enjoys the job.

According to the woman’s clarification on Instagram, she thought “poor lady” meant that Koellmann considered her economically disadvantaged. But that term was actually about her standing in the heat all day.