"Sharing The Energy of Asia From Asian Games 2018"

Indonesia has a great opportunity when the country was appointed as the host of Asian Games 2018, replacing Vietnam who pulled themselves out in 2014 due to the cost. Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, and Palembang in South Sumatera, are the cities chosen to hold this world's second-biggest multi-sports event. 

Since then, the Indonesian government, represented by the government of Jakarta and Palembang, has been trying its best to prepare international standard sports infrastructures and city service facilities. 

Moreover, Jakarta's government have been implementing several policies during the Asian Games 2018 event, such as the odd-even traffic regulation and the dismissal of 70 schools along traffic congestion. 

Nevertheless, those policies were struggling with controversies on both national conventional and social media in spite of Jakarta's victory at "We Love Cities 2018" event, surpassing Tokyo, Vancouver, and Kuala Lumpur.

The valuable chance for Jakarta to re-brand its image was almost discredited by minor news by some international media online regarding air pollution of Jakarta. Aljazeera from Qatar on August 16, 2018, wrote that air pollution welcomed the athletes of Asian Games 2018. Just three days before the opening ceremony on August 18, 2018, the air pollution index showed 154 micrograms of harmful particles per cubic meter. 

Channel News Asia from Singapore on August 17, 2018, highlighted that Jakarta's air quality index reading hovered around 107 which posed a danger for people sensitive to air pollution including those with respiratory problems. 

New Straits Times from Malaysia on August 21, 2018 published that environmental activists scaled a huge billboard in Jakarta to highlight toxic air pollution they said posing a danger to residents and athletes competing in the Asian Games. While The Sydney Morning Herald from Australia and Voice of America noted the critical "Band-Aid" solution for Sentiong River known as black and stinky river which weaves past the athlete's village in South Jakarta.

On the contrary, as stated by Joko Widodo, the President of Republic Indonesia, Indonesia must use the Asian Games and Asian Para Games to show to the world that Indonesian nation is a good host, a nation of excellence, and a nation of champions which upholds fair play. 

This event could be a promising medium for branding Indonesia as a nation and re-branding a new image of Jakarta as the Asian Games host, following the success stories of previous host cities of Asian Games such as Doha, Guangzhou and Incheon. Indonesian government aimed to invest this good reputation for Indonesian future tourism industry thus attracting foreign investors. 

Considering the result in 2017, based on Mastercard Asia Pacific Destination Index, Jakarta was not listed in Asia Pacific Top 20 Destinations by International Overnight Arrivals. This means Jakarta is still left behind from other Asian cities such as Bangkok, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.

Frederic Dimanche in his article "The Role of Sport Events in Destination Marketing" (2003) wrote that sports events have long had a privileged position. Sports have been a fertile ground for bringing people together around an event. Participants, followers, spectators, business people all converge and contribute to make sports events some of the most sought after opportunities to showcase a destination. 

From cities hosting events such as World Championships to countries and even continents that are competing to host world cups or Olympic Games, events have been used as tools that are beyond mere tourism products to generate additional visits to a destination. 

Indeed, "mega-events" can "yield extraordinarily high levels of tourism, media coverage, prestige, or economic impact for the host community or destination". The primary reason for investing in planning and hosting an event is the promises of economic benefits. 

Events bring with them investments, sponsors, participants and visitors that are expected to leave behind significant direct impacts. In addition, large sport events often serve as catalysts for urban renewal and the development of new infrastructure.

According to Anholt in Moilanen and Rainisto (2009), city branding is a management of destination through strategic innovation and coordination of economic, social, commercial, cultural, and government's regulation.

Kavaratzis and Ashworth (2005) mention that city branding is a concept that is generally practiced by few cities in context of competitions that attract the tourists and investment of environment intensively to promote the regional development. 

City branding is a strategy that gives brand to the city that functions as a tool to introduce or market the potential of region to all stakeholders from local to internationals. 

One of purposes of city branding is to attract the investors' and tourists' attention to develop and market the potential of tourism that is owned. The spectacular opening ceremony of Asian Games 2018 was appreciated and became a means to introduce Jakarta with its various cultures as the Indonesian melting pot.

A recent example of city re-branding is Moscow in Russia with its World Cup 2018 event. Moscow was successful in changing its image as an unfriendly city into an open and more friendly city. 

Moscow also represented a more familiar face of new Russia under President Putin's government. Could Jakarta also re-brand its image into a new one with Asian Games 2018 event? A wish image to be a city which will shine its Asian energy thanks to its infrastructure development and become a comfortable city to live in? Will all those efforts above be able to reduce the negative image of Jakarta? The participants of Asian Games 2018 will decide after the party is over as they are the ones who uses the facilities, whether the new ones prepared specially for Asian Games 2018 or the old ones built before the event.

Despite the minor comments regarding Jakarta's air pollution, people certainly can find unique things about Jakarta that cannot be met in routine life of the city. 

This is a chance to verify what Asian citizens really think about Jakarta which can be monitored through their social media's posts during and after the Asian Games 2018 event. 

This is also an opportunity to disseminate the "Energy of Asia" from the great values of Asian citizens in achieving the best while appreciating the process to be the winner. 

The "Energy of Asia" spirit is not only being a champion of sport games, but also having good attitude and behavior of all participants. 

Japanese spectators for example, who have already shown their beautiful culture that loves cleanliness. The brotherhood was represented by two hostile countries, South Korea and North Korea, when they defiled together at the opening ceremony while their leaders were waving from the podium hand in hand. 

The citizen of Jakarta particularly, and the citizen of Indonesia generally, may learn these great values to enrich our own good values such as hospitality. Indonesians have to open their mind to take up other Asian countries' great values to improve themselves.

To re-brand the image of Jakarta will not be enough with only building infrastructures. Indonesians also need to build our character as dignified Asian citizens by listening to the complaints and the suggestions of all Asian Games 2018 participants. 

In fact, Asian Games 2018 does not only present the "Energy of Asia". This event also shares the "Energy of Asia" spirit from all nations in Asia. Hopefully this "Energy of Asia" slogan will encourage Jakarta as the capital city, and Indonesia as a nation, to rise together with the glory of Asia.

Siti Dewi Sri Ratna Sari, the Lecturer of "PR and Branding".

Ervan Ismail, the Lecturer of "Corporate Reputation Management".

Siti dewi sri ratna sari, Ervan Ismail