From local suppliers to global market: the economic-driven integrated marketing communication strategies via global digital platforms for the traditional culinary products MSMEs (on the example of Indonesia)
From local suppliers to global market: the economic-driven integrated marketing communication strategies via global digital platforms for the traditional culinary products MSMEs (on the example of Indonesia)

Summary/Abstract: Traditional culinary products are increasingly positioned as carriers of cultural heritage, place identity, and experiential value. Lasem in Central Java, known for its cross-cultural history, offers distinctive culinary items often linked to batik (silk) and heritage tourism. In this article we propose an integrated marketing communication (IMC) strategy framework to scale Lasem traditional culinary MSMEs (beverage, snacks, ready-to-eat, ready-to-cook) from local markets to global digital platforms. Methodologically, the study is designed as a qualitative case study combining desk research, digital ethnography across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and marketplaces, and semi-structured interviews with MSME owners, tourism stakeholders, and customers. The proposed framework emphasizes five pillars: cultural product identity, brand storytelling, platform-specific content, trust enablers (certification, reviews, influencers), and cross-border enablement (packaging, logistics, payment). From an economic point of view, the findings indicate that packaging adaptation (USD 1.20/unit), platform fees (USD 10-181.20/unit), currently limit gross margins to 28-35%, below the 40% scalability threshold. However, strategic IMC can reduce customer acquisition costs by an estimated 25-30%. In the study we detail strategic recommendations, KPIs, and implementation stages adaptable for MSMEs and policymakers. The contribution advances a context-specific IMC model for heritage food MSMEs while supporting global competitiveness and cultural sustainability.

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