Surya Citra Media (SCM) operates at the center of Indonesia’s media landscape. Through SCTV, Indosiar, and other supporting businesses, the company provides entertainment, information, and educational content for audiences across the country.
SCM’s ambition was broader than operating television channels. It wanted to become Indonesia’s leading provider of entertainment and information and the first choice for audiences seeking reliable, engaging, and high-quality content.
To achieve that position, SCM needed to make the organization itself easier to understand. Audiences, investors, corporate partners, and other stakeholders needed a clear view of what SCM did, how its businesses were connected, and how the company was performing.
In 2017, SCM partnered with Suitmedia to improve the user interface and experience of its corporate website. The work focused on clearer navigation, more accessible information, responsive design, and stronger visibility for the company’s business activities, governance, and investor materials.
A Major Media Group Needed a Clearer Public Identity
1. SCM’s role extended beyond television broadcasting
Many people knew SCM through SCTV and Indosiar, two of its most visible national television channels.
However, the group’s business was broader than its broadcast brands. SCM also operated through production houses, management houses, and other supporting businesses.
This created a communication challenge. If the corporate website focused mainly on the two television channels, visitors could misunderstand the scope of the group and overlook the capabilities that supported its wider media operations.
A corporate website needed to show the complete organization. It had to explain how SCM’s different businesses contributed to its role as an entertainment and information provider.
The challenge was not a lack of activity. It was that the full picture was not yet easy for stakeholders to see.
2. The company needed to introduce itself to several audiences
SCM’s website served more than one type of visitor.
Indonesian audiences might want to understand the company behind familiar television channels. Corporate partners might be looking for information about SCM’s business units and capabilities. Investors might need access to financial reports, stock information, and corporate announcements.
These users had different levels of knowledge and different reasons for visiting.
A general audience might need a simple explanation of SCM’s vision, mission, culture, and values. An investor might want to move directly to formal documents. A potential partner might want to understand the company’s business structure.
The website needed to support these different journeys without becoming difficult to navigate.
3. Important information was not easy enough to access
A corporate website only supports transparency when users can find and use the information provided.
SCM needed to make business information, governance materials, investor relations content, financial reports, press releases, and stock information more accessible.
If these resources were buried or presented without a clear structure, stakeholders would have to spend unnecessary time searching for them. This could weaken confidence and make the company appear less open than it intended to be.
The website needed to create a direct connection between the stakeholder’s question and the relevant information.
4. The website needed to support SCM’s reputation
SCM wanted to be recognized as a leading provider of entertainment and information in Indonesia.
Its website was part of that reputation. The platform needed to communicate the company’s ambitions while also demonstrating the qualities associated with a trusted media organization: clarity, openness, reliability, and professionalism.
A dated or difficult-to-use interface could create a gap between SCM’s stated position and the stakeholder experience.
The issue was not that a new interface could create leadership on its own. It was that a better interface could make SCM’s existing scale, values, and activities easier to understand.
5. Mobile access had become essential for stakeholder communication
Stakeholders increasingly accessed information through smartphones.
An investor might want to check a corporate update while away from a desktop computer. A business partner might review SCM’s activities from a mobile device. A member of the public might discover the website through a shared link.
If the website did not adapt to smaller screens, these users would face unnecessary barriers.
SCM needed a responsive platform that preserved access to corporate information regardless of device or location.
6. SCM needed a more open relationship with its stakeholders
The company wanted the website to help stakeholders understand what was happening inside SCM and participate more meaningfully in the company’s broader activities.
That required more than publishing information. It required presenting the information in a way that encouraged exploration and supported confidence.
The strategic question was therefore: how could SCM use its corporate website to become more transparent, more accessible, and more clearly understood by the people it needed to reach?
Turning Corporate Information Into a Clearer Stakeholder Experience
1. We designed the website around what stakeholders needed to know
Suitmedia approached the project as an effort to improve communication between SCM and its audiences.
The website needed to answer several basic questions:
- Who is SCM?
- What businesses does it operate?
- What is its vision and mission?
- How does the company govern itself?
- Where can investors find official information?
- What is happening within the organization?
- How can users access this information from different devices?
These questions guided the information structure and the user experience.
Rather than treating the website as a collection of pages, the redesign organized it around the information journeys stakeholders were likely to follow.
2. We made the overall experience simple and responsive
The new website was designed to be modern, responsive, and easy to navigate.
Simplicity was important because SCM served users with different backgrounds and levels of familiarity. A corporate website should not require visitors to understand the organization before they can find information.
Clear navigation helped users identify the main areas of the site and move toward the content most relevant to them.
Responsive design ensured that this clarity was available across smartphones and other devices. The layout, text, and content needed to remain usable when the screen became smaller.
3. We used “Usaha Kami” to reveal the full business
The “Usaha Kami,” or “Our Business,” section presented SCM’s branch companies and business activities.
This section helped correct a possible misunderstanding: SCM was not only the company behind SCTV and Indosiar.
By showing production houses, management houses, and other supporting businesses, the website gave visitors a more complete picture of SCM’s media ecosystem.
This served both communication and business development purposes. Audiences could understand the group’s broader role, while potential partners could identify the areas in which SCM operated.
The section also strengthened the relationship between SCM’s corporate identity and its individual businesses.
4. We organized governance information for greater transparency
The “Tata Kelola,” or “Corporate Governance,” section gave stakeholders access to relevant governance information.
Corporate governance is important because it helps stakeholders understand how an organization is managed, overseen, and held accountable.
However, governance content can become difficult to use when documents are presented without a clear structure. The website needed to make these materials easier to locate and download.
This helped turn corporate governance from an abstract concept into a practical source of information for users who wanted to understand the company more deeply.
5. We created a clearer path to investor information
The “Hubungan Investor,” or “Investor Relations,” section provided access to materials such as financial reports, press releases, and SCM stock information.
This created a dedicated destination for stakeholders conducting research or monitoring the company’s development.
The decision to separate investor-related information into a clear section reduced the effort required to find formal materials. It also helped communicate that investor relations was an important part of SCM’s relationship with the public.
A well-organized investor section supports both access and credibility. It gives stakeholders a reliable place to begin their research and helps the company communicate more consistently.
6. We used content structure to make the company more open
SCM wanted stakeholders to understand what was happening inside the organization.
Suitmedia supported this goal by improving how the website presented corporate information, business activities, news, and formal documents.
The objective was not to publish everything in one place without order. It was to create a structure that allowed users to explore the company with greater confidence.
When information is organized and accessible, stakeholders can form a more complete understanding of the organization. This can lead to better questions, more informed conversations, and stronger trust.
7. We made the website accessible from smartphones
The website was designed to work responsively on smartphones.
This ensured that stakeholders could access SCM’s business information, governance materials, investor documents, and updates from wherever they were.
Mobile access also helped SCM remain present in the everyday information habits of its audiences. Users did not have to wait until they reached a desktop computer to check an update or review a document.
The decision reflected a broader principle: accessibility depends not only on what information is published, but also on how easily people can reach it.
8. We balanced different levels of information
The website needed to support users who wanted a quick overview as well as those conducting deeper research.
The high-level corporate story could introduce SCM’s identity, purpose, and business areas. More detailed sections could provide governance materials, investor documents, company updates, and downloadable information.
This layered structure helped prevent the website from becoming overwhelming.
Users could stop after understanding the basic profile, or continue into more detailed content when their needs required it.
9. We treated UI and UX as communication tools
The redesign focused on both the visual interface and the broader user experience.
The interface needed to look modern and professional. The user experience needed to make information easier to find, understand, and access.
These goals were connected. A visually clear website helped users recognize the structure of the platform. A logically organized experience made the visual design more useful.
For SCM, the website became a more effective communication tool because design and content worked together.
10. We created a digital foundation for ongoing updates
A corporate website needs to remain current.
News, press releases, financial reports, stock information, and corporate developments change over time. The website therefore needed a structure that could accommodate updates without becoming difficult to use.
This created an operational benefit for SCM. As new information became available, it could be placed within familiar sections and made accessible to stakeholders through a consistent experience.
The website was not treated as a one-time introduction. It became a platform for continuing corporate communication.
From Corporate Website to Stakeholder Access Point
1. SCM’s broader business became easier to understand
The improved website made it clearer that SCM operated beyond SCTV and Indosiar.
Through the “Usaha Kami” section, visitors could learn about the group’s branch companies, production houses, management houses, and supporting businesses.
This helped present SCM as a wider media organization with multiple capabilities rather than only a television broadcaster.
The clearer business story supported greater understanding among the public, potential partners, and other stakeholders.
2. Governance and investor materials became more accessible
The “Tata Kelola” and “Hubungan Investor” sections gave users clearer access to important documents and information.
Stakeholders could find financial reports, press releases, stock information, and governance-related materials within dedicated areas of the website.
This reduced the effort required to access formal corporate information and supported SCM’s objective of becoming more open and inclusive.
3. Users gained a more intuitive browsing experience
The redesigned interface and navigation made it easier for visitors to move through the website.
Users could access information about SCM’s vision, mission, culture, values, business areas, and corporate developments through a clearer structure.
This supported different user needs without forcing every visitor through the same path.
4. Mobile responsiveness expanded access
The responsive website allowed users to access SCM’s information through smartphones.
This improved convenience for stakeholders who needed to review updates while away from a desktop computer.
The improvement also helped SCM remain relevant as digital habits changed. Corporate communication could reach people through the devices they used most frequently.
5. The website strengthened SCM’s public-facing identity
The updated UI and UX presented SCM through a more modern and professional digital experience.
This helped align the website with the company’s ambition to become a leading provider of entertainment and information in Indonesia.
The website did not replace the importance of SCM’s television channels or other media businesses. It gave those activities a clearer corporate context.
6. Users spent more time engaging with the platform
By April 2018, the website achieved a 24.4% increase in session duration, or average time spent on the website.
This provided evidence that users were engaging more deeply with the improved platform.
Longer session duration does not by itself prove that every user found the exact information they needed. However, it indicates that the new structure and content experience gave visitors more reason to continue exploring.
For a corporate website, deeper engagement is an important signal that the platform has become more useful.
7. The website supported better stakeholder conversations
When stakeholders can access company information before making contact, conversations can become more focused.
Investors can review formal materials. Potential partners can understand SCM’s business areas. Members of the public can learn more about the company behind familiar television brands.
This creates value beyond the website session itself. Better information access can improve the quality of interactions between SCM and its stakeholders.
8. Transparency became more practical
SCM’s commitment to openness was expressed through the availability and organization of corporate information.
The website helped make transparency more practical by giving users a clearer way to find information about the company, its business activities, governance, and investor relations.
This supported stronger trust because stakeholders had a more direct way to understand what was happening inside SCM.
9. The platform created a base for continued digital communication
The improved website gave SCM a stronger foundation for future updates and stakeholder engagement.
As the company published new announcements, reports, business information, and developments, the platform could continue serving as a central source.
This created long-term value. The project improved not only the website’s appearance, but also SCM’s ability to communicate consistently over time.
What the SCM Project Reveals About Corporate Website Design
1. A corporate website should reveal the full organization
Well-known consumer brands can overshadow the wider corporate group behind them.
SCM’s experience shows why a corporate website should make the relationship between flagship brands, business units, and supporting companies clear.
2. Transparency depends on information architecture
Publishing documents is not enough.
Stakeholders need to know where information is located, what type of information each section contains, and how to access supporting material.
Clear information architecture turns disclosure into a usable experience.
3. Stakeholder websites need both simplicity and depth
A website should be easy for first-time visitors but sufficiently detailed for investors and professional users.
Layered content and clear navigation allow the same platform to serve both needs without overwhelming either group.
4. Mobile responsiveness is part of public access
If stakeholders cannot access information conveniently from their phones, the information is less accessible in practice.
Responsive design helps organizations reach users in the contexts where they actually browse.
5. UI improvements should be connected to business communication
A modern interface is valuable when it helps users understand the company, find relevant information, and continue exploring.
Design should therefore be evaluated by the quality of communication it enables, not only by how visually attractive it appears.
6. Corporate websites should support ongoing disclosure
A website must remain useful after launch.
Reports, press releases, stock information, and company updates need a clear home and a reliable publishing process. The platform should be designed for continuous communication, not only for a one-time redesign.
7. Content structure can strengthen brand trust
When business information is clear and accessible, stakeholders can form a more complete view of the organization.
This helps reduce uncertainty and supports a stronger relationship between the company and its audiences.
8. Deeper engagement is an early indicator of usefulness
The 24.4% increase in session duration suggested that users were spending more time with the platform.
This type of metric should be combined with document downloads, return visits, investor inquiries, and other behaviors to understand the full impact of the website.
Strategic Insights for the C-Suite
- Use the corporate website to explain the whole business.
Flagship brands may be familiar, but stakeholders also need to understand the group, subsidiaries, and supporting capabilities behind them. Make the relationship between the parts clear. - Treat transparency as a user experience responsibility.
Required information creates value only when stakeholders can find, access, and understand it. Organize governance and investor materials around real user needs. - Design for both quick understanding and deep research.
A strong corporate website gives first-time visitors a clear overview while allowing investors and partners to access detailed documents and updates when needed. - Make mobile access part of public communication.
Stakeholders increasingly rely on smartphones to access information. Responsive design is therefore part of accessibility, not an optional visual improvement. - Measure whether users engage more deeply with the company.
Session duration can indicate that users find the platform more useful, but it should be connected to deeper actions such as document access, return visits, inquiries, and stakeholder engagement.
