Episode 16 | Ananditha Mayasari on Surviving the Unicorn Grind, Sales-to-Marketing Pipeline, and Red Flags in Leadership

In our latest Proxemics episode, we were honored to host Ananditha Mayasari (Ditha), a sharp, incredibly insightful marketing leader at Kopi Kenangan. Ditha's career path is anything but typical, starting as a Physics graduate and transitioning into the fiercely competitive world of sales, digital marketing (Danone, Traveloka), and eventually leading marketing for an F&B unicorn.

This conversation was a deep dive into the realities of the market and the traits that separate career survivors from those who simply burn out. We dove deep into the cutthroat nature of the coffee business, why resiliencematters more than ever, the double-edged sword of AI in creative fields, and the non-negotiable red flags every leader must watch out for.

Lessons from the Sales Trenches: Resilience, Endurance, and Psychology

Ditha's starting point—a B2C salesperson making 40 cold calls per day at an English course (Wall Street English)—was the ultimate crucible. Sales, she argues, is a truly tough job that requires extreme discipline and endurance. This experience became the foundational asset for her career, shaping her to be resilient and creative.

• Resilience and Endurance: Sales teaches you to get back up after a rejection and not complain. The mindset to be creative and find a way to achieve targets, even on hard days, comes from this early grinding.

• Human Psychology: Making constant appointments and cold calls trains you on how to read people better and understand their intention. Ditha learned that sometimes the people who immediately complain "mahal banget" are the ones who buy, and those who say "oh segitu doang" might be the ones who can't afford it. This training fosters respect and an ability to not be judgmental towards people's appearance (the "CF" or Can't Afford code).

The Unicorn Grind: Profitability, Collective Pride, and Gen Z Loyalty

Ditha laid out the core challenge of Indonesia's competitive F&B category: profitability. You cannot rely on burning money indefinitely, especially in a market that is highly discount-sensitive.

• The Collective Approach: Kopi Kenangan chose a unique strategy: viewing competitors not as enemies but as a collective that builds Indonesian pride in the local coffee scene. This approach was demonstrated through a "love letter" on International Coffee Day, mentioning local heroes like Tuku, Janji Jiwa, and Anomali. This collective mindset makes the journey "easier and less stressful".

• Gen Z Dualism: Today's Gen Z consumers are highly dual in consuming things, being loyal to two or three brands simultaneously (e.g., Kopi Kenangan, Fore, Tuku). The way to build actual loyalty and habit is through availability (Kopi Kenangan has 1,000+ stores) and consistent quality, as customers now have the objective judgment to tell a bad product from a good one.

The AI Dilemma: Human Touch Will Always Matter

We touched upon AI, a popular topic in the tech and marketing world. Ditha notes that in digital marketing, AI has been an enabler since the days of Meta and TikTok algorithms. However, in F&B, there is an irreplaceable need for the human touch.

• Taste Cannot Be Replaced: While AI can help with efficiency and automation (like an internal AI hackathon is doing at Kopi Kenangan), it cannot replace the fundamental element of taste. "There's no AI that can replace that," Ditha confirms.

• The Dualism of GenAI: Like the mixed reactions to an all-AI-generated music video, Ditha believes the debate on Generative AI will remain a dualism between the pros (efficiency) and the cons (originality and the loss of critical thinking).

Red Flags and The Three Traits of a Leader

When managing a large organization, Ditha notes that managing the expectations of high stakeholders is often harder than managing the team itself. For her, a leader's role is primarily to set the vision so the team can align and self-organize, avoiding the need for micro-managing.

Her biggest leadership red flag is non-negotiable: Lying/Lack of Integrity.

• The Red Flag: "Bohong pokoknya lu jangan bohong sama gue," Ditha states. Integrity—how you act when people don't see you—is the number one value. If an employee has a great attitude but low performance, they can be saved; if they are a high achiever but are dishonest or in denial, it's a huge problem.

• The Three Essential Hiring Traits: Beyond hard skills, Ditha looks for three non-negotiable traits in new talent:

  1. Willingness to Learn (Growth Mindset)

  2. Humility (The ability to say "I don't know" and be open to feedback)

  3. Integrity

     If a talent is missing one of these, you can still save them, but if they are missing all three, the advice is simply "GWS" (Get Well Soon—or "wafat sekalian").

Watch/Listen to the Full Episode for More

This blog only scratches the surface of our conversation. To hear Ditha's candid take on why a background in sales is the best start for any career, why Kopi Kenangan is now successfully expanding to six countries (Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, India, Australia) with Indo Pride, and the incredible story of a photocopy shop owner who paid for his English course in bags of cash, you need to watch the full episode.

Timestamps

01:34 - Sambutan hangat untuk Anandita Mayasari (Ditha)

02:01 - Kopi Kenangan sebagai Unicorn dan tantangan di industri F&B yang fierce

03:33 - Kopi Kenangan mengubah kompetisi menjadi "collective way as Indonesian pride"

04:59 - Fenomena dualism konsumen Gen Z dan bagaimana industri kopi di Indonesia not yet mature

10:10 - Karir Ditha: dari Sales B2C (Wall Street) ke Digital Marketing (Danone, Traveloka)

11:00 - Fisika UI ke Marketing Kopi Kenangan: Gimana ceritanya

13:46 - Pengalaman sebagai salesperson B2C: 40 cold calls sehari

16:17 - Seberapa penting pengalaman sales untuk karir di marketing/PR saat ini

19:12 - Sales mengajarkan human psychology dan cara membaca customer intention

21:11 - Kisah inspiratif Mas-Mas Fotokopian yang menabung receh untuk kursus

25:14 - Tantangan pemimpin: Mengelola Ekspektasi Stakeholder vs. Mengelola Tim

30:05 - Red Flag kepemimpinan: Bohong (Integrity), Denial, dan Defensif

35:14 - AI di Industri Marketing dan F&B: Enabler vs. Substitutes

47:08 - Tiga Kualitas Wajib saat Hiring: Willingness to Learn, Humility, Integrity

52:21 - Live Call dengan Jessica dari South by Southwest Sydney

Brands/people Mentioned in This Episode:

People

Ananditha Mayasari: @kopisenjahari

Jessica: @fessicajelicia

Brands & Companies

Proxemics: @proxemicspodcast

Kopi Kenangan: @Kopikenangan

Wall Street English: @wallstreetenglish

Danone: @danoneindonesia

Traveloka: @traveloka

Starbucks: @StarbucksIndonesia

Tuku: @tokokopituku

Janji Jiwa: @janjijiwa

Anomali Coffee: @anomalicoffee

Fore Coffee: @fore.coffee

Blackpink: @blackpinkofficial

VML: @vmlyr

Institutions

Fisika UI: @fisika_ui

South by Southwest (SXSW): @sxsw