From Motif to Meaning: Digital Batik Storytelling and Brand Identity in Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61978/communica.v4i2.1392Keywords:
motif-to-meaningtranslation, heritage branding, digital heritage communication, arts management, multimodal thematic analysisAbstract
Indonesian batik brands increasingly use Instagram and official websites to circulate heritage narratives, motif references, and commercial collections. However, the cross-platform process through which motif references become coherent brand meaning remains insufficiently specified, particularly in relation to arts management and cultural stewardship. This study introduces motif-to-meaning translation as a conceptual lens for explaining how motif references in brand-authored digital artefacts are connected to communicated identity claims across websites and Instagram. Using a qualitative multiple-case digital artefact analysis, the study examined 150 official artefacts from five Indonesian batik brands, comprising 25 website pages and 125 Instagram posts and reels published between 1 January 2024 and 1 October 2025. The analysis showed that Instagram was dominated by campaign-led storytelling and episodic heritage narration, whereas websites more often anchored institutional legitimacy, heritage explanation, formal documentation, and sustainability commitments when present. Across the corpus, motifs were translated into meaning through recurring narrative moves that linked motif references to value statements, lifestyle framing, participatory invitations, and craft-process legitimacy. The five brands also differed in their communicated identity profiles, reflected in distinct configurations of heritage legitimacy, craft authority, market-facing identity, and responsibility cues. The findings suggest that coherent digital batik communication depends on coordinated curation and interpretive governance across platforms, highlighting platform strategy as a salient concern for arts management.
References
Alnasser, N. S., & Yi, L. J. (2023). Strategies applied by different arts and cultural organizations for their audience development: A comparative review. Heliyon, 9(5), e15835. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15835 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15835
Ashley, C., & Tuten, T. (2015). Creative strategies in social media marketing: An exploratory study of branded social content and consumer engagement. Psychology & Marketing, 32(1), 15–27. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20761 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20761
Ayre, J., & McCaffery, K. J. (2022). Research Note: Thematic analysis in qualitative research. Journal of Physiotherapy, 68(1), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphys.2021.11.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphys.2021.11.002
Balmer, J. M. T., & Burghausen, M. (2019). Marketing, the past and corporate heritage. Marketing Theory, 19(2), 217–227. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593118790636 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593118790636
Benyamin, M. F., & Prasetia, A. R. (2015a). Glokalisasi karya seni batik Indonesia sebagai strategi komunikasi multikultural dalam era komunitas ASEAN. Conference on Communication and New Media Studies. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.3430.1529
Benyamin, M. F., & Prasetia, A. R. (2015b). Glokalizer: Konsep estetika urban sebagai strategi kreatif untuk karya seni batik. Seminar Nasional Strategi Indonesia Kreatif Menghadapi ASEAN Economic Community, 397–409. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.2512.6489
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in thematic analysis? Qualitative Research in Psychology, 18(3), 328–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2020.1769238 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2020.1769238
Budiman, B., Pertiwi, A. B., & Benyamin, M. F. (2024). Pengembangan komposisi pada objek ragam hias dalam karya batik. Gorga: Jurnal Seni Rupa, 13(1), 326–331. https://doi.org/10.24114/gr.v13i01.52819 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24114/gr.v13i01.52819
Campagna, C. L., Donthu, N., & Yoo, B. (2023). Brand authenticity: Literature review and scale. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 31(2), 129–145. https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.2021.2018937 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.2021.2018937
Chandrasapth, V., Yannopoulou, N., Schoefer, K., & Liu, M. J. (2022). Brand-based conflicts in online consumer communities. Journal of Business Research, 144, 1103–1120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.02.017 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.02.017
Cotter, K. (2019). Playing the visibility game: Influencers and algorithms. New Media & Society, 21(4), 895–913. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818815684 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818815684
Cui, T., Kumar, P., & Orr, S. A. (2023). Social media activities and audience engagement. Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, 28, e00253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.daach.2022.e00253 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.daach.2022.e00253
Foroughi, M., de Andrade, B., & Pereira Roders, A. (2023). Capturing public voices in heritage management. Habitat International, 142, 102934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2023.102934 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2023.102934
Franzke, A. S., Bechmann, A., Ess, C. M., & Zimmer, M. (2020). Internet Research: Ethical Guidelines 3.0. Association of Internet Researchers.
Highfield, T., & Leaver, T. (2016). Instagrammatics and digital methods. Communication Research and Practice, 2(1), 47–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/22041451.2016.1155332 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/22041451.2016.1155332
Jewitt, C., Bezemer, J., & O’Halloran, K. (2016). Introducing Multimodality. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315638027
Kozinets, R. V. (2015). Netnography: Redefined. SAGE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118767771.wbiedcs067
Kozinets, R. V. (2019). Netnography: The Essential Guide. SAGE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781036233846
Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2021). Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003099857
Lee, J. W., & Lee, S. H. (2023). Legitimation of emerging artists. Journal of Arts Management, 53(1), 19–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632921.2022.2080136 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10632921.2022.2080136
Li, J., Zheng, X., Watanabe, I., & Ochiai, Y. (2024). Digital transformation in museum exhibition. Computers in Human Behavior, 161, 108407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2024.108407 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2024.108407
Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis trustworthiness. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
O’Halloran, K. L., Tan, S., & Wignell, P. (2016). Intersemiotic translation as resemiotisation: A multimodal perspective. Signata, 7, 199–229. https://doi.org/10.4000/signata.1223 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/signata.1223
Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2015). Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(5), 533–544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y
Paulus, T. M., Woods, M., Atkins, D. P., & Macklin, R. (2017). The discourse of QDAS: Reporting practices of ATLAS.ti and NVivo users with implications for best practices. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 20(1), 35–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2015.1102454 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2015.1102454
Pecot, F., & Barnier, V. (2018). Brands using historical references. Journal of Brand Management, 25(2), 171–184. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-017-0076-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-017-0076-y
Pecot, F., Valette-Florence, P., & De Barnier, V. (2019). Brand heritage as a temporal perception: Conceptualization, measure and consequences. Journal of Marketing Management, 35(17–18), 1624–1643. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2019.1667414 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2019.1667414
Pfannes, C., Meyer, C., Orth, U., & Rose, G. (2021). Brand narratives: Content and consequences among heritage brands. Psychology & Marketing, 38(11), 1867–1880. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21543 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21543
Rindell, A., & Santos, F. P. (2021). Corporate heritage brand authenticity. Journal of Brand Management, 28, 545–558. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-021-00243-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-021-00243-9
Rodríguez-Vera, A. del P., de las Heras-Pedrosa, C., & Jambrino-Maldonado, C. (2024). Instagram communication strategies of European museums. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2024.2360793 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2024.2360793
Rusnalasari, Z. D., & Hermansyah, K. D. (2025). Co-designing culture batik motifs. Harmonia, 3(3), 156–167. https://doi.org/10.61978/harmonia.v3i3.1118 DOI: https://doi.org/10.61978/harmonia.v3i3.1118
Saidi, A. I., Puspitasari, D. G., Parung, C. A. P., Sulistyaningtyas, T., & Suryani, Y. (2025). The semiotics of Yogyakarta’s batik, nature as ontological and epistemological basis of the work. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2025.2510061 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2025.2510061
Shen, Z. (2022). Small brands and cultural heritage. SAGE Open, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221095024 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221095024
Södergren, J. (2021). Brand authenticity review. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 45(4), 645–663. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12651 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12651
Tafesse, W., & Wien, A. (2018). Social media marketing strategy. Journal of Marketing Management, 34(9–10), 732–749. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2018.1482365 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2018.1482365
Teece, D. J. (2018). Business models and dynamic capabilities. Long Range Planning, 51(1), 40–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2017.06.007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2017.06.007
UNESCO. (2009). Indonesian Batik. https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/indonesian-batik-00170
Villaespesa, E., & Wowkowych, S. (2020). Ephemeral storytelling on social media. Social Media + Society, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119898776 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119898776
Yang, J., Teran, C., Battocchio, A. F., Bertellotti, E., & Wrzesinski, S. (2021). Building brand authenticity on social media: The impact of Instagram ad model genuineness and trustworthiness on perceived brand authenticity and consumer responses. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 21(1), 34–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2020.1860168 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2020.1860168
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications. SAGE.
Yoo, J. J. (2023). Visual strategies on Instagram. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 75, 103517. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103517 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103517
Yuliati, D., Rochwulaningsih, Y., Utama, M. P., Mufidah, R., Masruroh, N. N., & Sholihah, F. (2023). Using social media for preserving the Javanese traditional arts: Adaptation strategy of Sobokartti in the millennial era. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 10(1), 2180875. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2180875 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2180875
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Communica : Journal of Communication
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
