Integrated Marketing Communication for Trust Building: Wuling Motors in Indonesia's Automotive Market

This study examines how Wuling Motors employs integrated marketing communication (IMC) to build consumer trust and strengthen its market presence in Indonesia's automotive industry despite the long-standing dominance of Japanese brands. A qualitative case study approach was employed using purposive sampling, in-depth interviews, and thematic analysis. The findings reveal that Wuling's market penetration was achieved through trust-building strategies integrating local legitimacy, consumer experience, and adaptive marketing communication. This study contributes to the existing literature on integrated marketing communication, market penetration, and country-of-origin effects by explaining how IMC strategically reconstructs consumer trust and brand legitimacy for an emerging Chinese automotive brand in a market dominated by established Japanese manufacturers. The findings suggest that managers should prioritize integrated marketing communication to build consumer trust and strengthen market penetration, while policymakers should promote policies that support fair competition and innovation in the automotive industry