An Exploratory Study on MSME Promotional Practices Within the Marapthon Season 3 Live Streaming Ecosystem in Indonesia

Abstract

This study explores the promotional practices of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) within the live streaming ecosystem of Marapthon Season 3, Indonesia’s largest live streaming marathon hosted on Reza Arap’s YouTube channel from February to May 2026. Employing an exploratory qualitative approach combined with netnographic observation of live sessions, digital documentation, and analysis of audience interaction, this research examines how MSMEs leverage a non-commercial, entertainment-driven streaming space for promotion. The findings reveal a distinctive model in which MSMEs do not sell directly but “purchase” visibility through micro-donations (from IDR 10,000) that trigger on-screen messages read aloud by creators to hundreds of thousands of real-time viewers. This donation-mediated promotion operates through parasocial relationships, community belonging, and a soft-selling atmosphere rather than formal endorsement contracts. Several MSMEs reported rapid sell-outs after brief five-second exposures. The study identifies the reversal of gift-giving logic into a marketing instrument as a novel construct and positions Marapthon as a temporary creator-community promotional ecosystem. These findings extend live commerce literature and offer practical implications for low-cost, community-based MSME promotion strategies