Rebuilding Trust on the Tracks: Unveiling the Crisis Strategic Communication Cycle of Brand Equity and Participatory Culture in MRT Jakarta

This study investigates how participatory digital communication shapes brand equity recovery during institutional crises in public-sector transportation. In the digital era, brand equity arises from both institutional messaging and public participation. Drawing on Keller’s Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) model and Jenkins’ participatory culture theory, it analyzes two 2025 MRT Jakarta disruptions: a public demonstration and QRIS payment failure. Employing a qualitative case study, the research examines social media communication, public responses, user-generated content, and media coverage across trigger, reaction, and recovery phases. Findings show MRT Jakarta’s transparent, empathetic, dialogic digital strategies turned disruptions into trust-building opportunities. Public participation—via reposting, crowdsourcing, humor, and advocacy—stabilized narratives and bolstered credibility. The study demonstrates that public-sector brand equity thrives not on operational perfection but collaborative meaning-making and digital empathy. By framing citizens as co-creators, MRT enhanced resonance and legitimacy. This extends brand equity theory to public digital governance and provides crisis communication insights for participatory media.