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60 brands win Indonesians' hearts

| Source: JP

60 brands win Indonesians' hearts

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Michael Jefry Christianto, a managing director of a marketing
communications company, always drives his BMW 318i to work or to
hang out with friends.

"I always wanted to drive a BMW since I was little. It is a
classy and comfortable car. It suits young people like me and
boosts my confidence when I am behind the wheel," he told The
Jakarta Post on Saturday, while composing a short message text on
his Nokia 9210i cell phone.

When he flies abroad or to other major cities, Michael prefers
national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, saying its services are
the best among domestic airlines.

"Who doesn't know Garuda? It was the only airline I used when
I traveled back and forth when I was studying in Massachusetts.
The cabin crew were friendly and they served me well. Once the
crew picked me up at the check-in counter because I was the only
one who hadn't got onto the plane," the 27-year-old said.

His loyalty to these brands match the results of a survey by
SWA magazine, MARS research company and SWANetwork Corporate
Activities Management.

BMW, Nokia and Garuda are among the top 90 brands in the
country, according to the survey. The brands were announced on
Friday evening at the fourth Indonesian Best Brand Award (IBBA)
ceremony.

The survey involved 4,100 respondents in Jakarta, Bandung,
Semarang, Surabaya and Medan. Respondents were interviewed in
person between March and June about three categories: personal
products, household products and office equipment.

The IBBA presented 51 awards for best personal product brands,
51 awards for best household product brands and nine for top
office equipment brands.

In a separate corporate brand category, Telkom was announced
as the best brand in the telecommunications industry; bank BCA
the top financial institution brand; Garuda Indonesia in
the transportation industry; Kimia Farma in the pharmaceutical
industry; and Indofood in food and beverages.

Indonesia Golden Brand (IGB) awards were also presented to 60
brands that have been named the best brands for three years in a
row, from 2003 to 2005.

Most of the IGB winners have been in Indonesia for decades,
including Sun Silk shampoo, Pepsodent toothpaste, Sariayu powder,
BCA, Kompas newspaper and Garuda.

But MARS president director Asto Subroto said that just
because a brand has been around for a long time did not
necessarily mean it would always be able to stay on top.

"A brand is vital for a company. Therefore lots of effort
should be taken to maintain a brand's image because Indonesian
consumers generally have low brand loyalty," he told the Post.

Asto said the brands in the survey were measured according to
brand awareness, ad awareness, perceived quality, satisfaction
and loyalty, market share and their potential to expand their
market share.

Several of the honored brands said the award was a reflection
of the customer satisfaction they had earned.

"I do not think Garuda was named the best just because we
advertise a lot. The award means we have been successful in
providing quality services," said Garuda's vice president for
corporate communications, Pujobroto. (006)

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