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)