Another 23 local brands receive Superbrand status

Twenty-three local brands offering a wide range of products and services have received prestigious Superbrand awards from the London-based independent brand arbiter Superbrand International.

The recipients of the awards, which were presented during a ceremony at Wisma Nusantara last week, include ACA Asuransi, Acuvue, Aquaproof, Ayam Merak, Berri, Baskin Robbins, Bimoli, Bank Muamalat, Bank Ekonomi, Ciputra, Daia, Indofood, Infomedia, Indomie, Indomilk, JNE, Nokia, Optik Tunggal, Sucofindo, SoKlin, Trac, Wings and Yellow Pages.

The 23 brands are the second group of Indonesian brands to be given Superbrand status this year. The first group, comprising 25 brands, received the awards in July. About 20 other brands are now being assessed and could receive similar brand recognition.

Many of the companies may have received other awards in the past, but being chosen for Superbrand status reflects their remarkable achievement in building customer confidence and trust in their products and services.

Superbrand International provides its services in Indonesia in cooperation with MarkPlus& Co, a marketing consulting company founded by marketing guru Herman Kartajaya.

Superbrand, an international arbiter of branding based in London, awards Superbrand status based on five main selection criteria: - Market domination: What is the brand's market share compared to competitors? Is the brand highly regarded by consumers? Does it has its own "magic"? - Longevity: Truly great brands will stand the test of time. Does the brand have familiarity? Is the brand resilient in times of trouble? - Goodwill: Do consumers trust the quality of the brand? Will the product live up to its promises? - Customer Loyalty: Will consumers pay a premium for the brand? Is the brand strong enough to make consumers go in search of the product should their first choice of outlet not stock the brand? - Overall Market Acceptance: How does the brand differ from everything else in the market? Is the brand ubiquitous and readily accessible? Would consumers recommend the brand to a friend?

Superbrand International, which has been operating for more than a decade, has given Superbrand status to more than 5,000 brands worldwide.

The organization, which operates in 48 countries including the Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Thailand, cooperates with international research company Synovate to nominate brands that are eligible to receive Superbrand status.

"Synovate conducted a consumer survey through polling in four major cities in Indonesia, with about 500 respondents, to find the nominees for the Superbrand awards this year," said Robby Susatyo, the managing director of Synovate Indonesia.

He said the nominated brands from different categories were then submitted to the Indonesian Superbrands Council comprising experts in the fields of media, advertising, branding and marketing for further assessment.

Among the council's members are Daniel Surya, the chief representative of Landor Associates, Gunadi Sugiharso, the chief executive officer of Initiative Media Indonesia, Hasnul Suhaimi, the president director of PT Indosat, Hermawan Kartajaya, the president of the Word Marketing Association, and Julius Pour, a senior editor at Kompas daily.

The council decides which of the companies nominated by Synovate met with the criteria and qualify to receive Superbrand status.

The Indonesian recipients of the Superbrand awards will be included in the second edition of the Superbrand Book to be published by Superbrand Indonesia later next year. The book will be distributed to Indonesia's top 1,000 companies and to Superbrand's branches in 48 countries.

The first edition of the book, published in 2003, included Indonesia's 105 Superbrand award recipients.