Friday night (5/7) and then at the headquarters Langsat Chat (# Obsat), Jl. Complexioned, New KEBAYORAN, I gathered with my friends chatting ngalor Twitter-ngidul share and exchange ideas accompanied sego cat (special Angkringan favorite menu orchard Mbayat, Klaten) and hot ginger tea kebul-kebul. If too high-end called discussion forums, probably more accurately called cakrukan refers to traditional talk-talk that first time my students often do Angkringan corner tavern UGM campus, Cik.
Unified gathered there from entrepreneur, author, journalist, activist and community leader (movement leader), consultant, expert IP (intellectual property), to celebrities stand-up comedy. Urges our excessively ngobrolin local brand. We chat about local brand increasingly squeezed by the global brand expansion. We call sharing on some cool local brand (such as: Coffee Culture in Bali or Sour Sally that many regarded as a foreign brand) to be proud of. Not to forget, we dissect the word of mouth campaign batik distro boom phenomenon in the 2000s.
But above all the chatter, I thus untouched by fundamental questions that actually impressed a set-back to back. Namely any questions: why this state need brand and branding. Why the state should be to consciously branding.
Value Added
I then remembered a term that has now become the greatest challenge of our economy, namely: a middle-income trap. This is an illness middle-income countries (middle income Countries) are caught in the middle can not be sped further developed. The challenge for us now is how Indonesia can be moved forward to become wealthy countries (high-income Countries) in quick time, instead of stuck in the middle. According to the World Bank country in this group have per capita income above $ 12,600 pertahun).
The big question is, how can we achieve it? From the production side, this is very dependent on the ability of this nation to produce goods, high value-added goods. Well, in the context of developing value-added products high and this brand to be very strategic branding. Dare I say even our survival in the midst of its global markets (yup, the ASEAN economic community 2015) determined by this brand and branding.
Why brand can create high added value? To take an example to explain my coffee easy. Not valued-added coffee may dijajakan coffee cafes quarter alley with a cup Rp.3000 price. But instead of coffee sold in Starbucks writing labeled malls downtown costing Rp.30.000 cup.
Regular coffee vs. Starbucks
What distinguishes a cup of coffee at the end of the alley with Starbucks coffee at the mall? Difference is in brand and branding. Why Starbucks can be so costly behavior, up to ten times more than regular coffee? Because Starbucks has what is called brand equity (brand equity). The brand equity but instead formed itself waged an all-out through the activities referred to brand building.
Through brand building, Starbuckss add seabrek benefits (value & benefit) to regular coffee, so coffee is worth plus premium prices. The benefits in kind can be functional (functional benefit) in the form of delicious coffee flavor; emotional benefits (Emotional benefit) ambient form and atmosphere of cool booths, or imaging benefits themselves (self-expression benefit) form of narcissistic feeling when the coffee consumer in the booth Starbucks and others to see.
Three types of benefits provided that the price of Starbucks can make ten times more than regular coffee day. All of that is a result of the activities referred to brand building. Remember, brand building is not just a brand name implicates writing, images logos, or advertising, but the overall benefits provided to consumer products.
Aware
If branding can be a powerful tool to increase our value-added products (and release us from the middle-income trap) as shown in the case of Starbucks, then later made at the next major agenda points. If so, why not all the wealth of commodity, product or creative culinary diversity that we have in-branding mourners Starbucks?
Imagine, if we have a wealth of coffee in-branding, tea-branding, temulawak on-branding, on-branding pineapple, durian fruit-branding, bengkoang on-branding, the spinach-branding, Jepara carving on-branding , batik-branding, the Moslem-branding, songket-branding, yogurt-branding (like Sour Sally), shady-branding, on-branding pecel rice, soto on-branding. Thus, Indonesia will have Khasanah and incredible wealth brand, and so we are not worried by the formation of the ASEAN community 2015 ekokomi free market.
If it reaches emerging consciousness and ability of our community to potential mem-branding various products that we have, it certainly will influence the creation of prosperity unusual for the state. I see there are three unique local potential we have and pass into the object branding. First is the diversity of agricultural commodities from coffee, tea, rice, corn, apples, pineapple, durian, also of course the sea wealth archipelago. The second creative products such as batik Indonesia based kelokalan, Moslem, Jepara carving, rattan handicraft, Bali sculpture, etc.. Third culinary riches from all over the archipelago shady, gudeg, empek-empek, Rawon, to Betawi egg crust.
Common to
If our society is aware and all potential commodity branding, creative products, and culinary wealth in various parts of the province in the archipelago on-branding, then it will be the basis of Indonesia's economic strength is incredible. As I describe in the future, here's brand and branding will exactly be the pillars of our competitive position in the regional market / global.
Become more beautiful because commodity, creative products, and culinary delights are common to products that can be undertaken by ordinary people and the amount of labor involved is very large. That is, the product of the undertaking can be done by the common to the industry, not in the ivory tower (such as a plane or a car industry that hightech) until kemanfaatannya can be felt by the people at large.
Remember, creating high value-added products and global competitiveness must not be producing sophisticated plane or car. If on-branding coffee like Starbucks did not lose the value added compared to Boeing. If fried chicken or burgers at McDonalds-branding befits not lost from Toyota.