When someone ask you what is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the question “what is the best cola beverage in the world?”, most likely than not the answer would be Coca-Cola. Why Coca-Cola? How can a simple “product”, or brand, idea evoke such high brand recalls? Many cola-based beverage producers in the world have tried their best to replicate Coca-Cola’s success but failed to do so. It goes to show how powerful a brand can be registered in the mind of its consumers. It also proves, once too many, that brands penetrate the mind in ways that is abstract as it is memorable. With clear brand direction and strategic sets of actions, Coca-Cola has successfully carried out its strategic branding program, a program that is designed to achieve the highest mind-share of amongst cola beverage consumers.

Mind-share, arguably more important than market-share, can be achieved through a consistently singular, holistic and continuous brand communication approach that is specifically aimed at the mind of the consumers. The attempt to achieve this position for any brand is intricately and undeniably complex as well as time consuming. The brand in question must first become a relevant living brand that emotionally transcends its central idea and all of its added values through a focused and strategic branding program (the creation of a system of both arousing anticipation for and providing fulfillment of, brand benefits – or promises) and communication. It must continuously, and persistently highlight that one singular brand message and its value positioning that is emotionally most relevant and appealing to its consumers. From the onset of brand creations, brand owners must clearly understand and adhere to people’s psychology and dynamics, particularly in how a brand idea registers, grows and lives in the mind. Keeping in mind that one should never lose sight of the fact that brand and branding is very much about delivering promises consistently without fail. From needs to wants to loyalty, brands must accomplish this status by living up to all of its promises. Ignoring this important aspect is terribly ignorant and potentially fatal.

As it is with any long-term investment a brand would make, its return-on-investment is unquestionably more difficult to achieve and a whole lot longer to harvest. Through a well-tracked and phase-by-phase brand communication campaign, a brand can measure the progress of its mind-penetration activities and take proper future brand actions accordingly. Achieving mind-share is not an overnight process. It takes patience and a wellthought out strategic brand planning and communications.

Consumer’s decision-making process are very much influenced by both brand’s functional and emotional benefits. Perhaps the later becomes even more important since competing at the product level is increasingly difficult, if not impossible. Through branding, Marlboro has made its successful emotional brand relationship with its “cowboy masculinity” appeal as Nike has made its success with its emotional “spirit of champions” brand value positioning. Marlboro smokers relate themselves as being the American cowboys that directly, or indirectly, personify self-dependent, self-assured masculine men facing the challenges in life as would the cowboys in the wilderness. Equally important to Nike’s core brand value positioning of being a champion, or at least the idea of becoming one, just like Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan is, is intimately real and apparent in the minds and hearts of the Nike’s consumers. Successfully delivering these distinct and central messages, both have harvest and enjoy brand success at a global scale. Despite the complexity of how people’s psychology is, both Marlboro and Nike’s core brand messages have deeply penetrated the mind of the consumers at large and, most likely than not, they will stay there for quite some time. These brands have done their branding programs well and executed its communications successfully. Without a doubt, mind-share is important and may well be that one key ingredients in sustaining the longevity of your brand.

The next question is what about the products? Aren’t brands about the products too? Unquestionably it is. However, brands are about paradigms and belief systems that are inherent to the brand whereas products are about vehicles that send across these philosophical ideas directly, or indirectly, to the consumers. The purpose of Branding is about transcending central ideas and values Brands are beyond what products are capable of. Using a theme park as an example, people go to Disneyland because of what Disney brand represents. It is about acknowledging that there is still a child in every one of us and the sense of freedom of being one is what appeals people - children and adults alike - to visit this world-renowned theme park. Disney theme park is the brand and all the souvenirs and merchandises are the products of the brand. We go to Disneyland because of the brand and what it represents, not because of the products. Why bother going to Disneyland because of how great their puppets or key chains are with Disney characters on them? We go there because the park symbolically represents having fun and spending quality time with our families.

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This article, written by Sakti Makki, MakkiMakki's managing director, and was published in Jakarta Post newspaper, September 24, 2004 edition.