Coffee is a product. Clothes are a product. A substance that people need or want that satisfies by consuming it is a product. Anyone can sell it, anyone can create new products to fulfill what people need by product attributes, benefit or related services. Anyone can imitate your products, but they can’t duplicate your brand. Why? Because brand makes you stand-out from those competitors that make the consumer want to purchase your products. Like Apple, people bought it for lifestyle. Starbucks, people bought it for self-esteem. People bought it for the trust towards the quality of product and reputation that built under persistency, consistency, and restraint.
Like a song by Darwin – Dessert,
“They can imitate you, but they can’t duplicate you. “
The brand is something that more than a benefit. Certainly, a suitable product can support a brand and used to identify the brand. Although it is a bit complicated, there are 2 significant differences below that will help you resolve it.
Products Can Be Imitated, but Brand Is Special
Since 1972, Indomie first launched, it becoming popular in society until today because they succeed in maintaining the flavor of instant noodle. In the market, products such as Indomie can be imitated. Public confidence has been instilled in the minds of public that while we determine an instant noodle, the first brand that will surface in mind is Indomie.
Products Can Become Antiquated, Brand Can Last Forever
The 90s generation must be experienced for using a floppy disk as a tool to save the data or document on the computer. A floppy disk is a product. As time goes by, floppy disk as a product was replaced by USB Flash Drive (Universal Serial Bus). The products will change following the evolution of technology and information to help satisfy and ease the basic needs. While a brand like Fujifilm still exists even there is a lot of transformation.
