A few weeks ago during class, I was learning about marketing, more specifically when marketing meets accounting. By the end of the lesson, I found out a couple of things that grabbed my attention. These words; Needs VS Wants, Features VS Benefits, Product VS Brand grabbed my attention. Those words are somewhat similar but have totally different meanings. What’s funny is, most people use them interchangeably.
Back home, most people would say “can I get an Aqua” when they order drinks, but what they really mean and want is mineral water, it doesn’t necessarily have to be Aqua.
This is a perfect example “product VS brand” confusion. The brand “Aqua” (an Indonesian spring water company, whose Danone/ Dannon is its parent company), is undoubtedly the leading spring water company in the country which has successfully implement the customer’s mind with their brand. Whenever they want to drink mineral water, they will say “Aqua” right away. What’s more interesting is that, the waitresses bring out water from any brand even tap water, as if aqua is a synonym of water.
