Revealed: Top 10 most popular brands in the UAE

Dubai airline Emirates has been ranked as the most positively perceived brand among residents in the United Arab Emirates, according to new research from YouGov.

The 2015 BestBrand Rankings were compiled using YouGov’s daily brand tracker BrandIndex which tracks over 400 brands in the UAE.

Emirates replaced Samsung on the top of the rankings after the airline launched a $20m global marketing campaign featuring Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston in 2015.

The advertisement generated over 5.6 million views on YouTube and helped the airline boost its brand perception, YouGov said.

Not surprisingly, technology brands accounted for the next seven rankings on the list with WhatsApp and YouTube appearing for the first time in the top 10. Apple also moved up one spot after it opened its first Middle East retail stores in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in October 2015.

“Technology based brands have steadily taken over the rankings in recent years with three spots in 2012 and 2013, five in 2014 and seven in 2015,” the report said.

YouGov Middle East and North Africa managing director Kailash Nagdev explained: “With seven of the top 10 rankings now taken up by technology brands in the UAE, the rankings illustrate the weight of digital mediums to engage consumers in the Arab world. This demonstrates the rising prevalence of those brands in their everyday lives.

“Those brands who can diversify their marketing strategies and embrace those digital mediums could also stand to win high levels of positive buzz amongst consumers. According to BrandIndex, Emirates, Eithad Airways and Emaar are indicating their ability to do so,” he added.

TOP 10 BEST PERCEIVED BRANDS IN THE UAE IN 2015

1. Emirates (Up one spot)


Sector: Aviation

Country: United Arab Emirates

2. WhatsApp (New entry)


Sector: Technology

Country: United States

3. Apple (Up one spot)


Sector: Technology

Country: United States

4. Samsung (Down three spots)


Sector: Technology

Country: Korea

5. Google (Down two spots)


Sector: Technology

Country: United States

6. Facebook (No change)


Sector: Technology

Country: United States

7. iPhone (No change)


Sector: Technology

Country: United States

8. YouTube (New entry)


Sector: Technology

Country: United States

9. Etihad Airways (New entry)


Sector: Aviation

Country: United Arab Emirates

10. Emaar (No change)


Sector: Real estate

Country: United Arab Emirates