Top 10 most popular brands among millennials in the UAE

Social networking site Facebook is the most positively talked about brand among millennials in the UAE, according to a new index released by consultancy YouGov.

Social media, mobile and tech brands emerged as six of the top 10 most popular brands discussed by UAE respondents aged between 18 and 34 over the past year, according to YouGov’s daily brand tracking tool, BrandIndex.

However, local lifestyle and banking household names and global quick-service restaurant chains also made it to list.

YouGov used the Buzz and WOM (Word of Mouth) scores in BrandIndex to create the rankings.

Buzz asked respondents: “Have you heard anything positive about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news, or word of mouth?”

Meanwhile WOM asked respondents “Which of the following brands have you talked about with friends and family in the past two weeks (whether in person, online, or through social media)?”

Scott Booth, head of YouGov BrandIndex in MENA said: “Cross-referencing WOM with positive Buzz about brands allows us to measure which are the ‘most viral’ among consumers.

“Seeing exciting, young tech brands emerge as the leading brands creating chatter among UAE millennials fits our expectations of this group as tech-savvy digital natives and future thinkers.

“The presence of two global quick service restaurants and home-grown household names in the rankings highlights efforts these brands are also making to build a positive image among the more socially, globally and environmentally conscious millennial group.”

TOP 10 MOST POPULAR BRANDS AMONG UAE MILLENNIALS

1. Facebook
2. iPhone
3. Apple
4. WhatsApp
5. Samsung Galaxy
6. Samsung
7. Emirates
8. McDonald’s
9. Emirates NBD
10. KFC

The UAE has among the highest smartphone and internet penetration rates in the world.

People in the country are also extremely social-media savvy. According to research, UAE’s social media usage increased from 15 per cent in 2014 to 53 per cent in 2016.

Also read: WhatsApp, Facebook most popular social media platforms in UAE

A survey by YouGov last year also found that millennials in the UAE spend up to six hours a day on social media.

Read more: UAE residents spend five hours a day on social media