BRAND NEW WINNERS
dubai — True, technology’s massive influence is everywhere, but an iconic Dubai brand continues to show how it’s done.
Amid a sea of tech brands, Emirates airline came out on top in a new study from YouGov’s BrandIndex,
Dubai’s flag-carrier led BrandIndex’s firstever UAE brand health rankings, besting a field absolutely dominated by tech firms.
Seven out of the top 10 brands on the list are from the tech space, with messaging service WhatsApp coming second, online bellwether Google at third, retail giant Carrefour at fourth and social media icon Facebook at fifth.
Tech firms occupy the sixth to ninth spots — YouTube, Apple, the iPhone and Samsung — with food conglomerate Almarai rounding out the top 10.
It’s also worth mentioning that the three non-tech brands on the list — Emirates, Carrefour and Almarai — have not only been household names in the UAE, but are also using innovation to their advantage.
“The UAE is among the savviest markets in the world when it comes to mobile and online technology, so it is no surprise to see Google, Facebook, Apple, Samsung and related brands reach the top 10 list for brand health,” Scott Booth, YouGov’s head of data products in the Mena, said.
“On the other hand, we can see that Emirates, Carrefour and Almarai, long dominant in their respective sectors, have achieved levels of differentiation, ubiquity and consumer perception that set them apart from their direct competition.”
The study also showed those whose brand health has improved the most — and this time tech firms take a backseat, nailing only four out of the top 10 spots.
Apple’s iPhone topped the list, followed by Dubai’s leisure destination Global Village, China’s Huawei, Dubai shopping hub City Walk and photo-sharing app Instagram.
Rounding off the list are beverage brands Schweppes and Barbican, payments firm Visa, Pizza Hut and Dubai-based Meraas Holdings.
“A brand needs to give its audience something to identify with, in order to stand out from the crowd,” said Jennifer Watson, founder of Bloom Branding.
“Irrespective of sector, brands need to remain relevant to their target audiences and achieve meaningful differentiation from their competitors — and this must be sustainable. We can say that one of the most powerful concepts in branding is that of provenance, and using a brand’s geographic
origin or heritage to build its identity is a way to begin telling its story.”
Meanwhile, on the global level, tech brands reasserted their dominance, once again taking seven out of the top 10 spots — as a matter of fact, the study revealed that the top seven are from their turf: Google, YouTube, Facebook, Samsung, WhatsApp, the iPhone and Amazon are joined by Toyota, Adidas and Colgate.
“Tech brands dominate this global list and with good reason. By their very nature the likes of Google, YouTube and Facebook are open and accessible in most places on earth to anyone with online access,” said Ted Marzilli, CEO of YouGov Data Products.
“The presence of Samsung and the Apple iPhone demonstrate that our mobile devices have become the remote controls for our lives. All of the brands in the rankings are mainstream with broad utility at their core — and this is as true of the likes of Toyota and Colgate as it is for WhatsApp and Samsung.”
In today’s technology-driven world, brands are scrambling to take advantage of the massive potential and reach innovation offers. And this is no different for ‘Brand Dubai’: the emirate’s reputation in all verticals has made it a virtual magnet for companies seeking to boost its brand in a largely consumer-driven market. “Adding ‘Dubai’ to a brand name associates it with quality, credibility, innovation, commitment and opulence,” said Ramesh Menon, CEO and creative director of brandform. “The tag ‘Dubai’ already establishes reasons why they should [take businesses here].”
— alvin@khaleejtimes.com