Gulf F&B brand scores big

The surprise element among the Top 10 brand preferences in Siegel+Gale’s Middle East rankings was the Saudi fast-food chain Al Baik. It actually jumped 11 spots to be placed third.

“Al Baik’s presence is testament to how they embrace both extremely clear product [the ‘world’s best broast chicken and shrimp’] and brand stories,” said Ben Osborne at Siegel+Gale. “The experience and interactions are also considered and consistent.

“The spike in performance year-on-year is also probably in part driven by increased social media coverage in 2015. This includes responses to YouTube videos of customers rushing to the counter and the story of the Buraidah branch closure due to massive demand. But what this really did was celebrate the relative scarcity and increase the sense of ‘must have’ demand.”