Apple most intimate brand in UAE

Dubai - Technology features prominently in the UAE top 10, with Samsung placed third, Sony in seventh and Google ninth.

Apple has emerged as the most intimate brand among UAE consumers in the MBLM Brand Intimacy 2015 Report, while Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank earned a place in the top ten alongside a collection of global names.
Lexus, Samsung and Mercedes are among the other highest ranked brands in the UAE country report announced today by MBLM, the brand intimacy agency. The study is one of the most comprehensive ratings of brands based on emotion.
The UAE country report, issued from MBLM Dubai, has been commissioned for the first time to truly understand the emotional bonds between consumers in the Emirates and brands. It is part of a wider global research initiative analysing the responses of 6,000 consumers and 52,000 brand evaluations in the US, Mexico and the Emirates.
"This report is based on quantitative research among consumers where our goal was to measure, quantify and better understand how emotions impact brand relationships and further dimension which brands are most successful at creating these bonds," said William Shintani, Partner at MBLM.

"The significance of the research findings is that intimate brands make business sense. The top ten most intimate brands outperform established financial indices for both revenue and profit growth over 10 years. These brands also command a price premium, enjoying more financial resilience than brands in the same industries that are not intimate."
Technology features prominently in the UAE top 10, with Samsung placed third, Sony in seventh and Google ninth, while top luxury automotive brands also show up well, with Lexus in second place and Toyota fourth.
Underlining the ability of retail brands to create intimacy with their consumers, global coffee chain Starbucks was ranked 6th and Swedish home store IKEA 10th.
Personal care specialist Dove (fifth) is the only health and beauty brand to make the top 10, with
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank achieving eighth place.
"At MBLM, we define brand intimacy as an essential relationship between a person and a brand, that when achieved has been proven to result in improved business performance," said Jae Hwang, Partner at MBLM.
Apple was also No.1 in the top rankings for the 10 most intimate brands in the U.S. and Mexico. BMW and Toyota completed the top three in the US, with American Express and Nissan ranked second and third, respectively, in Mexico.
- business@khaleejtimes.com