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UAE likes Emirates more than Apple

Dubai-based airline Emirates has been named as the most positively perceived brand in the UAE yet again, according to the 2016 BestBrand Rankings released by research company YouGov on Wednesday.
The airline most notably caught consumer attention with brand Ambassador Jennifer Anniston reappearing in a new advertising campaign for 2016, Emirates has continued to receive the highest brand Buzz scores of over 400 brands in the UAE this year, retaining its crown as the number one brand in the UAE Buzz rankings.
The 2016 Annual BestBrand Rankings which launched across 24 countries globally, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, are compiled using the Buzz score from YouGov's daily flagship brand tracker - BrandIndex.

Holding tight onto second place was WhatsApp. The mobile messaging phenomenon is certainly one of the UAE's most commonly used methods of communication (55 per cent) according to YouGov data. In 2016 WhatsApp opened up its services to businesses which attracted Dubai Municipality to use the platform to engage its customers.
Carrefour was ranked third after becoming the only new entry into the BrandIndex Rankings and has continued to score significantly higher than its hypermarket competitors in virtually every BrandIndex metric throughout the year.
Facebook climbs two places to secure the fourth spot in the rankings. With the launch of 360 photos and videos across the platform, new and improved app features and the launch of 'Marketplace', consumers are continually engaging with the brand.
Emaar has continued its rise in Buzz, with a jump of four places in the rankings to sit at sixth position after 2016 saw the opening of the Dubai Opera and announcements of multiple upcoming large-scale developments throughout Dubai.
Rounding out our rankings climbers the world's largest video-streaming website YouTube has jumped one place in the rankings since last year. Owing to the continued increase in content, as well as the introduction of 4k and 360° video, the platform continues to grow in popularity throughout the UAE.

On the other hand, both Apple and iPhone fall down the rankings to fifth and eight respectively.
Google witnesses this years' biggest rankings descent from fifth to ninth place, this could well be caused by the lower levels of penetration for some of the brand's newer products such as the Google Pixel smartphone or the new 4k-capable Chromecast Ultra.
After debuting in the Mid-Year rankings last year, Etihad Airways also slips from ninth to tenth place.
"2016 was a year of significant challenge, with some brands seizing opportunity and others finding their historical strengths tested. Emirates in particular managed to weather a difficult economic climate and operational incidents without affecting its position as the ultimate brand in the UAE," said Scott Booth, head of Data Products Mena at YouGov.
- business@khaleejtimes.com