August 11th, 2014, Antonia Stockwell
Multi-national electronics pioneer Samsung has maintained its position as the number one brand in the Top 10 Buzz rankings in Saudi Arabia for the first half of 2014, according to our latest Mid-Year BrandIndex Rankings released today.
BrandIndex tracks over 450 brands in Saudi Arabia across multiple sectors simultaneously, and is the first and only daily measure of brand perception among the public in the Kingdom. Rankings are created using YouGov BrandIndex’s Buzz score, which is calculated by asking respondents if they have heard anything positive or negative about a brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news, word-of-mouth or friends and family.
Keeping internet giant Google at bay as a non-mover in second place since 2013 with 50.3 points, the South Korean electronics brand launched a range of new products in the region in 2014, and is quoted as saying the reason for its success is its philosophy to ‘listen to customers’ and ‘to meet and exceed their expectations'. According to BrandIndex data, Samsung has so far succeeded in 2014.
Apple and Visa were the biggest climbers in the Top 10 Buzz Rankings for the first half of 2014. News of Apple's much anticipated license in Saudi Arabia is likely to have contributed to its impressive jump to third place from eighth in 2013, and Visa jumped three places from tenth to seventh between January and June this year.
Despite being squeezed down one place from third to fourth, the Kingdom’s best-selling chocolate brand Galaxy is still generating strong Buzz with 39.1 points. 2014 saw the opening of a Galaxy® and Galaxy Jewels® production facility in Saudi Arabia, one of the largest chocolate factories in the Middle East, which will help the brand to further meet demand generated by positive awareness.
Popular perfume brand Arabian Oud in ninth place is a new entry to the Top 10 Buzz rankings this year in Saudi Arabia. Recently, the brand chose to diversify its offering to accommodate changes in consumer tastes introducing a wider range of western style perfumes in addition to more traditional scents. BrandIndex data shows that this has reflected positively on the brand in 2014.
Demonstrating the growth of eCommerce in the region, international online shopping leader Amazon is the highest Buzz score improver in Saudi Arabia for the first half of 2014, with a change in score of 16.6. In second place is national broadcaster Saudi TV, followed in third by Coca-Cola Zero, who have also improved their Buzz scores by over 10 points in the last 12 months.
Similar to the UAE, beverage brands have been proactive in increasing product engagement across the Kingdom in the last six months with Coke and PepsiCo’s range of products filling a number of Top 10 Buzz Improver rankings. The next half of 2014 will show whether this increase in Buzz amongst consumers will be converted into market share as the battle of the carbonated drinks giants in the region continues.
Commenting on the rankings, Commercial Director, Ali Draycott said, "Overall, technology brands continue to achieve the greatest marketing cut through in Saudi Arabia. At the same time, eCommerce related brands Visa and Amazon are climbing the Buzz rankings by resonating positively with consumers. As brands such as Apple and Apple iPhone create more noise in the Kingdom, they are pushing traditional favourites further down the rankings. FMCG brands Al Baik, Almarai and Galaxy all appear in the top 10 but their positions have dropped over the last 12 months."
Saudi Arabia Top 10 Buzz Rankings 2014
Saudi Arabia Top 10 Buzz Improvers 2014
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