January 20th, 2015, YouGov
Al Baik has created the highest amount of positive noise amongst residents in Saudi Arabia throughout 2014, according to new Home-Grown Annual BrandIndex Rankings released by YouGov.
The new Rankings, which exclusively focus on brands born out of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, showcase the top 10 brands with the highest Buzz scores over the last 12 months tracked by YouGov’s flagship brand tracker, BrandIndex.
Saudi Arabia Top 10 Home-Grown Buzz Rankings 2014
BrandIndex tracks over 400 brands across multiple sectors in Saudi Arabia, and is the first and only daily measure of brand perception among the public in the Middle East. Rankings are created using 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 or word-of-mouth’.
Al Baik, one of the most popular fast food restaurants in Saudi Arabia, received the highest amount of positive sentiment amongst residents in the Kingdom, crowning it the number one Buzz brand with a score of 36.5. The privately owned company announced a new joint venture in 2014 to open, operate and manage more restaurants in the region and remains one to watch over the course of 2015.
The brand with “quality you can trust”, Almarai, also managed to achieve cut through with residents in the Kingdom in second place with a score of 36.0. According to Bloomberg, Almarai generated 12 billion SAR (117 billion AED, 3.2 billion USD) in revenue from Q4 2013 - Q3 2014, leading to a large increase in the brand’s share price. 2015 is likely to see further brand visibility for Almarai as they continue to invest across the Middle East region as part of a joint venture with US soft drinks giant PepsiCo.
Scoring highly in third position with 33.1 is hugely popular home-grown fragrance brand Arabian Oud which has had a busy year in 2014. The brand sponsored the 2014 Gulf Cup "Gulf 22" hosted by the city of Riyadh, in line with the Arabian Oud Community Programs that pay great attention to the youth and positive influence of sports. The brand is not only creating Buzz in the Kingdom but also expanding internationally.
Not far behind in fourth position with a score of 30.8 is Al-Quran Al-Kareem, a highly popular Islamic radio broadcasting channel in the Kingdom. The brand also secured 10th place in YouGov’s Global BrandIndex Rankings for Saudi Arabia
In fifth place is Jarir Bookstore, recognized as the market leader in office supplies, school supplies, I.T. products and books in Saudi Arabia. Jarir Bookstore is highly respected in the Kingdom among its customers and the business community alike, which reflected positively in our Home-Grown Annual BrandIndex Rankings, with a score of 28.0.
One of the largest Islamic banks in the world, Al Rajhi Bank enters at number six with a score of 25.8. The bank is deeply rooted in Islamic banking principles and the Sharia compliant banking group is instrumental in bridging the gap between modern financial demands and intrinsic values, whilst spearheading numerous industry standards and developments.
At seven is retail company Aziza Panda with a Buzz score of 25.4. Together with expansion plans across the region, the brand has created positive Buzz in 2014 through its collaboration with the International Islamic Relief Organization Saudi Arabia (IIROSA) and a campaign to distribute food coupons to several widows, families of prisoners and orphans during the holy month of Ramadan.
Saudi Arabia beverage giant Al Rabie ranks just behind in eighth position with a Buzz score of 24.8. In 2014 the brand partnered with King Saud University (KSU)’s Social Responsibility Club to distribute more than 100,000 meals to fasting individuals during the holy month of Ramadan. In addition Al Rabie visited inpatients in Riyadh regional hospitals as part of its campaign to augment bonds of compassion amongst the community.
In ninth position is Saudi Arabian Airlines brand, Saudia with a score of 23.4. 2014 saw Saudia expand into four new markets: Sudan, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. This growth not only reflected well in the Home-Grown Rankings, but also in YouGov’s Global BrandIndex Improver Rankings, which displays the top 10 overall brands with the most improved Buzz scores in Saudi Arabia. Saudia had the second most improved Buzz score in the Kingdom.
Rounding up the first top 10 Home-Grown BrandIndex Rankings in Saudi Arabia is Nadec, The National Agricultural Development Company in the Middle East and North Africa. In 2014, Nadec was recognized for its commitment to brand excellence and quality as per the international standards by the Saudi Arabian arm of Superbrands. Nadec’s appearance in the top 10 is evidence of the success of their marketing programs in building brand equity with consumers.
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