YouGov reveals top brands in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt

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Dairy products produced by Almarai at a grocery store in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June 2, 2016. (Reuters)
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Updated 22 September 2020
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YouGov reveals top brands in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt

  • The report finds that Emirates, Almarai and Carrefour are the brands with the most loyal customers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, respectively
  • In Saudi Arabia, Emirates has emerged as the biggest mover within the top 10 brands, at seventh place, up from 15th last year

DUBAI: YouGov BrandIndex, which measures the public’s perception of brands on a daily basis across a range of metrics, has released its 2020 Customer Loyalty rankings.

The report finds that Emirates, Almarai and Carrefour are the brands with the most loyal customers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, respectively. 

In the UAE’s top 10, the biggest movers were Lurpak — at 10th, up from 15th last year — and Dettol, which rose from 10th to sixth this year.

Despite the flight restrictions in place, loyalty toward leading carrier brands has remained strong in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. After Emirates at first position, Etihad appeared in the UAE rankings at fifth.

In Saudi Arabia, Emirates has emerged as the biggest mover within the top 10 brands, at seventh place, up from 15th last year. Saudia’s strong loyalty among Saudi customers landed it second place in the 2020 rankings.

Popular handset brand iPhone makes an appearance in the rankings of all three countries. In the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, customer loyalty toward the brand remains strong, not showing change in reconsideration rates despite its status as a luxury item amid a tough economic climate.

YouGov BrandIndex has also released the 10 “most improved” brands of the past year — those that have registered the largest rise in their loyalty score.

Majid Al-Futtaim is the “most improved” brand of the past year in the UAE, with a rise of 9.6 points.

It also makes an appearance in the improvers’ lists of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as the third and sixth most improved brand, respectively. 

In Saudi Arabia, Al-Raya is the “most improved” brand of the past year, with a rise of 7.7 points. In Egypt, Jumia.com reigns as the most improved brand, up 12.5 points.

Consumer brands dominate the list of improvers this year, highlighting the role of familiar fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) power brands in maintaining comfort through periods of prolonged lockdown and social distancing.

Mirinda, Fanta and Cheetos make an appearance in the UAE list. Egypt sees the presence of Tiger (up 6.6 points), KFC (up 5.7), Mountain Dew (up 5.7), Maggi (up 5.6), Heinz (up 5.5) and Juhayna (up 5.2) within the top 10 improvers.


Saudi Arabia strengthens global ranking in 2026 Soft Power Index

Updated 20 January 2026
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Saudi Arabia strengthens global ranking in 2026 Soft Power Index

  • UAE maintains 10th place, Qatar climbs 2 spots

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia climbed three positions to 17th place in this year’s Soft Power Index, released on Tuesday by marketing consultancy Brand Finance.

Other Gulf nations also performed well, with the UAE maintaining its 10th-place ranking and Qatar and Bahrain each climbing two spots to No. 20 and No. 49, respectively, marking a rebound for the region after a softer showing in 2025.

The report indicates that the performance reflects sustained investment in proactive diplomacy, economic diversification and expanded initiatives across culture, tourism and sports.

It also comes at a time when several Western powers are recording declines in their rankings, highlighting the growing influence of Gulf states.

“The UAE remains a clear regional leader, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar have strengthened their global positions through focused economic diplomacy and international engagement,” said Savio D’Souza, managing director for the Middle East and Africa, Brand Finance.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE either maintained or improved their rankings across all key pillars, including familiarity, reputation and influence.

The Kingdom recorded notable gains, with increases of 25 points in the People & Values pillar and 12 points in the Culture & Heritage pillar.

“Although perceptions across some markets remain mixed, renewed upward movement in the rankings suggests that targeted, long-term soft power strategies are beginning to pay off,” D’Souza said.

Globally, the US retained its top position despite recording the steepest overall decline in its score, followed by China in second place. Japan rose to third place, overtaking the UK, which ranked fourth, while Germany placed fifth.

Brand Finance defines “soft power” as a “nation’s ability to influence the preferences and behaviors of various actors in the international arena (states, corporations, communities, publics, etc.) through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion.” 

Each nation is assessed across 55 individual metrics, producing an overall score out of 100 and a ranking from first to 193rd.