Apple's iPhone is the most popular product among the UAE's youth for a second year in a row, according to a YouGov survey.
IPhone was the most talked about product by consumers aged between 18 and 34 in a top 10 list that is dominated by digital brands.
“In this age of fast-moving technology, the smartphone brand [iPhone] is the most positively-talked about brand among young adults in the UAE,” said Scott Booth, head of data products and services at YouGov in the Middle East and North Africa.
Researchers from YouGov interviewed 18 to 34 year-olds from around the country for about a year leading up to August this year. Interviewees were asked about brands they have reviewed positively in-person or online.
YouGov did not disclose the number of respondents who participated in the survey.
Dubai's Emirates Airline jumped two places to come second in the rankings, while Apple (as a stand-alone brand) came in at third place this year.
Apple's main competitor Samsung – the world's largest manufacturer of smartphones – slipped by one place to sixth spot this year, while social media company Facebook fell two ranks to fourth.
Fast food industry giant KFC has had the greatest positive movement in the top 10 list, reaching fifth place, up from eighth last year.
Meanwhile, messaging service WhatsApp had the toughest year of top 10 brands, falling four places to tenth.
YouGov also released the list of most talked-about brands in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, where Al Rajhi Bank and Facebook topped polls, respectively.
Food and beverage company Almarai witnessed the biggest movement in the Saudi Arabia’s top 10 list, jumping five places this year from tenth in 2018. In Egypt, three brands made a fresh entry into the list of top 10 – Dream Park, Huawei and Souq.com.
A second ranking that measured the greatest uplift in positive word of mouth, was also revealed.
“In the UAE, global streaming giant Netflix has recorded the greatest improvement in its brand perception since last year. Whereas in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Huawei and YouTube recorded the highest improvement, respectively,” said the survey.
Despite the positive local brand perception for the iPhone, sales have been slowing. In its third quarter results to the end of June, Apple reported an 11.8 per cent year-on-year decline of iPhone sales to $25.9 billion (Dh95bn).
