Jeddah’s popular fast food chain Al-Baik came as fourth local popular brand in the Middle East version of the 2012 Global Brand Simplicity Index survey. US-based global strategic branding agency Siegel+Gale conducted the survey. In an overall listing of Middle Eastern brands it got 23rd place.
Al-Baik, established in 1974 with a single branch, has grown to 31 branches in Jeddah and Makkah, besides one each in Madinah and Yanbu.
According to the survey, only six local Middle Eastern brands remain in the list. The rest are all major international brands such as Google and Samsung.
Their presence indicates that the survey among Saudi Arabia-based consumers was not broad enough, as local brands are largely underestimated. Giants like supermarket chain Panda and national carrier Saudi Arabian Airlines were not mentioned in the list though their popularity is high in terms of business volume and customer satisfaction. BlackBerry’s position in the Saudi market is weakening due to the influx of Android smartphones and Spinneys is no match to Panda in Saudi Arabia or Carrefour in the UAE.
The top-25 brands in the Gulf Region are:
1. Google, 2. Samsung, 3. McDonald's, 4. Gulf News, 5. BlackBerry, 6. Yahoo, 7. Dell, 8. YouTube, 9. Spinneys, 10. Toshiba, 11. Sony, 12. Skype, 13. Etisalat, 14. Carrefour, 15. IKEA, 16. Dubai Metro, 17. Apple, 18. Sharaf DG, 19. MSN, 20. LG, 21. Home Center, 22. Pizza Hut, 23. Al-Baik, 24. Emirates and 25. KFC.
