Revealed: Top 10 ‘simplest brands’ in the UAE, Saudi Arabia

Netflix has been ranked as the world’s ‘simplest brand’ according to a new study by branding firm Siegel+Gale.

The annual World’s Simplest Brands report, now in its eighth year, evaluated brands and industries on their simplicity and is based on a survey of 15,000 people across nine countries.

The report found that 55 per cent of people are willing to pay more for simpler experiences, while 64 per cent of people are ‘more likely’ to recommend a brand that delivers simple experiences.

The report “quantifies the substantial monetary value of investing in simplifying”, said Howard Belk, co-CEO and chief creative officer, Siegel+Gale.

“Our study reaffirms an increasing demand for transparent, direct, simple experiences that make peoples’ lives easier. Once again the data proves that simplicity pays.”

Globally, news and social media industries “fared poorly” given the current context of ‘fake news’ claims and evidence of disinformation campaigns, the report stated.

Industries “mired in complexity” such as insurance, telecommunications and car rental were also found to be at the bottom of the ranking.

The study, which also created country-specific lists, found that internet search and technology firms rank high in the UAE, followed by retail grocery and restaurants.

Interestingly, Dubai airline Emirates featured on the top 10 simplest brands ranking in Saudi Arabia, while not appearing on the UAE list, while Dubai-based online marketplace Souq also featured on the Saudi list, and not on the UAE one.

Zouheir Zoueihed, managing director, Siegel+Gale Dubai said: “The UAE is not only a melting pot of nationalities, but it is also home to a myriad of international brands. What’s interesting about this year’s research, is that while Google took the top spot as the simplest brand in the region, it was closely followed by two supermarket, bricks and mortar brands – Carrefour and Lulu respectively.

“It shows that while tech brands are certainly winning the hearts and minds of consumers, physical retailers are still favoured by many – and this can certainly be attributed to their simple brand positioning and their ease of experience.”

Top 10 simplest brands in the UAE

1. Google
2. Carrefour
3. Lulu
4. WhatsApp
5. Dubai Metro
6. Samsung
7. Splash
8. Etihad Airways
9. Pizza Hut
10. Facebook

Top 10 simplest brands in Saudi Arabia

1. Al Baik (Fast food restaurant chain)
2. Google
3. WhatsApp
4. Samsung
5. YouTube
6. Souq
7. Facebook
8. Carrefour
9. LG
10. Emirates

World’s top 10 simplest brands

1. Netflix
2. ALDI (German discount supermarket chain)
3. Google
4. Lidl (German discount supermarket chain)
5. Carrefour
6. McDonald’s
7. Trivago
8. Spotify
9. Uniqlo (Japanese clothing retailer)
10. Subway