Social media giant Facebook is the most positively talked about brand among millennials in the UAE, ahead of iPhone and Apple according to new data from YouGov BrandIndex. The top 10 brands in the region for millennials include Facebook, iPhone, Apple, WhatsApp, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung, Emirates, McDonald’s, Emirates NBD and KFC.

YouGov’s daily brand tracking tool, BrandIndex, considered the opinions of UAE respondents aged between 18 and 34 collected online over the past year to discover the brands they’ve talked about most positively with friends and family, whether in person, online or through social media.

While it was no surprise to see social media, mobile and tech brands taking six of the top 10 spots, it is interesting that local lifestyle and banking household names and global quick-service restaurant chains are also demonstrating strong resonance with this age group.

Home-grown favorites, airline and lifestyle brand Emirates and retail bank Emirates NBD are making a cut with this audience as well, reiterating the efforts these companies and global quick-service restaurant giants such as McDonald’s and KFC have made to stay relevant to the younger target audiences.

“Seeing exciting, young tech brands emerge as the leading brands creating chatter among UAE millennials fits our expectations of this group as tech-savvy digital natives and future thinkers,” commented Scott Booth, Head of YouGov BrandIndex in MENA, adding, “The presence of two global quick service restaurants and home-grown household names in the rankings highlights efforts these brands are also making to build a positive image among the more socially, globally and environmentally conscious millennial group.”

YouGov used the Buzz and WOM (Word of Mouth) scores in BrandIndex to create the rankings. Buzz asks respondents, ‘Have you heard anything positive about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news, or word of mouth?’ WOM asks respondents ‘Which of the following brands have you talked about with friends and family in the past two weeks (whether in person, online, or through social media)?’