Dubai-based airline Emirates has been named as the most positively perceived brand in the UAE yet again, according to the 2016 BestBrand Rankings released by research company YouGov.

The carrier most notably caught consumer attention with brand ambassador Jennifer Anniston reappearing in a new advertising campaign for 2016, the report said.

It added that Emirates has continued to receive the highest brand Buzz scores of over 400 brands in the UAE this year, retaining its crown as the number 1 brand.

The 2016 Annual BestBrand Rankings are compiled using the 'Buzz' score which asks residents daily if they have heard anything positive or negative about a brand in the last two weeks through advertising, news or word-of-mouth.

Holding tight onto second place is WhatsApp. The mobile messaging phenomenon is one of the UAE’s most commonly used methods of communication, according to YouGov data.

In 2016, WhatsApp opened up its services to businesses which attracted Dubai Municipality to use the platform to engage its customers.

Carrefour was ranked third after becoming the only new entry into the BrandIndex Rankings and has continued to score significantly higher than its hypermarket competitors in virtually every BrandIndex metric throughout the year.

Emaar has continued its rise in Buzz, with a jump of four places in the rankings to sit at sixth position after 2016 saw the opening of the Dubai Opera and announcements of multiple upcoming large-scale developments throughout Dubai.

 
"2016 was a year of significant challenge, with some brands seizing opportunity and others finding their historical strengths tested. Emirates in particular managed to weather a difficult economic climate and operational incidents without affecting its position as the ultimate brand in the UAE," said Scott Booth, head of Data Products MENA at YouGov.

"Intriguingly, Carrefour stands as the only brand in the top 10 neither home-grown nor tech-focused, belying the strength of sentiment toward Majid Al Futtaim’s hypermarket brand in the UAE."