68 leading UAE brands honoured at the ‘Oscars of Branding’ tribute event; the 2007-2008 Superbrands book featuring many of the UAE’s best brands unveiled.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 27, 2008: At a glittering tribute event held at the Intercontinental Dubai Festival City to honour the UAE’s strongest brands, Superbrands awarded the coveted ‘Brand of the Year’ title to Mall of the Emirates (MoE) and conferred Superbrands status on sixty-eight leading brands in the UAE. Dubbed globally as the ‘Oscars of Branding’, the event was attended by the country’s most prominent senior business, marketing and branding executives. The 2007-2008 Superbrands book was also unveiled featuring many of the country’s best brands which were voted earlier as Superbrands.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Mike English, Director, Superbrands Middle East, said, “The tribute event was a true celebration of many of the country’s highest profile brands. We are happy to announce that Mall of the Emirates was voted ‘Brand of the Year’ as it scored the highest points amongst all the brands. Sixty-eight brands scored more than 80 percent and were declared Superbrands by the brand council. To win this accolade is a powerful endorsement and evidence for existing customers, potential customers, the media, suppliers, investors and employees of each brand’s exceptional status.â€
Mall of the Emirates is the largest shopping centre outside of North America. Besides offering shoppers the widest selection of brands under one roof, it’s range of entertainment options including Ski Dubai – the first indoor ski destination in the Middle East, have made it the most talked about and preferred leisure, entertainment and shopping destination in the UAE and a well deserved winner of the ‘Brand of the Year’ award.
The Superbrands programme acknowledges and rewards the highest standards of branding. The Superbrands Council, which comprises some of the leading names in UAE business circles, score all the brands and the top scoring brands which meet the stringent critera set by the council are awarded with Superbrands status. Over the years, the Superbrands organisation has achieved international acclaim for being an independent authority and arbiter of branding excellence. The organisation is committed to the cause of promoting exceptional brands and the discipline of branding in the region.
Sixty-eight top brands were awarded out of thousands available in the UAE. Most of the selected brands appear in the Superbrands UAE book, which traces the history and achievements of each of the brands. “The brands featured in the book range from FMCG brands to corporate giants. We are happy to see so many of the UAE’s strongest home-grown brands included in the book alongside key international brands. Participation in the Superbrands book is by invitation only and acknowledges the intrinsic strength of the organisation and its brand value,†Mr. English added.
The 2007-2008 Superbrands book includes a two-page profile of each of the Superbrands. Each profile traces the foundation and development of the brand under the headings The Market, Achievements, History, The Product, Recent Developments, Promotion and Brand Values. There is also a Things You Didn’t Know section which highlights interesting facts about the brand and its unique achievements.
THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES SUPERBRANDS COUNCIL (2007-2008):
Mike English, Director Superbrands Middle East
H.E. Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of the Economy and Planning
Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director, Dubai Duty Free
Piyush Mathur, Regional Managing Director MENA & Pakistan, The Nielsen Company
Ram Buxani, Director, Cosmos International
Kim Redman, Regional Director, Middle East Council of Shopping Centres
Mishal Kanoo, Deputy Chairman, The Kanoo Group
David Cass, Writer & Broadcaster
John Brash, Managing Creative Director, Brash FZ LLC
Laila Suhail, Chief Marketing Officer, Dubai shopping Festival
Louis A. Scotto, former General Manager, Emirates Bank International
