Al Jazeera top Arab brand
2006-10-19 22:12
Dubai - Television news channel Al Jazeera
won the top spot in a list of the best-known Arab brands
compiled by Forbes magazine's Arabic edition, beating Dubai-based Emirates airlines.
Qatar-based Al Jazeera - which has been criticised by
Washington for airing messages from al-Qaeda leaders - ranked
first in the online survey in 19 Arab countries that tested a
brand's trust, recognition and adaptability, Forbes Arabia said.
The list of 40 brands - the first complied by Forbes Arabia -
was dominated by the United Arab Emirates, home to many of the
Gulf Arab firms that are expanding outside the region, backed by
governments looking to invest record oil revenues.
"(The) list looks at companies that have created strong
brands not only in Arab countries but that are also gaining
recognition worldwide," said Sulaiman al-Hattlan, editor of the
Arabic edition of Forbes magazine, which compiles an annual list
of the world's billionaires, in a statement.
War in Iraq
Emirates, the largest Arab airline, was one of 19 UAE
companies on the list, which will be published in the magazine's
November issue.
Among the others was Al Arabiya - a Saudi-owned broadcaster
that is the main rival of Al Jazeera, which has won millions of
Arab viewers and angered Washington and some Arab governments
with its coverage of the war in Iraq and Islamic militancy.
At number 10 was Dubai-based Emaar Properties, the largest
Arab developer by market value, which bought US homebuilder
John Laing Homes for $1.05bn in June.
Nakheel, a state-owned developer that is building three
palm-frond shaped islands off the coast of Dubai, was ranked
30th, one place ahead of Mecca Cola, which is touted by its
makers as an Islamic alternative to Western soft drink brands.
The online survey was conducted for Forbes Arabia by UK
market research firm YouGov.
Only companies operating in all
Arabic speaking countries were eligible for the list, the
magazine said.