Pepsi Wins 'Brand Of The Year' From Superbrands UAE

Online, June 17, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Superbrands, the independent authority and arbiter of branding, today announced that Pepsi has won the coveted 'Brand of the Year' award at the 8th annual Superbrands tribute event, which was held at the Intercontinental, Dubai Festival City. 58 leading UAE brands were awarded the 'Superbrands' status at the gala event, which is also dubbed globally as the 'Oscars of Branding'. The event was attended by the country's most prominent senior business, marketing and branding executives and saw the unveiling of the 2012 Superbrands book featuring many of the brands voted as Superbrands.

Speaking at the tribute event, Mr. Mike English, Director, Superbrands Middle East said, "We are happy to announce that Pepsi has won the UAE 'Brand of the Year' award for 2012. This award goes to the brand that scores highest in the annual Superbrands voting survey of over 2,500 marketing professionals in the UAE. We would like to congratulate them on this feat and wish them even more success in the coming years. Pepsi has been a very strong performer in this market for many years and it continues to build on its strengths despite increasing competition in its market sector."

Commenting on their win, Mr. Ahmed Elazizi, Chief Marketing Officer, MEA Region, Pepsi Cola International said, "We are thrilled to be the 2012 Brand of The Year in the UAE. Pepsi always strives to offer the best product and brand experiences to its consumers and it is very exciting to be recognized for it by professionals."

PepsiCo's brands are clear market leaders in both foods and beverages categories in the UAE. Pepsi markets a series of leading brands within their portfolio including the top three brands across UAE market, namely Pepsi (the leader brand), Mountain Dew and 7UP. Pepsi is available to consumers in almost every single retail outlet in UAE and is accessible across more than ten million retail outlets. Pepsi products have been available in the UAE market for 50 years now and are proudly the category leader within carbonated soft drinks in the UAE, as well as across all other GCC markets.

In the last year, Pepsi has launched numerous successful advertising campaigns in the UAE, which vary from generic campaigns to others capitalising on the music and football themes around mega events. Among PepsiCo's projects in the region are programmes that focus on education, eradication of poverty, cross cultural exchanges for local youth, health and wellness and the environment.

"The tribute event was a true celebration of many of the country's highest profile brands and in turn a recognition of the people who work hard to ensure the success of their brands. To win the Superbrands title is a powerful endorsement and evidence for existing customers, potential customers, the media, suppliers, investors and employees of each brand's exceptional status," Mr. English added.

The Superbrands Council, which comprises of some of the leading names in UAE business circles, compile the shortlist which is then scored online by more than 2,500 marketing professional. The brands that scored more than 80% of the total possible marks were declared Superbrands by the Brand Council. The brands, which meet the stringent criteria set by the council are awarded with Superbrands status.

Most of the selected brands appear in the Superbrands UAE book, which traces the history and achievements of each of the brands. The 2012 Superbrands book is a coffee table book, which includes a two-page profile of each Superbrand tracing the foundation and development of the brand and a 'Things You Didn't Know section' highlighting interesting facts about the brand and its unique achievements.

"The brands featured in the Superbrands UAE 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 concluded.