Airlines, tourism operators, telecoms operators and real estate players have come up trumps in a survey of the UAE’s most-influential brands conducted by the social network site LinkedIn.
Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways took top spot in the survey, which measures engagement among LinkedIn’s 313 million professionals, followed by Emirates Airline in second place.
“LinkedIn provides us with a unique platform to engage business travellers and relevant decision-makers,” said Elizabeth Selby, Etihad’s head of social media. “This ranking follows a number of very successful campaigns we’ve run on the platform, taking our number of followers above 120,000.”
The Dubai-based hospitality giant Jumeirah Group, the company behind hotels such as the Burj Al Arab and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, came third on the list, followed by the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in fourth place.
The real estate giants Emaar and Damac were ranked fifth and ninth respectively, while the local telecoms operators Etisalat and du came in at number six and number eight.
National Bank of Abu Dhabi was the only bank to make the top 10 in the rankings, coming in seventh place, with the list rounded off by the talent management firm TASC Outsourcing in 10th position.
“While LinkedIn offers brands unmatched opportunities to reach out and engage with their target audiences, any marketing effort needs constant and consistent measurement to ensure success,” said Jacob Thomas, the head of LinkedIn marketing solutions in the Mena region.
“The brands we have identified in the UAE are leading among their peers in using LinkedIn’s Marketing Solutions most effectively, and the make-up of the rankings shows that social media is a significant focus for brands in the UAE.”
LinkedIn has more than 10 million members in the Middle East, with more than 1 million members each in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
jeverington@thenational.ae
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